SEASONAL SUDS

Along with the three types of beer always on tap at the Shields Brewing Co., traditional-minded beer drinkers can also enjoy four seasonal varieties:

* “Right now I’m brewing Maibock,” brew master Bob Shields said. “This is a traditional German beer, brewed strong with a higher alcohol content. It’s made to beat off the cold.”

* His summer variety is a “smooth, yellow beer” containing wheat malt. “Our West Coast Wheat beer is more of a thirst-quenching beer, served with a slice of lemon,” Shields said. “The Germans also like to add a little boysenberry syrup.”

* “Probably our biggest-selling seasonal beer is the Oktoberfest beer,” he said. Shields says the world’s largest beer-drinking festival is growing in popularity in the United States.

* Brewed during the holidays, Winter Storm Ale is a “nut-brown, full-bodied ale,” he said, “and comes out around Thanksgiving.”

Shields said his seasonal beers are born from the European tradition of brewing for special occasions.

“We have a mailing list to let our regulars know when these seasonal varieties are coming out,” he said. “When it’s gone they have to wait another year.”