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With warmer weather on its way, it's a great time to check out some of the lighter beers of the world. Here's a few of my favorites for those days when it's too warm for stouts.

Franziskaner Hefeweizen -- Wheat beer originating from the oldest privately-owned brewery in Munich, Franziskaner Weiss Beer has a sweet aroma and a light flavor filled with banana esters. This is definitely a different type of beer than the "American style" of hefeweizen, set apart by its complexity and fruit finish.

Kona Brewing Longboard Lager -- Hailing from my home state and named after an old-fashioned style of surfboard, Longboard Lager has a slow, sweet malt flavor with a medium flavor hop flavor that feels like it sneaks up on your palate. While it's called lager, it definitely has a lot of body to it.

Hoegaarden White Beer -- Hoegaarden (pronounced "hu-garden") is brewed in the Belgian style of witbiers. With a hint of coriander, orange peel, and a fairly strong wheat presence, it manages to have a complex flavor yet feel refreshing and light.

Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale -- Deschutes is a great craft beer brewery in Oregon, and their Mirror Pond Pale Ale is light bodied and easily drinkable, with a dry and sunny taste that's great on a hot day.

With the unseasonably cold weather hitting us and St Patrick's Day on the way, my ideal evening would be to stay as far from the road as my little apartment will allow, curl up with a good movie, and enjoy a nice glass of Guinness. Originally brewed in Ireland, Guinness Pub Draft Stout is characterized by the malted barley that is roasted in much the same way coffee beans are. This roasting process gives the beer its dark ruby color and hints of coffee flavor. It also has a perceived smoothness to it, which is mostly attributable to the use of nitrogen in the pouring process, resulting in low levels of carbon dioxide and less of an acidic taste and feel.

Another famous characteristic of Guinness is the thick and creamy foam that is produced while it's poured. Back in the day, I could only get Guinness on tap or in a normal glass bottle. The disadvantages of the bottles were obvious: the beer would turn flat easily and it lacked the "surge" of bubbles that appear to flow down the insides of your glass. Fortunately, this was solved with the introduction of the "widget" -- a little plastic contraption in the Guinness draft can that releases a small amount of nitrogen upon opening, giving the beer a similar consistency and foam as a pint that might be pulled for you at a local pub.

On a health and nutrition note, a popular misconception of Guinness and other stouts is that they are "meals in a glass." In actuality, Guinness is relatively low in calories and carbohydrates - - around 125 calories and 10g of carbohydrates per 12 oz serving. So in my opinion, while I wouldn't go as far as an early Guinness marketing slogan that said "Guinness is good for you," in moderation it's a good alternative to many other popular types of beer.