The Summer Beers MBAs Are Drinking

Midwest: Beercago and Pittsbeer

Moving over to the Midwest we have some recommendations from the Kellogg School of Management. Matt Kamhi posits “Chicago makes the world’s best Pales, and who doesn’t like a Pale in the summer?”

Also on Matt’s list: the classically refreshing and light Bell’s Oberon and Firestone Walker’s Wookey Jack (not because of the season, but because Wookey Jack is “the best beer in the world”).

If you’re ever in Pittsburgh it might be worth stopping by The Brew Gentlemen and trying their White Sky (a Chai Wheat Beer). Kevin Manley of Tepper’s Brewmeisters describes it as “fantastic and a great summer brew and that is saying a lot since I usually am not a big wheat beer drinker.”

Also on tap for Kevin is the Delirium Tremens. While it is a strong Belgian Ale, this Brewmeisters member finds it to be “pretty light flavored and a great summer drink (as long as you don’t have anywhere important to go afterward).”

East Coast: Ivy and Hops

We have a trio of recommendations from Harvard Business School. Stephen Marks from HBS’s Brew Club tell us the Hoponius Union from Jack’s Abby is a “particularly stellar summer beer because it combines a lot of the citrus hops of an IPA with the crisp finish of a lager.”

Up next from the Brew Club is Brooklyn Brewery’s Sorachi Ace: “Saisons are one of the best styles for summer…[and] Brooklyn’s take on the style is fantastic and utilizes the Japanese Sorachi Ace hop variety, which adds great lemongrass notes to the beer.  This would be a great beer to try and convert your wine drinking friends to beer, and it also is one of the most versatile food pairing beers around.”

And finally from Harvard, we have a beer “for the more adventurous:” the eminently pronounceable Oude Gueuze Tilquin à L’Ancienne.

A spontaneously fermented blend of three different years of Lambic from three great Belgian Lambic producers, Tilquin is just as good as some of the more elusive beers in this category such as Cantillon but much easier to get your hands on.  Try this beer paired with a spread of cheeses at an outdoor summer dinner party.

The John Barleycorn Society at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business (sorry other beer clubs, this is hands-down the best club name) gives us two recommendations: Almanac Beer Co.’s Farmer’s Reserve Blackberry and Fiddlehead Brewing Company’s Second Fiddle Double IPA. The Farmer’s Reserve is “sour and refreshing, and a great beer for the summer and all year round.” And the Second Fiddle holds a special place in the heart of current Tuck MBA Mike: “I stopped at Fiddlehead to grab a 4-pack of freshly-canned Second Fiddle before I hopped on the ferry across Lake Champlain. Enjoying this hop explosion in the middle of the lake, bracketed by the Green and Adirondack mountains, was the perfect kick-off to my summer.”

We close with recommendations from Wharton that take us from Philly brews to New York and then all the way back to the west coast where we started.

Michael Kress tells us that the Philly beer for the summer is Victory Summer Love. The name speaks for itself, and the beer is a “clean American Blond Ale that has some flower and lemon notes that say ‘sunshine in your mouth.’”

NYC brings us the sessionable (Mike tells us this means you can drink a lot without falling over) Blue Point Mosaic IPA. Finally, back to the west coast, Mike recommends Lagunitas’ A Little Sumpin Sumpin Ale: “with a name like that, maybe summer in the pacific is sounding like the right move after all.”

It has been an absolute pleasure reading (and drinking) your recommendations. I plan to drink every one of them by Labor Day so I can be ready for your autumn beer choices after everyone settles into the school year.

If you think there’s something better to drink for the summertime, please don’t hesitate to sound off in the comments with your recommendations.

Nathan Howard is the first employee at CommonBond, a student lending platform that provides a better student loan experience through lower rates, superior service, and a strong commitment to community.