By Jason Notte
The Street
Craft beer geeks and mainstream beer drinkers usually don't mix, but summer has a way of getting everybody to the same bar.
By necessity, beer drinkers tend to shift to lighter, more refreshing brews as temperatures rise. They also tend to drink a lot more of it than at any other time of the year. The Treasury Department's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's statistics show that brewers produced roughly 17 million barrels last May and 18 million barrels a month from June through August. That's well up from the 14 million to 15 million a month they generally crank out during the rest of the year.
Considering that uptick in volume, is there any way to buy beer during the summer without breaking the bank or sipping swill? With help from folks at multistate wine and beer sellers Total Wine and reviewers at RateBeer and Beer Advocate, we priced out 10 of the summer's best beer offerings that won't break your budget. Price may vary by location, but these widely available brews won't:
More From The Street
--The 10 Priciest Beers in Baseball
--The 10 Most Expensive Trips to Ballgames in 2012
--The 10 Greatest Ballparks for Foodies
--The 10 Cheapest Sports Cars of 2012
Popular Stories On ThePostGame:
-- The World's Best Beers
-- Baseball-Themed Brews
-- Pint Of Beer A Day Keeps Heart Disease Away
-- Beer As Performance Enhancer?