Summer beers 2026: nine beers for the cooler

Mid-May 2026, we’re looking out through the window on Rue de la Tour. The sun is making a tentative appearance, the terraces are bringing out their cushions, and as for us, well, we’ve already got the cool box down from the loft. That’s how ready we are.

So, just like every year, we’ve had to twist the team’s arms a bit to agree on what to pop in your shopping basket this summer. An impossible task with 5,800 items in the catalogue, we’ll admit. But here’s our selection — nine bottles and tins we’d love to see you take with you, in your rucksack for the lakeside, in the cool box for camping, in the chalet fridge, or simply within reach of the sofa on a Tuesday evening. And this year, we’ve gone all out: it’s all Swiss.

We’ll start off light (and Jura-style). The BFM Salamandre remains the obvious choice: a 5.5% seasonal brew, dry and herbaceous, with the elegance of simple things done well. For palates that prefer a bit of a tickle, the Martigny Vice from WhiteFrontier, a 3.5% Valais Session IPA, is exactly what you’re looking for in July: flavour, low alcohol, so you can keep going without having to crawl home.

A Vaudois classic. Drunk Beard’s Muse (NEIPA, 6%) — one of their juicy IPAs, with lemon, grapefruit and lychee notes, a Lausanne signature in a can you’ll want to keep holding. In the offbeat-fruity category, a special mention goes to Salsa Verde 2025 from A Tue Tête: a barrel-aged sour with tomatillos, jalapeño, coriander and lime. Yes, we asked the question too. The answer: it’s a margarita-sour cocktail that’s not afraid of anything, and you’ll have to try it to understand.

We’re inviting you to a laid-back aperitif. For those long afternoons (that you want to be able to finish on your feet), the Bizule from L'Apaisée is a 2.5% Session IPA that doesn’t feel like a light beer at all. Fresh, incredibly drinkable, Swiss right down to the can. And on the non-alcoholic front, Nina from Zeer Brewing (0.3%) — dry, assertive, the exact opposite of the dreary non-alcoholic beers of yesteryear. Perfect for the designated driver, or for anyone who has to head back to the office in the afternoon (bittersweet thoughts).

Let’s veer off course a little. Because summer is also the time when you fancy drinking something other than beer without feeling guilty. The Cidre de Montblesson from Barbé & Barbey is pressed in Lausanne, and it’s about as local as you can get on a Saturday in June. And for a caffeine fix without turning to Spritz, El Tony’s Club Maté remains our faithful companion — we’ve been campaigning for it to stay in returnable bottles for over fifteen years, and we have no intention of stopping.

Our wild card. Chien Bleu’s Pomelo (6.2%): a wheat and oat saison, hopped with Idaho 7 / Citra / Amarillo, fresh and tropical. Open it up, and it’s like the countryside is giving you a kiss on the cheek.

There you go. Nine options for nine summer moments. You can pick all this up at the shop (14 Rue de la Tour), or have it delivered anywhere in Switzerland. No cool box? We sell them — and we give them away to customers we like (yes, it’s subjective) ;) For a garden party that deserves more than just a crate, we also rent out beer taps from 45 CHF.

Have a great summer. And don’t forget the cooler, really — we’ve seen too many cans going warm on the shores of Lake Geneva this year.

— PvA