Since when did wheat beer call dibs on summer? Sure, turkey can have Thanksgiving. Chicken noodle soup is all over the common cold. Hot dogs get baseball games; crack seed gets the megaplex; cheesesteaks get Philly (or maybe it’s the other way around); you get the idea. But summer? All of summer? Sorry wheat, but just because you’re often harvested in June doesn’t mean you’re the ingredient that makes that first swig of a fresh, cold beer on a white-hot summer day feel like it’s the last day of school before summer vacation all over again.

In fairness, wheat beer is so popularly associated with summertime because it’s a good fit. Beers with wheat-driven flavor tend to be pale, light and often paired with juicy citruses like oranges and lemons. Their flavors run the gamut from banana to vanilla to bubble gum, while those who avoid them complain they can be soapy, bland and hazy. So with all due respect to weizens, dunkels, bocks and those who love them, we offer these alternatives to wheat-powered beers. They may not say “summer” on their labels but they sure taste like it.

Big Wave Golden Ale

You’ve likely already heard of Kona Brewing Company’s Big Wave Golden Ale, but local brews get priority in this locally-owned and operated publication. We tend to think of Big Wave as the perfect beach beer. Smooth and refreshing, it goes down easy but with more flavor to savor than lighter–though also refreshing–options like Primo. And like Primo, it’s a modern classic.

The bang: 5.3 percent ABV

Your bucks: Unless it’s on sale–which it occasionally is–a six-pack will run you around $10 at your local grocer.

Bikini Blonde

We’ve been known to gravitate toward insanely hoppy beers. A brew so hopped up we’re practically chewing? Fill it up again! But on hot summer days, even the craziest of hop heads may opt to avoid beers that gnarly. In the interest of slightly lighter summer fare, we’ll trade Maui Brewing Company’s Big Swell IPA for their Bikini Blonde. This award-winning lager’s style is classic American but brewed with the kind of meticulousness that made us fall in love with craft brews in the first place. With a thoroughbred taste, sweet hints of German malt, and a light finish, the Bikini Blonde is as drinkable as a lager can get. Plus, any good beer geek worth her salt can tell you that canned beer is where it’s at. No light pollution to mess with taste and a lower carbon footprint to boot? Can do!

The bang: 4.5 percent ABV

Your bucks: About $10 for a six-pack across Oahu.

Hitachino Nest White Ale

If you haven’t tried Hitachino, you may recognize the Kiuchi Brewery brand from the distinctive owl on its label. OK, so technically there is wheat in this Japanese ale, but it’s just one of a variety of delicate flavors. With a thin head and a light yellow color, Hitachino Nest White Ale has a subtle petal sweetness that reveals itself in fragrant floral notes. Unlike fruiter beers, the sweetness doesn’t overpower what’s ultimately a wildly refreshing and delightfully unusual ale.

The bang: 5 percent ABV

Your bucks: 25-ounce bottle, $10.99

Rogue Irish-Style Lager

Forget the clever names–Dead Guy Ale, Santa’s Private Reserve, Yellow Snow IPA–and cheeky bottle design for which this Oregon-based brewery is so well known. Rogue simply makes awesome beer. The Irish-Style lager might call to mind St. Patrick’s day or a blanket of clouds over the rolling hills of Galway, but this brew is a combination of smoothness that will satiate summertime thirst and crispness to cut through the heat. The folks at Rogue suggest an appley finish, but we didn’t taste it: Just a delicious, refreshing beer in a bottle big enough to share, should your drinking companions be so lucky.

The bang: 5 percent ABV

Your bucks: $9–$11

De Ranke XX Bitter

In a word: Outstanding. This mind-blowing Belgian IPA is not for the simple pallet. Boozy and layered, it’s not for lightweights either. First of all, the pour looks like something that would come out of a gourd at Benjamin Franklin’s house: That is to say, it has the look–and taste–of something cooked up by a genius homebrewer. The color of rosin with a head thick enough to frost a cake, the XX Bitter has a spicy bite with hints of clove, malt and deep hops. All of that complexity aside, this IPA is thoroughly refreshing. We can’t help but think of it as the perfect beer for a summer night, though it has enough flavor to stand up against the spiciest and greasiest of summery BBQ eats.

The bang: 6.20 ABV

Your bucks: $14 for 750 mil. bottle at Tamura’s, 735-7100

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