Beer Review: Samuel Adams Summer Ale
I'm a big fan of seasonal brews in general. Some liquor stores let product sit on their shelves for a long, long time. Unless there is a date on the bottle, you are really taking a gamble. Seasonals are their own born-on date. You have to love that kind of certainty. Samuel Adams Summer Ale is in the pint glass this evening. The Summer Ale, like most warm weather seasonals, is a wheat ale. It has a golden, cloudy appearance. The aroma, also consistent with the style, is fairly light. It is dominated by citrus, but I'm also picking up hints of that aforementioned wheat. The head is light and dissipates quickly. However, it does leave a nice ring of foam around the edges of the glass. The flavor is crisp and light. The lemon zest flavors are dominant, but even those are fairly subdued. The finish is dry, leaving a slightly bitter grain taste. Overall, I would say that the Summer Ale is good, not great. It's a warm weather beer that would go well with anything that you decide to grill. A little stronger flavor might be nice, but it's still an enjoyable brew.
