Breweries and beverage companies have invented several new genres of summer drinks, both nonalcoholic and spiked, to keep up with changing tastes.
Parties and get-togethers might look more normal this summer, but we can’t say the same for the drinks cooler. Breweries and beverage companies have invented new summertime drinking options that move beyond the standard lager, canned cocktail or hard seltzer.
These warm-weather drinks blur categories, running the spectrum from hops-infused sparkling water to boozy beer Popsicles and even heavily fruited hard seltzers. Here’s a look at some of these unexpected sips.


"Balances bright acidity with savory heat"
Joshua M. Bernstein, New York Times
The michelada balances bright acidity with savory heat by combining light Mexican lager with lime juice, hot sauce and varied seasonings. Mass-market Mexican breweries have long sold canned micheladas, removing the fuss of mixing at home, but now breweries are taking canned micheladas into other flavorful directions by changing the base beers.
SLO Brew, in San Luis Obispo, Calif., blends the brewery’s softly textured hefeweizen beer with tomato juice, assorted spices and fruits such as mango in its Tío Rodrigo micheladas. Golden Road’s first release in its Chelada Cart series mixes a guava-flavored beer with zippy Clamato. Estrella Jalisco also uses Clamato in its zesty Tropical Chamoy Chelada lager, along with pineapple juice and chamoy, the fruit-based condiment that hits all the notes: sweet, salty, spicy and sour.