The Summer Drink

It was a hot one yesterday, with temperatures climbing up into the 80s and bright sunshine blazing through intermittent clouds. Pools all over central Ohio opened, recognizing that the Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer. Pay no attention to those who argue that the summer solstice on June 20 is when summer technically commences–we all know that the three-day weekend at the end of May is when the season of shorts, t-shirts, and cookouts truly begins.

I walked to the market and, as I was walking back under the sunshine carrying my groceries, I started thinking that with summer here, it was about time to go somewhere and have the official summer adult drink: a cold beer. So after I put away the groceries we headed to the Tip Top, where I enjoyed a frosty pint of Scottish ale.

Beer is an interesting beverage. When I first tried it as a callow youth, I swore I would never drink it again–but after a few more experiments it became an acquired taste. Decades later, beer is firmly entrenched as the summer drink of choice. Few things hit the sweet spot more accurately and resoundingly than a cold beer on a hot day.