The best Philadelphia summer beers to pack for picnics and beach days

Philly’s beer scene is booming: While craft breweries are on the decline nationally, the number of local breweries has almost doubled from only 17 in 2017.

The best part about having so many brewmasters at our fingertips is that new and fan-favorite beers are released every season to experiment with new trends, freshen up our palates, or introduce new styles. Who wants to drink heavy stouts at the height of a muggy summer or down the Shore, anyway? From hoppy ales to collabs with hometown favorites, local breweries are creating beers, seltzers, and spiked drinks for every summer occasion.

Delco is home to some of the region’s finest craft beer, and 2SP Brewing is an award-winning leader. Brewmaster Bob Barrar, who won 29 medals at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup during his tenure at fellow Delco brewery Iron Hill, has a knack for creating flavor with precision. Currently on offer: Summer Hoppy Blonde Ale, a bright, smooth beer with subtle hints of orange Creamsicle; Voluptuous Fuzz Peach Wheat, an American wheat ale brewed with more than 25 pounds of peaches per barrel; and Pony Gurl Coconut Light Lager, a light beer with a touch of coconut and among the most in demand at 2SP.

🌐 2spbrewing.com 📞 484-483-7860 📍 120 Concord Rd #101-103, Aston, PA 19014

Attic Brewing Co. is a Germantown craft brewery that opened in 2020, a century or so since the last brewery operated in the area.It’s known for its Give Back Beer Series; proceeds are donated to local nonprofits — over $25,000 to date. Attic Brewing’s summer beers range from hazy IPAs to sours that stimulate the senses and quench your thirst during Philly’s heat waves. For a heavier punch, go with Stratacat Hazy IPA, brewed with Strata hops and tasting of fresh strawberry and citrus with a subtle funky aroma. Sour beer fans will love Attic’s sessionable Sage Against the Machine Gose with its fresh sage and citrus flavor at 4% ABV (alcohol by volume) for easy drinking. Also on tap is the Common Swift 12° Czech Pilsner and Universal Melody Pale Ale, both around 5% ABV and smooth.

🌐 atticbrewing.com 📞 267-748-2495 📍 137 Berkley St, Philadelphia, PA 19144

Conshy Brewing Co. has a stellar summer lineup of fruity IPAs, golden ales, and lemon shandies that are picnic-ready. Blood Money Hazy Guava IPA is a juicy and hoppy mix of Conshohocken beer and guava puree, with a 6.5% ABV. Franzke & LA Bedlam at the Bank Golden Ale is a collaboration by beloved Phillies radio broadcasters Scott Frankze and Larry Anderson, with proceeds going to the Philly Youth Sports Collaborative. There’s also the crisp and sweet Lemon Wheel lemon shandy and the Wooder Melon American wheat ale, a wheat and pale malt base with fresh watermelon vibes.

🌐 conshohockenbrewing.com 📞 610-897-8962 📍 739 E Elm St #2301, Conshohocken, PA 19428

The woman-owned craft brewery, Philly’s original (since 1985), is celebrating summer with a classic — an American pale ale. Dock Street Brewery’s Summer Haze American Pale Ale is smooth with a range of hoppiness from Citra, Cascade, Amarillo, and Simcoe hops.To celebrate International Beer Day on Aug. 4, the brewery is releasing a twist on the salty limeade popular in India called shikanji. Dock Street’s Shikanji Gose will be a spiced sour beer with black and Nepalese Timut peppercorns, and ginger and fermented with fresh lime.

🌐 dockstreetbeer.com 📞 215-284-0345 / 215-337-3103 📍 2118 Washington Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19146

As the local brewery scene’s jokester, Evil Genius likes to get clever with its brew names (see: Stacy’s Mom citrus IPA or There’s No Crying in Baseball hazy mango IPA). The brewery is upping the fun this summer with a margarita sour beer, a strawberry ale, and a potent IPA. If a margarita is your summer go-to, you might try the I Said What I Said key lime margarita sour, a delightfully tart blonde ale. Challenge Accepted, a 9% ABV hazy IPA released in June, is being rolled out alongside a weeklong celebration with a mini beer festival, beer classes, and a spelling bee(r) at Evil Genius up until July 4. Finally, a portion of proceeds from its strawberry blonde ale, #LoveisLove, will be donated to the Trevor Project to benefit LGBTQ+ youth.

🌐 evilgeniusbeer.com 📞 215-425-6820 📍 1727 N Front St, Philadelphia, PA 19122

A Callowhill neighborhood watering hole, Love City Brewing and taproom is proof that if you create exquisite craft beers and make your establishment approachable, the masses will flock. Love City has two easy and smooth brews for summertime sips to complement any spread offered at the family party. With Generator Wheat — first brewed in 2018 using a generator before Peco connected Love City’s electricity — enjoy a classic Belgian-style wheat beer featuring lemongrass, Curaçao orange peel, and coriander spice. Love City’s Smooth Tempo Italian pilsner is a lush and well-balanced beer with hints of floral, herbal hops, and a subtle maltiness that is refreshing on a warm day. These beers fly under 5% ABV so enjoy a couple — or five.

🌐 lovecitybrewing.com 📞 215-398-1900 📍 1023 Hamilton St, Philadelphia, PA 19123

An award-winning brewery chain that started in Delaware more than 20 years ago, Iron Hill Brewery is letting citrus take center stage this summer. Two new beers, Dad’s Got Jokes Juicy Lager and Lemon Cerveza, are available inPennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The former bursts with tropical and citrus flavors, while the Mexican-style lemon lager is smooth and refreshing.

🌐 ironhillbrewery.com 📞 267-507-7365 📍 1150 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. is pulling out the stops for its summer beer lineup with a slew of fruity and lighter brews. New to the brewery is a partnership with hometown hero Rita’s Water Ice, with its mango and lemon water ice infused with Neshaminy’s white wheat ales. Rita’s Blonde Ale with Mango and Rita’s Lemon Ale are available to Neshaminy’s customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. If fruit beers are up your alley, Neshaminy also has Beach Fuzz, a Belgian-style wheat ale with peach. Throughout the rest of summer, NCBC will be releasing new American lagers, sour ales, and IPAs.

🌐 neshaminycreekbrewing.com 📞 215-458-7081 📍 909 Ray Ave, Croydon, PA 19021

Sly Fox Beer has been a staple in Philly’s beer scene since the late ‘90s, and its summer beers this year demonstrates why it’s so highly regarded. First on the menu is a collaboration with the nonprofit Alex’s Lemonade Stand; called Alex’s Raspberry Lemon Ale, this bright and pinkish brew delivers a sweet raspberry and lemonade taste with a touch of tartness. Proceeds are being donated to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for cancer research (more than $39,000 already donated). Other summer beers to perk up a picnic are Sly Fox’s Helles Golden Lager, Slugger Unfiltered Pilsner, and Haze Fix IPA.

🌐 slyfoxbeer.com 📞 484-328-3567 📍 20 Liberty Blvd #100, Malvern, PA 19355

Another Delco delicacy, Sterling Pig specializes in a wide range of beer styles that they frequently rotate to keep things exciting, from IPAs to porters and pilsners to stouts. There’s an inviting seasonal release of Youse Thirsty?, a smooth Vienna lager that is crisp and refreshing with hints of caramel. Recently added to Sterling Pig’s core lineup is a Technicolor Haze IPA, a crushable 6.7% ABV hazy India pale ale featuring Meridian, Simcoe, and Citra hops.

🌐 sterlingpig.com 📞 484-444-2526 📍 609 W State St, Media, PA 19063

Two Robbers arrived in Philly in 2019, and the rest is history. The hard seltzer brand has since exploded into thousands of retailers and sold across a dozen states, with a burger and seltzer taproom in Fishtown. With a variety of fruity alcoholic seltzers and a hard pumpkin coffee as the bedrock of its new-age drink menu, Two Robbers is punching even harder this summer with its Double Punch Hard Juice. At 8% ABV, these hard juices are double the alcohol content of Two Robbers usual seltzers and are loaded with real fruit. Two Robber’s Double Punch Hard Juice is available in Black cherry and mango at major Philly grocery stores and the Fishtown taproom.

🌐 tworobbers.com 📞 215-279-7574 📍 1221 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125

Weyerbacher Brewing had humble beginnings in a livery stable in downtown Easton , and is known for memorable, full-flavored beers. The summer beverage lineup ranges from Belgian-style wheat , various IPAs, and a hard cider. One to try is the WIT, a hazy wheat beer with coriander and orange peel. If beers are not the move, then go with the Colony Cider — not too sweet or dry — with notes of sweet apple.

🌐 weyerbacher.com 📞 610-438-3888 📍 905 Line St Suite G, Easton, PA 18042