Springfield's craft breweries are serving up these delicious beers this spring

The weather has been spectacular, a perfect time to enjoy a local brew on a patio, inside or grab a growler to go. So, we thought we’d do a roundup of great craft beers that are perfect for this time of year. Many of these are spring releases, a few are summer sippers and there are also some notable activities at local breweries.

Tie & Timber Beer Co.

This Rountree neighborhood favorite is always hopping. You can score one of Tie & Timber Beer Company’s seasonal favorites right now, the Orange Blossom Special, an American amber.

Orange Blossom Special is brewed with orange blossom honey, which imparts delicate floral notes and a light sweetness, balanced with orange peel. It’s the perfect beer to celebrate spring, said Jennifer Leonard, owner.

Put this on your radar: Tie & Timber is celebrating its 5th Anniversary Shebang May 6. The celebration will feature four new beer releases and music throughout the day starting at noon.

Want a sneak peek at one of those releases?

The tropical Midnight Lovemaker Pina Colada Milkshake IPA. Crafted with a generous amount of sweet pineapple and creamy coconut, this beer is perfectly balanced with just the right amount of hops. Leonard says it’s like vacation in a glass.

Wire Road Brewing

Battlefield’s only brewery, Wire Road Brewing is also a favorite of Springfieldians. Aside from a great patio and a selection of food trucks, the beers will make you smile.

Here’s a new one to try: Framboise Gose (pronounced “go-suh”). It is a very old German recipe made with 50 percent malted wheat, fermented with yeast and lactobacillus, flavored with coriander and salt. The addition of raspberry adds a light sweet fruity element to a tart, salty beer. It checks in at 4.7% ABV.

Framboise spent months aging in the oak foeder, only enhancing the complex flavors found in a gose-style beer, explained Jeff Birchler, co-owner.

There’s another beer that will be released soon: Sippin' Sunset. Birchler says it is named after the stunning sunsets at Wire Road. The light, crispy, unfiltered wheat beer allows the citrusy, fruity, tangerine flavors to shine through. That sounds like a good summer porch pounder (5.1% ABV).

Show-Me Brewing

If this gem isn’t on your radar, it should be. Show-Me Brewing, a microbrewery, is very small but has amazing beers and friendly owners. Plus, it’s also a wine and beer-making supply store. If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to brew your own beer, they can teach you. While they don’t have a nice patio, it’s a perfect spot to go if it’s raining or when it gets hot and being outdoors is just obnoxious.

Here’s what’s new on tap: Jumping Mule, which is a Saison. This pale Belgian ale has a dry finish, the fruity character is citrusy (orange or lemon) and it boasts peppery notes.

The Saison was originally brewed in the French-speaking part of Belgium for consumption during the active farming season for the field workers, said Julie Pearsall, a co-owner. John Pearsall, aka “John The Elder,” and John Gilbey, aka “John The Younger,” are the head brewers at Show-Me Brewing. Andy Pearsall is part-owner of Show-Me Brewing and the head brewer at Wire Road. They brew in 10-gallon barrels, so they are constantly switching out their taps.

4 By 4 Brewing Company

Danielle Shimeall, one of the owners of 4 by 4 Brewing Company, says the Double Dry Hopped Session IPA is a great selection right now.

It was made with state-of-the-art equipment called the MaxxLūp from Paul Mueller in Springfield.

“We’ve infused this session IPA with a boatload of hops in different stages of fermentation,” she said.

They were the first brewery in Missouri to acquire “this killer machine” and the 15th brewery in the country.

This crushable session — that’s beer speak for easy drinking — was hopped multiple times with the MaxxLūp to provide a different experience. It has an ABV of 4.6%.

“Based on the time and temperatures used with the machine, we have focused on a strong and exciting aromatic-forward beer, with a smooth mouthfeel that is suitable and pleasant for all,” Shimeall says.

This beer is part of their Maxxed Out — MaxxLūp series, which means it was made using the MaxxLūp Beer and Beverage Infusion System from Paul Mueller. MaxxLūp allows brewers to cut down their ingredient usage and the time it takes to infuse beer for a better-quality product.

White River Brewing Company

Sour lovers should head over to Commercial Street joint White River Brewing Company for a Topaz Mill Sour this spring.

It is not a new product, but they have added many new flavors to go along with it.

Topaz Mill is a kettle sour that is perfect for spring and summer. Easy drinking on its own, White River offers strawberry, lime, cherry lime, peach, mango, raspberry, black cherry, cherry, blackberry, orange and watermelon flavor options.

Right now, sour flights are very popular, and you can choose five different flavors of sour to sample on a flight. The beer has an ABV of 4.7%. It is only available in the taproom. They have a great patio, too.

Banter Brewing Co.

Banter Brewing Co. recently released its Amber Lager Triptych. In the art world, a triptych is an artwork made of three pieces or panels that tell a story in sequence or different elements of the same story. This is a fun concept in the beer world, too, because there are three brewskis in the series.

The base Amber Lager has a moderate malty flavor, with hints of toast and a clean, dry finish. The second iteration is the same Amber Lager aged on pecan wood. And the third option is the base Amber Lager aged on cherry wood, so you get a different finish with each. These come in at 5.4% ABV.

Just FYI, their Divine Haze won 3rd place in People’s Choice at Beerfest. It is always on tap.

If you’re looking for an activity, the brewery is sponsoring a new open mic on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, from 3:30-5 p.m. Sign-up starts at 3 p.m. and is hosted by Chris May from Maydash Music.

Springfield Brewing Company

Have any camping trips coming up? Well, Springfield Brewing Company has the brew for you. Their Oscura is a Mexican-style dark lager that is inspired by gathering around a campfire, so why not enjoy it on a camping trip under the stunning stars?

The Oscura has a rich chestnut hue, a light to medium body and is brewed with a variety of roasted malt and pilsner malt for mild caramel, cocoa and biscuit malt flavors. Clean, and smooth, with a balanced finish and the slightest hint of maize. It’s 5.9 % ABV and it’s available through the end of April.

At the end of April, they’re releasing a Margarita Squeeze, a kettle sour with hints of lime and salt. This unfiltered sour wheat ale was inspired by a classic margarita and is a light, refreshing brew with a tart finish at 5.0% ABV.

Hold Fast Brewing

You’ll have to wait a few weeks, but Hold Fast Brewing has two big releases on May 5, so mark your calendar.

The First is WAPO, their Mexican Cereza. It is straw to golden in color, with a malty balance and light hop flavor. The other is a Poblano Pilsner, a pale lager with a crisp refreshing taste that is lightly hopped.

Carol McLeod, who owns the brewery with her sister, says they add 10 pounds of roasted poblanos to the Pilsner, so you have a smooth punch of real roasted pepper flavor and finish.

They have a rocking patio if you want to hang downtown.

Great Escape Beer Works

This charming brewery is within walking distance from Sequiota Park and just off the Galloway Trail, so pop over to Great Escape Beer Works when you need a break from physical activity.

Owner Jake Duensing recommends Lake Beer, inspired by the classic Cadillac Margarita. Lake Beer is brewed with lime and orange peel to add a refreshing hint of citrus. It’s wonderfully crisp and ready for the summer, with an ABV of 5.0%. Sounds like another great pick for a warm day.

They have a nice upstairs deck that overlooks some of the gorgeous greenery of the Ozarks.

Mother’s Brewing Company

Mother's Brewing Company is serving up Trop Top, a light-bodied pale ale with hints of tropical fruits like passion fruit and guava. It’s juicy, and refreshing, with a dry finish (6.0% ABV). The website recommends you pair it with pineapple pizza, grilled asparagus, conch fritters and angel food cake.

If you are a fan of this brewery, you know they are gearing up for one of their biggest celebrations of the year: Mother’s Day Festival, a music festival that has turned into a three-Saturday event. They are celebrating 12 years in business and will have food trucks, brews and bands on May 6, May 13 and May 20. It’s family-friendly, but no pets. You can find the lineup on Mother's Brewing's Facebook event page. Tickets are available on their website.

Juliana Goodwin

Juliana Goodwin is a freelance journalist with experience covering business, travel and tourism, health, food and history. She is a former Food and Travel Columnist for the Springfield News-Leader, a former business reporter for The Joplin Globe, and has written for USA Today and Arkansas Living Magazine, among others. More by Juliana Goodwin

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