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Best Beers for Golf, Ranked for 2026

Thomas Short — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:50:40 +0000

Some things in life are always worth appreciating. A good beer. A nice round of golf. Of course, any golfer knows that you can’t just drink any beer on the course. Aside from the fact that you can’t bring your own beer (you would never do that, right?), some beers might have a more negative impact on your game and day. So, picking the right beers for golf is key. Here are the best beers for golf that you should be able to find on your course. Best Golf Beers, Ranked 1. Firestone Walker 805 There’s a lot to love about the 805. This beer is perfectly light, has good flavor, is 4.7% ABV, and doesn’t sit too heavily in your stomach. There are plenty of good occasions to grab an 805 outside of golf, but the course is a great place to enjoy this beer. 2. Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin IPA I know that adding an IPA is a bold call since IPAs, sunshine, and physical activity don’t mix very well. However, I think the Grapefruit Sculpin IPA gets a pass because the grapefruit flavor is just too perfect. It’s a 7% IPA that leans juicy and crisp, making it perfect to sip. Start your round with a Grapefruit Sculpin, or have one at the turn. Or have one after your round. If your golf course (or area) doesn’t carry this delicious beer, look for the regular Sculpin IPA or a Hazy Sculpin IPA. 3. Heineken Silver I don’t want to crowd this list with the “light lager” types (think Michelob Ultra, Coors Light, etc), but I’m going to highlight Heineken Silver. Why? Because it’s low-calorie and I legitimately like the flavor. It’s pretty close to the regular Heineken flavor while still being light and low-calorie, which is a great combination. 4. Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale The Mirror Pond is a nice pale ale with real flavor, which I love. This beer does lean a little bitter and hoppy, but it’s just 5% ABV, meaning it packs a lot of flavor into a relatively light beer. It’s also available in most areas of the country, so it’s a safe pick if you see it on the beverage cart. 5. Local Lager Okay, this pick is a bit of a cop-out since it’s not a specific beer, but seriously consider buying a can of a local lager next time you’re golfing. Lagers are the perfect beer for sunshine, and you might find a local brewery that you enjoy! As an example, the Bandon Dunes Sheep Ranch Lager was the perfect pairing for Sheep Ranch, and I’m glad I gave it a try. 6. Athletic IPA The Athletic IPA, a great non-alcoholic beer, is legitimately one of the best beers to have on the links. Athletic does an incredible job of nailing beer flavor without any of the booze, perfect for someone who is taking their round seriously and doesn’t want alcohol affecting their swing. 7. Michelob Ultra I couldn’t honestly create a “best golf beers” list without including Michelob Ultra. Michelob Ultra is one of the best light beers and brings just enough flavor for you to notice without feeling heavy, which is perfect for a hot day on the golf course. I haven’t had a Michelob Ultra in any other setting, and I don’t think I will, but it’s great for golf. Golf Beers FAQs

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What Are the Different Types of Lagers?

Thomas Short — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 16:04:53 +0000

Earlier this blog, we talked about what a lager is (mostly as opposed to an ale). If you missed that, you can learn more about what a lager is. Of course, we also know that ales come in different forms – pale ale, IPA, etc. Similarly, lagers come in different forms. To start, there are three main lager groups: pale, dark and Vienna. Pale lagers are…wait for it…golden in color (you thought I would say pale, didn’t you?). Dark lagers are dark in color. Typically, a dark brown, these lagers can also be a dark red color, and they tend to be a little bit heavier in ABV than their counterparts. Vienna lagers, as you might imagine, originated in Vienna. Interestingly, most famous Vienna lagers that you’ve probably heard about are Mexican beers. Here are some styles of lagers, their defining qualities and classic examples: Main Types of Lagers The Pale Lagers Pilsner: My personal favorite lager style, pilsners originate from Plzen, current day Czech Republic. Pilsners are pale lagers, and they made quite a splash when they first came around. While there are different styles of pilsners out there, expect all of them to be light and slightly malty/sweet. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Short Brews Beer Blog (@shortbrews) Helles: Helles lagers are named after hell, which in German means “bright” or “pale.” These are similar to pilsners in color and flavor, but they tend to be a little less sweet. Bock: The bock style of lager is sort of like the IPA of lagers…that being that they come in all sorts of styles. Maibocks, arguably the most popular version, is paler and hoppier than other versions. Then there’s doppelbock, which is basically like a double IPA – it’s just stronger all around. There’s also eisbock, a super strong lager, but those are far less common than the other two. Marzen: Marzen lagers are full bodied and malty, designed to be clean on the finish. They come a little darker in shade than pilsners and helles lagers, and, like basically any other beer, can vary depending on the style of marzen being brewed. The Dark Lagers Dunkel: My personal favorite dark lager, dunkels are a classic German beer. Incredibly dark in color, dunkels are basically all malt and can add in other types of flavors. This is a pretty popular Oktoberfest beer (which, by the way, is coming up). Schwarzbier: Literally “black beer,” the schwarzbier breaks down beer barriers…and by that I mean that, for all practical intents and purposes, may as well be deemed a lighter stout. Schwarzbiers can have coffee and chocolate flavors (like stouts), are dark and opaque (like stouts) and are very malty (like stouts). Doppelbock: Doppelbock makes a return! Depending on what style of doppelbock you get, you can classify it as a pale or a dark lager. I feel that dark lager is a better classification, but then again what do I know – there’s only been hundreds of styles brewed over hundreds of years. The Vienna Lager Truth be told, there isn’t much to say about the Vienna lager, but I did write an entire article about it so I don’t know. Vienna lagers are sort of the bridge between pale and dark lagers, and while someone out there would argue that you have to use certain temperatures and densities for a beer to be considered, you could easily find someone who says something completely different. The American Lager For better or for worse, we here in the United States have our own style of lager…and yes, it’s basically just cheap beer like PBR, Budweiser, Miller, and so on. I will say that breweries have started to put a spin on this style, and by spin I mean massive improvement. If you see an American Lager at your local brewery, give it a try. The Japanese Rice Lager A style that’s really gaining in popularity lately, the Japanese Rice Lager is pretty much exactly what it sounds like — a lager with rice. While tons of different beers incorporate rice, Japanese Rice Lagers are known for being clear, clean, and delicious. Well, that last one is my opinion. What Makes a Lager a Lager? Lagers differ from ales in a few ways, starting with yeasts as lagers use lager yeasts. Lagers are also cold fermented unlike ales which ferment at warmer temperatures. All of this (when done correctly) yields a beer that tends to have a lighter color and hop flavor profile than a pale ale would.

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Food That Goes With Beer

Thomas Short — Sat, 27 May 2023 19:15:27 +0000

Forget about pairing your white wines with whatever type of food goes with white wine. We’re here to talk beer! Finding foods that go with beer isn’t as easy as “white beers for fish” or “red beers for steak.” Alas, if only it were that easy. Beers are complex, and different styles can have wildly different flavors. Honestly, the flavor from one IPA to another IPA can be so different that it’s tough to accept that they are both IPAs. The best we can do is generalize the styles and find out what works well with them. Don’t worry, you don’t need to sit down and come up with your own pairing list – I’ve done it for you. Food and Beer Pairing: The Basics I’m sure that some culinary experts could create a list of fantastic basic rules for beer paring with food, and I’m also sure that experts can disagree on just about every point. So, here’s my amateur opinion on food and beer pairing that, considering my years of experience, holds some value. Think About Regional Trends Having sausages? Try something German. Eating a burger? An American ale or lager would be great. Cuisine isn’t just some happy accident — experts in flavor and taste have spent years honing in on regional ingredients to create the perfect dishes. It only makes sense that beers from the same region would match the broader taste profile. Drink What You Enjoy If you absolutely hate sours but some random internet article is telling you that you have to pair your meal with a sour, just don’t. Trust this random internet article instead and drink what you enjoy. Just don’t mistake this tip for “don’t try anything new,” since I encourage trying new things. But I don’t encourage intentionally having things you don’t like. Don’t Do Too Much Don’t do too much. Don’t maple syrup on a steak. Don’t deep-fry fruit. Don’t pair a DDH IIIPA with a funnel cake. Just don’t do it. Too much is too much, and you’re going to literally destroy your ability to ever taste anything again if you do too much. You’ll also gross out everyone around you, and maybe even yourself. So just don’t do it. Trust Your Gut If it sounds good, it’s probably good. If it sounds bad, it’s probably bad. Truly, pairing beer and food can be this simple. Beers to Pair with Foods Instead of doing a long list of foods and saying “drink this and that,” I’m going with the quicker, more sensical route of starting with the type of beer and suggesting the foods that pair with it. This just seems so much simpler to do, and it saves you from having to scroll down a full page of text looking for some specific meal. What to Pair with Ales The trusty ale should be paired with trusty foods, and nothing is trustier than a hamburger. Also, good with ales are just about any fried food, anything with nuts, cheddar cheese, nachos…basically anything that you’d find on a traditional pub menu. What to Pair with Lagers Lagers are going to be your closest thing to white wine, and by that, I mean you should drink a lager if you’re eating seafoods, sushi, shellfish, etc. Also, good with a lager: chicken and spicy foods, as well as many pasta dishes. What to Pair with IPAs The bitterer brother of the ale, IPAs are going to pair well with the same foods as ales. I’d also say that spicy food work well with IPAs since the bitter hoppy flavor and the spice can really pack a 1-2 punch. What to Pair with Pilsners Like lagers, pilsners will go better with seafood than most beers. However, if you’re planning a salmon dinner then you should definitely pick a pilsner. Spicy foods pair will with pilsners as well, so Mexican or Asian dishes with spice will taste even better. What to Pair with Porters Anything that feels heavy should go with a porter. Chili, barbecue and most meats are going to be good compliments to the classic porter style. What to Pair with Stouts Because stouts and porters have so much in common, you can easily get away with substituting one for the other in a beer pairing. Since stouts can sometimes run a little sweet, salty foods might taste particularly good. What to Pair with Hefeweizens Light beers like hefeweizens deserve lighter fare. Any type of salad should go well with a hefe, as well as different types of fruits. There’s a reason people put citrus in hefes, you know! What to Pair with Barleywines I’m not sure how anyone can make room in their stomach while drinking barleywine, but the only way to pair with this has to be a dessert. Something decadent and small might be good, like a cheesecake, something with cinnamon or even cookies. Just grab some dessert!

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