2025 Michigan Summer Beers That You Need to Check Out
[Disclaimer: I am not saying this is an all-encompassing list. This list particularly focuses on beers that are canned or bottled and distributed to local stores near me. As a result, this list is missing many beers from your local breweries and the east side of the state (I live on the west side); again, it’s not intended to be a complete list but rather an article about Michigan (only MI beers) that fit summertime. Also, this is not a ranked list in definite order; I think there’s a time and place for all of these beers.]
Thank you to the fine people of reddit for giving me suggestions and discussing this topic with me.
I sent out on a quest to explore Michigan summer beers for 2025—all beers produced in Michigan—and sought out beers unfamiliar to me while still trying to go back to some of the classics that made me fall in love with Michigan beer in the first place.
While I normally focus on going to breweries, this one I honed in on beers that are canned (or bottled) and distributed in Michigan.
Honey Lav (5.2% abv)—Blackrocks Brewery
Marquette, Michigan
This beer wasn’t on my radar before the fine people of Reddit told me about it. I like both components of this beer: lavender and honey. This beer is delicious; it gives me flavor profiles I don’t see commonly. Sure, it’s a wheat beer, but there’s so much more to it than that. The Michigan honey adds this smoothness then the lavender is the cherry on top. It’s smooth, refreshing, and a very different wheat beer than you’ll commonly see.
Blackrocks knows their shit. They didn’t disappoint here. And they’re a great UP brewery.
If you’re not a lavender fan, this probably isn’t the beer for you, but I happen to like it. I get it’s floral in nature, but it’s the uniqueness that intrigues me.
This one’s crushable yet fully flavored.
Lemon Hop-Stand (7.8% abv)—Short’s Brewing Company
Bellaire, Michigan
This “India-style Cream Ale”—that might be a new one to me—has a cream ale base loaded with lemon-drop hops and lemon zest. The result: a super lemony beer for the summer. It’s not too hoppy and most importantly: not too sweet. At 7.8% this one’s deceptively smooth. The body on it provides more than some of the others on this list.
I appreciate this beer for not being a straight up low-bodied session IPA with citrus added; there’s so many of those in the void right now floating around. I’m glad they went with the cream ale base; it shows the type of thinking Short’s does: outside the box to create unique styles. (If you haven’t done so, I’d recommend visiting their taproom in Bellaire.)
Limonata (4% av)—Dark Horse Brewing Co.
Marshall, Michigan
Don’t let this 4% Sicilian-Style Pilsner fool you—it’s packed with loads of flavor. The backing of the can describes it as “A crisp, clean brew with a bold hit of lemon that doesn’t ask for attention but gets it anyway. Refreshing like a sea breeze, sharp like good conversation, and just the right amount of attitude. It’s the kind of beer you don’t forget, even after the second can.”
First, whoever does their marketing should get a raise. Second, this description is completely accurate. This is exactly what you want from a pilsner. That hit of “lemon sunshine” screams summer; it’s a refreshing and memorable beer that should be at the top of anybody’s 2025 list for summer beers. If you check this beer out, you will not be disappointed. This beer stays with you and on your mind after you wipe out your first six pack of it.
Tropical Hopslam (9% abv)—Bell’s Brewery
Bells’s followed suit and copied their younger brother Founders. Founders used to distribute 4 Giants Tropical Treasure, but they don’t anymore. (RIP, or will this one make a revival?) My old man and I used to love this one as the favorite of the 4 Giants Series.
Tropical Hopslam doesn’t disappoint—if you’re into this sort of beer; not everybody is and that’s okay. Some people despise tropical beers. Some people also despise babies and puppies. (Understand more of the first, not the second.)
This is still very much a double IPA so it’s not refreshing by any means. But the notes of “pineapple, mango, and passionfruit” do provide a different twist on one of my favorite Big Boy doubles: Hopslam. Of course, this one is a little tamer but doesn’t disappoint and is a great summertime offering.
Light Beer —Solid Gold by Founders, Short’s Local’s Light, Etc.
Each big brewery (and sometimes smaller brewery) brews their own lager. Some have playful names such as Biller Lite or Almost Water. I don’t find these alternatives bad necessarily when comparing them to the mass-produced Miller Lite, Pabst, or Busch Light. To me water is water. There’s not entirely that much of a difference. Slight more flavor, but this is where I always factor in the price point. Is spending $30 for a 24 pack honestly much better than buying a 24 for $20?
I tend to stick away from these beers, but yes they’re still options.
Another note: these aren’t yearly beers so to call them a “summer beer” is a bit of a stretch. But there are people who will disagree with me just because they’re light beers, so in that case, Bud Light is a summertime beer. A part of me hates myself for even mentioning this section.
Clementine Crush Shandy (5%) & Mr. Bluesky Raspberry (5%)—Griffin Claw
Birmingham, Michigan
I couldn’t decide between which of these two beers to write about by Griffin Claw, so I opted to write about both.
I’m not the biggest fan of shandy’s. I know they’re a popular style of beer in the summertime, but I find most too sweet. While this one definitely still had sweetness, I found the uniqueness of the clementines enough to make it worthwhile.
This beer worked for me on a different level that most shandy’s do not. I couldn’t recommend getting this beer more. As far as Shandy’s go, this one is one of my favorites.
Mr. Bluesky is a raspberry wheat ale. It’s refreshing and exactly what you want from a fruited wheat style. Even better: it doesn’t fall into the realm of predictability by going with the most popular touristy choice—friggen blueberries. While I like blueberries and blueberry wine, beer, and even the fresh fruit in my yogurt, etc. as much as the next guy, I feel worn down on blueberry stuff this summer. I’ve came across more blueberry beers than I even care to count in the UP. Adding raspberry instead proved the right choice as a mix-up and not a style I see too often. Interesting fruit combinations are what keeps summer going.
Oberon (5.8% abv)—Bell’s Brewery
Kalamazoo, Michigan
This wouldn’t be a list without mentioning the OG of Michigan craft summertime beers. Of course, you can’t talk about Michigan summertime beers—well, you can but you’re not giving respect where respect is due—without mentioning Oberon.
Oberon is Michigan in the summertime.
It’s probably one of the first, if not the first craft beer me and many of my (Millenial) friends not only tried but enjoyed before we appreciated “craft beer” and frequented breweries and sought local beer. (Of course we were all 21, not 18 or 19, when we had a sip of our first Oberon.) I remember it as one of the first beers I regularly looked for on draft in the summer.
Many people claim Oberon changes their recipe every year, but Bell’s denies this and says the change of taste is either related to the sediment in your bottle, changes in your palate (food or other beers before or after drinking one, plus possible long term palate changes), or your sensory experience. Where were you the last time you drank an Oberon? At the beach? A summer BBQ? Floating down a river at 22 with your best friends, catching a tan, laughing, when life actually seemed full of hope?
Yeah, that might play a factor. I actually believe Bell’s despite strong opinions of the contrary.
It is the quintessential summer craft beer. Yes, Bells has gotten bigger over the years but Oberon still has its place in my fridge in the summer.
Imitation’s a form of flattery; it’s inspired many similar styles of beer throughout the state. Many breweries have their style of Oberon. Or, a wheat beer that happens to have fresh orange or some orange zest in it (how do they come up with it?). Some throw some lactose in it and some add vanilla to give it more of a creamy mouthfeel. (Breweries like Austin Brother’s have followed suit with Woody Wheat.)
I might get hate for this, but I think Oberon Light is worth mentioning. It still has a nice orange flavor; they upped the carbonation. It’s lighter coming in at 4% and has less of that unfiltered wheatiness going on. It’s more crushable than Oberon. It does lack the full body Oberon offers, but the information is in the title: it’s a lighter version.
Conclusion
No matter where you sit in your summertime flavor preferences, you can’t argue Michigan shows up when it comes to summertime beers. Some beers are rehashed, new flavors are introduced, and all of it contribute to what makes Michigan a great beer state.
[Let me know which beers made your list of Michigan Summertime beers of 2025. Have you tried any of these? Disagree with what I wrote? Let me know in the comments.]
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