Summer beers come in many shapes, sizes, tastes and alcohol contents

It looks like B.C. decided to forego spring this year and go straight to summer.

And if the early "summer" has you thinking about summer beers already, On The Coast's beer columnist Rebecca Whyman has your back.

"Generally people like a more effervescent beer in the summer months," she told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn. "When the weather heats up, people lean more towards the beers that seem 'lighter' in body, and often in alcohol too."

Whyman says wheat beers are a great summer choice as they have extra thirst quenching ability because of their increased acidity from the wheat. German hefeweizens and kolsches, Belgian witbiers and saisons, and pilsners are also popular because they are refreshing and thirst quenching.

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Other popular beer styles in the summer are fruit beers and radlers a mix of beer and fruit juice.

"When you're sitting on a patio in the sun, it's particularly refreshing to have a radler," she said. "You can make your own with pretty much any beer and fruit juice.Favourites, though, are lagers or wheat beers with citrus juices, like grapefruit."

Here are some of Whyman's picks for great summer beers.

Strange Fellows Jongleur Wit

"These beers are lightly spiced with coriander and bitter orange peel and very subtly hopped. Wits pair really well with vinaigrette salads, shrimp, thai food and even bacon and eggs. The Strange Fellows Jongleur is a sessionable 4.5 percent and perfect for patio sipping."

Doan's Craft Brewing's Kolsch

"The kolsch is an ale/lager hybrid that's ideal for warm-weather drinking. Kolschs use ale yeast, but ferments at colder lager temperatures, which give them a clean, crisp finish. More subtle than wits, hefeweizens or saisons, the kolsch is a very approachable beer that pairs well with summer fare-like salads, seafood and pork. You can't go wrong with a kolsch at a barbeque!"

Parallel 49's Tricycle Radler and Central City's Red Racer Radler

"When you're thirsty, but need to keep your wits about you, a low alcohol radler is just the ticket. These were invented to hydrate cyclists without them falling off their bicycles. Weighing in at a mere 3.5 percent, these grapefruit radlers are very sessionable and refreshing."

Powell Street's White IPA

"The effervescence and bitter hop profile of india pale ale makes it a tasty pairing with grilled meats and spicy foods. In the summer, I am especially fond of white IPAs with their combination of spicy Belgian yeast and fruity hops. Powell Street's White IPA features notes of orange peel, coriander and tropical fruit."

With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast