oregon may flow with locally produced IPas, but as the temperature rises, the alcohol and bitterness in your beer should go down—and no, we're not suggesting Busch Light. We mean lagers, for summer sipping.

We tasted small pours of five lager beers from Block 15 Brewing, pFriem Family Brewers, Great Notion, Ferment Brewing Company, and Wayfinder Beer, and rated them on criteria including color, head, mouthfeel, and bitterness. Which lager should you grab on a hot day? 

Most Refreshing Beer

Mexican Lager by pFriem

All of our reviewers agreed that they’d happily sip this citrusy Mexican lager all afternoon. It’s pale blonde, without much head, and smells a little bready—almost like a pilsner, but with more sweetness from the flaked corn used in the brewing process. The can suggests limes, but "it doesn't need a lime," concluded one tester, because the citrus flavoring is already pitch-perfect. A low level of bitterness and just 4.9 percent alcohol makes it ideal in the heat.

We’d Have Several of these BEERS

Mosca Mexican Lager by Great Notion 

Though this lager looks similar to our pFriem winner in its pale blonde color and light head, its heavier carbonation makes it a slower sip, as well as “a lot sweeter and breadier." At 5.1 percent alcohol, it’s another easy drinker, with no bitterness to speak of, but this one begs for a lime. Our testers noted a mismatch between the can design, which centers on a large insect (a rather hairy fly), and the beer. "The fly is really not enticing me to drink this,” commented one tester. “It makes me think of something gross and this beer is not gross.”

Hell Lagerbier by Wayfinder 

Bright in flavor with floral notes and hoppy dankness (that's a good thing), this lager packed the biggest flavor among the bunch, with lots of carbonation. It's a traditional choice that would pair well with barbecued meat. (One tester called it “very old-world.”) At 4.7 percent ABV, you could definitely down this pale-gold and mildly hazy beer while playing a board game at Mocks Crest while the sun goes down. 

Good, But Not Summery BEERS 

Blue Truck Premium American Lager by Block 15 

Take a Coors Banquet, dress it in a tuxedo, teach it to sing Frank Sinatra, and you get this beer. It's heavier than the rest of the field, by far, with elevated bitterness. “It's tasty, but I wouldn’t want this on a hot day,” said one tester. With a full two fingers of head and 4.7 percent ABV, it's dependable for a fall or winter social gathering—with air-conditioning. 

No Thanks BEERS

Offset Lager by Ferment 

We were optimistic about this beer brewed with sumac, thanks to its appealing purple can design and Ferment’s track record for award-winning brews, but this is not one of them. Our testers unanimously concluded that this beer fell flat, despite its appealing dark color and herbaceous scent. The bitterness of the sumac was overwhelming. “This is the only one that I’m not going to be bummed about pouring down the drain,” commented one tester.