Sixpack Sez

June 1 , 2007 | For your summer brew, it's OK to go to extremes

HERE ARE TWO words you don't hear uttered much during the summer: Extreme beer.

Trendy as they are, heavy, high-alcohol ales and lagers aren't exactly the ticket when the sweat is pouring from your nether regions. After an afternoon stuck on I-95, we tend to reach for light lagers and wheat beer. Chocolate stout, double bocks, imperial IPAs and other bulked-up brews are about as welcome in the city heat as a visit from Barry Bonds.

But before you boo the sluggers out of town, allow me to introduce you to summertime extreme beer. And, no, that is not a contradiction in terms - at least not if you accept Dogfish Head Brewing owner Sam Calagione's definition of extreme beer.

In his how-to guide, "Extreme Brewing," Calagione describes it as beer that's made either with excessive amounts of traditional ingredients (malt and hops) or well-crafted with nontraditional ingredients.

It's this latter category - nontraditional ingredients like fruit, spice and wild yeast - that gives beer-drinkers an opportunity to enjoy flavors that push the envelope, even in the heat of a pennant race. They're not steroid-enhanced brutes; think of these unusual brews as a lefty with a nasty screwball.

Look for this bunch around town:

Ich Bin Ein Berliner Weisse. I've been raving about this beer for years because it's such an unusual thirst-quencher. Available only at Nodding Head Brewery & Restaurant (1516 Sansom St., Center City), it's a light-bodied, low-alcohol wheat beer that is as tart as unsweetened lemonade. It's spiked with Lactobacillus bacteria to create what beer expert Michael Jackson once described as "an acidity worthy of Dorothy Parker."

Monkey Knife Fight. Also from Nodding Head, it's a lager made with ginger and lemongrass. Very light, with a spicy tang.

Festina Peche. Dogfish Head calls this newcomer to its lineup a "neo-Berliner Weisse" because it's flavored with peaches. You can get your first taste of it on tap next Friday at the Grey Lodge Pub (6235 Frankford Ave., Mayfair) when it's unveiled with a bunch of other Dogfish Head specialties. It's also available in four-packs of 12-ounce bottles. 4.5 percent alcohol.

Apricot Coriander. Bethlehem Brew Works (569 Main St., Bethlehem) says this is one of its most requested seasonal beers. Made with 40 gallons of apricots, it's balanced with coriander, a spice frequently found in Belgian-style witbier.

Strawberry Wheat. Lancaster Brewing doesn't go overboard with the berries in this baby - just enough to give it a mild orchard aroma. It's very refreshing, but don't run out for an entire case unless you're expecting a visit from a sorority. 4.7 percent alcohol.

Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale. Made in Belgium for the Center City tavern, it's sour - no surprise there - with cherry-like undertones brought to you by its distinctive wood-barrel aging.

Triple H. If there were ever an excessively hopped ale made for the summer, this one from Reading's Legacy Brewing is it. Most highly hopped ales are balanced with extra shovelfuls of malt, which translates into alcohol that nears the double-digit range. Legacy dumps hops into the kettle six times but still manages to keep things to a dull, enjoyable roar. 6.2 percent alcohol.

Here are a few other summer extremes to watch for: Blue Point Blueberry Ale (New York), Buffalo Bill's Orange Blossom Cream Ale (Oregon), Lefthand Juju Ginger Ale (Colorado), Rogue Chipotle Ale (Oregon).

And don't forget about Belgium's lambics. Many are flavored with fruit, including raspberry and peach, while others are simply blended and barrel-aged to produce funky but thirst-quenching gueuze.

Beer buzz

Category-busting beer of all kinds will be showcased this month at McGillin's Old Ale House (1310 Drury St., Center City) during its first Extreme Beer Month. It'll hold meet-and-greets with area brewers, with tastings of many of their edgiest brews.

As part of the event, I'll be hosting a day-long bus tour on June 16 from the tavern to Stoudt's in Adamstown and Sly Fox in Phoenixville, beginning with kegs and eggs in the morning. No, I won't be driving the Greyhound!

Here's a brief schedule of McGillin's Extreme Beer Month.

June 5: Dock Street

June 7: Troegs

June 12: Flying Fish

June 14: Sly Fox

June 19: Victory

June 21: Legacy

June 22: Stoudt's

June 28: Weyerbacher