Every summer, we beer lovers gather around ourselves a circle of our favorite beers. And our circles of favorites vary as much from each other as they do from summer to summer. This summer, we’re gathering a circle of the season’s favorites from representatives of every strata of the city’s beer trade—from a brewer and brewery owner, Russ Klisch of Lakefront Brewery, to the beer buyer and co-owner of a large retailer, Marie Greguska of Discount Liquor, to a small retail shop’s co-owners, Rebecca Sue Button and Jerel W. Hall of Thelma Carol Wine Merchants, to the lead bartender of a restaurant, Stevie Ruiz of Birch.
Rebecca Sue Button
Rebecca Sue Button, co-owner of Thelma Carol Wine Merchants
Co-owner, Thelma Carol Wine Merchants
- Duchesse de Bourgogne
- Flanders Red Ale
- Brouwerij Verhaeghe
- Vichte, Belgium
“As a person for whom beer is not always my first choice, The Duchesse, which is a Flanders sour traditionally blended from an older and younger ales and then aged for 18 months in barrels, brings a whole range of aromas and flavors to your glass, including sour dried cherry, oak vanillas, and dark malt.”
Jerel W. Hall
Jerel W. Hall, co-owner of Thelma Carol Wine Merchants
Co-owner, Thelma Carol Wine Merchants
- Cerveza Toña
- American Adjunct Lager
- Compañía Cervecera de Nicaragua
- Managua, Nicaragua
“For summer I usually head straight to the coldest clear beer I can find, and this delightful lager from Nicaragua blends just the right amount of flavor with a super refreshing finish. It’s lighter in body but sings with a purity not found in many other beers in this style. It goes really well with brats straight off the grill.”
Marie Greguska
Marie Greguska, beer buyer and co-owner of Discount Liquor (2026)…