After a fun Memorial Day weekend filled with good company, food and beverages, it feels like summer has officially begun. Although the calendar tells me I have until June 20 before it really is official, I am already welcoming the warm weather and its accompanying activities, and it seems I am not the only one.

Beverage manufacturers are helping consumers transition into summer with the release of seasonal varieties, portable packaging as well as informing consumers about the ways they can give their favorite drinks some summer flavor.

Chicago-based MillerCoors, a joint venture between SABMiller and Molson Coors, recognized consumers’ love for summer by releasing its Tenth and Blake Co. division’s Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy beer a month earlier than usual. In its first quarter results, the company reported that the release saw particularly strong growth and more than doubled volumes.

MillerCoors also is ushering in summer with special packaging for its Coors Light brand. Beginning in May, the company’s “Coors Light Silver Bullet Summer” began with the release of new sleek special-edition Silver Bullet Summer packaging. Certain packs of Coors Light 12-ounce bottles and cans feature an all-silver design with the exception of the cold-activated blue mountains, the company says.

Summer cocktail recipes also are popping up all over the place, but beverage-makers aren’t forgetting that consumers also want to add a summer twist to their non-alcohol drinks. Pure Leaf Iced Tea, a product of the Pepsi Lipton Tea Partnership, is emphasizing the brand’s  classic taste with its “For the Love of Leaves” campaign this summer.

 At the Kentucky Derby in early May, Pure Leaf and Gail Simmons of “Top Chef” and Food & Wine magazine unveiled tea-infused recipes for refreshing summer drinks. In addition to a Derby-themed recipe, Pure Leaf is sharing these recipes with consumers on Facebook.