Summer has officially begun for those living in the Northern Hemisphere. Regardless of where you live, this means seemingly endless sunny days, warm (to downright hot) temperatures, and possibly uncomfortable humidity guaranteed to make you sweat through your clothes at least once a week. Fear not. It’s also the season of the lawnmower beer.
In my years of writing about alcohol (and mowing my fair share of lawns), I’ve imbibed an awful lot of lawnmower beers. This brings us to one crucial question: What is a lawnmower beer?
What is a lawnmower beer?
Whatever you imagine a lawnmower beer to be, you’re probably right. It’s a term used to describe the type of beer you’d want to crack open after a day of mowing the lawn (on a ride-on or push mower) in the hazy heat of summer. That said, you don’t actually have to be toiling in the hot sun while you push a mower around your yard to imbibe a lawnmower beer.
It’s simply a term used to describe a refreshing, crisp, easy-to-drink summery beer. Lawnmower beers are crisp, thirst-quenching, and leave you craving another. Usually sessionable (low alcohol content) or hovering around the session style, a lawnmower beer should be light, crushable, and have very little overall bitterness. It’s a great beer for yard games and days spent floating in lakes, pools, and ponds.
What kind of beers are lawnmower beers?
By now, you’ve probably figured out that there’s a specific type of beer that fits the lawnmower beer criteria. Stouts, porters, barleywines, and other heavy, malty, high-alcohol beers aren’t good choices for lawnmower beers. The same is true with hoppy, bitter IPAs.
There are a handful of beer styles ideally suited to lawnmower beers. These include (crisp, clean, refreshing) light lagers, (floral, clean, crisp) pilsners, (fruity, refreshing, balanced) Kölsch-style beers, (light, fruity, refreshing) wheat beers, and (crisp, lightly hoppy) pale ales. Balanced session IPAs, cream ales, and other refreshing lagers are also acceptable.
The best lawnmower beers
Now that you’ve learned a little about what makes a lawnmower beer, it’s time to find some to stock up this summer. Before I get into the list, there’s one that stands above the rest. In name and flavor. That beer, of course, is the iconic Houston, Texas-based Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower. Referred to as a “refreshing outdoor beer,” this German-style Kölsch is perfectly balanced, fruity, and crisp.
Other classic lawnmower beers include Dale’s Pale Ale, Jack’s Abby Post Shift Pilsner, Narragansett Lager, Genesee Cream Ale, Montucky Cold Snack, von Trapp Helles Golden Lager, Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier, Pilsner Urquell, and more.
Bottom line
The lawnmower beer has no set style. It’s really up to you which beer and beer style you choose. Remember, this is a warm-weather beer, and it should be treated that way. Crisp, refreshing, balanced, and crushable is key.
