Brew Brain Blog

Summer Ale is a seasonal brew from Samuel Adams. The label on the bottle describes it as “refreshing, crisp and tangy”. It is a wheat beer with lemon zest and Grains of Paradise, which, according to that same label, is a “mysterious brewing spice used by Renaissance brewers centuries ago”. How did it do?

Appearance: The beer is a nice cloudy golden color typical of wheats. Lots and lots of bubbles and a nice white head with decent retention for a wheat. This beer looks like a very nice wheat.

Smell: This beer smells like summer. I was greeted with nice wheat malts up front and a light fruity smell dominated, obviously, with lemon.

Taste: Right off the bat I tasted very pleasant wheat malt flavors, next came the fruity, lemon flavors. It finished with a bit of spice and also a very apparent sour flavor. The sourness is unfortunate, as it wastes a nice effort for me. The sourness overrides any hopiness (how do you spell that?) that tries to sneak through.

Palate: The carbonation is on the high side for me. It is a strong bodied beer for a wheat. It is “crisp and refreshing” like the label says, but while the sour notes are strongest in the after taste, they are apparent before swallowing.

Overall: Unfortunately, the label also says “tangy”. Well, others may disagree, but the tangy for me is more of a sour aftertaste. Very disappointing. This beer looks and smells like a real winner, but the taste was a let-down. And I bought a twelver. Dagger.

Brew Brain

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