Say what you might about fruit beer, but the oft-maligned style has caught on in so many ways that we just couldn’t ignore it. With the weather heating up, “crushability” becomes an important factor when scanning the shelves for the perfect summertime brew. With that in mind, here are a few of our favourites.

Stanley Park Brewing Sunsetter Summer Ale

Never miss a Penticton Peach Festival? Crank the volume every time “Peaches” by the Presidents of the United States of America comes up on the iPod? If the answers to the above are “Hell yes,” get ready to love Stanley Park Brewing’s SunSetter, a seasonal offering that proves the beauty of subtlety. A wheat ale that clocks in at 4.8 percent on the alcohol front, SunSetter is fittingly as golden-hued as California in the ’70s. But what helped capture a gold medal at the 2015 World Beer Championships is the delicate peach undertones. That’s right—delicate, with a soft peach kiss tempered by equally understated wheat notes. That makes for a light and refreshing beer made for gorgeously hot summer days.

> Mike Usinger

Steamworks Tropical Tart Ale

Fresh out of the brewery’s bright tanks, this delightfully intoxicating summer blend from Steamworks hasn’t even hit liquor-store shelves yet. (It will next week.) Pouring to a dazzling, slightly opaque gold, the 4.9-percent-ABV kettle-soured ale is fermented with passion fruit and pomegranate, making for a harmonious blend of sweetness and tartness. Lush aromas make for a flavour profile that packs a serious punch to the nose and mouth, while overall the beer starts smooth and finishes dry.

> Amanda Siebert

Bomber Brewing Park Life Passionfruit Ale

Not all fruit-infused beers taste like the produce printed proudly on their labels. But the second that Bomber Brewing’s Park Life Passionfruit Ale leaves the tap—or can, if you’re so inclined—you’ll swear you’ve been transported to the tropics. Not only does the irresistibly honeyed aroma prove that Bomber is no fan of false advertising, it also demonstrates that the Yeast Van spot knows a thing or two about concocting a crushable warm-weather brew. An American pale ale that’s bursting with a sweet-and-tangy—though not at all overbearing—passion-fruit flavour, Park Life, simply put, is the beer made for people who claim not to like beer.

> Lucy Lau

Brassneck Brewery Raspberry Changeling

As you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, don’t judge a beer by its colour: this cloudy, fuchsia-red kettle sour is one in a series of Changelings by the Mount Pleasant brewery that scores high on the sour scale. (Previous Changelings have been fermented with Viognier grapes, peaches, cherries, and gooseberries.) Brewed with lactobacillus yeast, this tart beer puts raspberry at the front and centre of smelling and tasting notes. Starting off sweet and finishing with a pucker-inducing acidity, the balanced, bright brew seems to beg for a second, and even a third pint—but know your limits, because this unassuming beer rings in at 6.5 percent ABV.

> Amanda Siebert

Paralell 49 Brewing Meyer Lemon Radler

School’s out and the neighbourhood lemonade stands are in full force. But as feel-good as putting a couple quarters toward a kid’s new-bike fund may be, sometimes you need something a little more, um, grown-up. Enter Parallel 49 Brewing’s Meyer Lemon Radler, a follow-up to the brewery’s super refreshing grapefruit iteration. Dry, slightly tart, and with a malty sweetness provided by P49’s craft lager base, this low-alcohol brew was made for days spent under the sun. Like your neighbour’s lemonade stand, however, this one won’t be around for long.

> Lucy Lau

Granville Island False Creek Raspberry Ale

One of the best parts of Vancouver summer is when locally picked berries start arriving at the Granville Island Public Market. Pick up a pound and you’ll ask yourself how the hell you spend 10 months of the year eating strangely flavourless strawberries trucked up from California. Get yourself primed for the most wonderful time of the year for fruit lovers with False Creek Raspberry Ale. Brewed with Fraser Valley raspberries, the local favourite strikes a nice, mildly hoppy balance between tart and sweet. Sticklers who like their beers to look the way they taste will be pleased by the pinkish-red colour, while the relatively light carbonation and 4.5 percent ABV ensure that things go down smoothly. Once the local crops arrive in mid-July, start thinking pork tenderloin with a local-raspberry reduction and a bottle of False Creek Raspberry Ale. Sometimes, it’s good to be here.

> Mike Usinger