beer

Last month we celebrated an unofficial — but hardly insignificant — food holiday: beer month. In its honor (and, OK, partially just for fun) we sipped our way through a legion of frothy brews, buffed up on brewing knowledge, and added a splash (or more) to our favorite dishes. In the process we discovered — and revisited — a variety of brews ranging from bold and boisterous to crisp and refreshing; click through for our top picks, and share yours in the comments.

— Additional reporting by Anna Monette Roberts

Warmer days and longer nights have us craving crisp, fruity brews with near-alarming intensity; thankfully, we've found a handful of options that fit the bill. Keep reading for five picks that will see you through Spring happy hours — and beyond — in style.

While we love a classic lager as much as the next girl, this week we sampled a variety of beers that skewed slightly oddball, from a mouth-puckeringly tart gueuze lambic to a barrel-aged and grape-enhanced brew, with some tamer options in between. Click through for six exceptional options that are bound to expand your palate for beer tasting and provide frothy enjoyment along the way.

Every politician needs some luck of the Irish sometimes, and that often comes in the form of beer. While enjoying a basketball game or conducting international diplomacy, there's nothing like beer to loosen up a politico. Plus, cheers-ing your constituents on the campaign trail is a classic move to show you're a man or woman of the people. St. Paddy's Day, which falls on Sunday, calls for some suds. So to get you in the spirit, check out politicians like President Barack Obama, who drank Guinness in Ireland with Michelle, or President George W. Bush, who threw back a nonalcoholic version in Germany, enjoying some beer.

With the weekend coming up, there is no better time to find out what light beer will taste the best. And whether you're having a quiet night in or out celebrating St. Patrick's Day, it helps to feel prepared about the calorie count, carbs, and alcohol content in each of these readily available light brews. We tasted all of these beers at POPSUGAR HQ, where our editors shared their thoughts. Check out how the light beers matched up after going head to head and which one was the crowd favorite.

Beer may be in the spotlight this weekend, but for most of the year, it plays second fiddle to wine, especially when discussed in the context of dining. (How come the term is always "wine and food" and never "beer and food"?) Beer doesn't just make a fantastic pairing with virtually every food, it's also an ideal cohort for putting in any meal. Here are 10 recipes you should prepare with (and while drinking) beer.

Whether you're in the mood for a mellow witbier, a bitter IPA, or even a sour ale, one of these six brews is bound to quench your thirst. Take a look at the tasting notes for our favorite beers that we tried this week.

St. Patrick's Day is this Sunday, so let the beer-drinking season commence! You'd think modern women would be free to consume whatever alcoholic beverage they choose without it accompanying stereotypes, but alas, it's been a love-hate history of beer ads for women. The '50s and '60s may not have been forward-thinking eras for females, but that doesn't mean sexist beer advertisements and marketing campaigns aren't any less common nowadays. Advertisers are old pros at using clichés and generalizations about women in hopes of getting them to buy their hops. Let's put on our beer goggles and take a look at past female-targeted beer ads over the years.