#378: Samuel Adams Summer Ale – Boston Beer Company, Boston, Massachusetts Ah, Samuel Adams Summer Ale. One of the beers that made me go “Beer can taste like lemons and stuff?” Knowledge I hadn’t yet acquired. The first time I tried it, I loved it. Who wouldn’t, really? But now, five or six years after my initial discovery of good beer, I’m wondering what I think of it. So let’s find out. It’s brewed with two-row pale malt and malted wheat, and hopped with Hallertauer Mittelfrueh, with lemons and grains of paradise added. Checks in at 5.3% ABV. Brought the Boston Lager “Perfect Pint” glass out of retirement for this one. Kind of hard not to. So no “down the middle” pour with this one, had to trickle down the side to avoid a disastrous waiting period and, potentially, a messy counter. The result is a nice-looking brew; creamy, thick white head on top, lovely glowing orange/yellow lighting things up underneath. Bright lemon coming right out of the glass, but not a citrusy hop-derived lemon, more of a lemon pledge/Ajaxy lemon. I’m scared. Eh… this leans just a little too damn sweet for me. My gut tells me it’s the lemon peel. I could probably do without that in this particular beer. Now, I wouldn’t rush into saying it isn’t enjoyable. Had I been quaffing this while sweating in 95-degree weather, or perhaps even on a cool beach at night, I could see it working. But right now, eh. There’s a snappy lick from the carbonation up front, with an added touch of lemon, revealing a center that gets a little too muddled. Sweet malt and sickly lemon meld together in a way that I find quite unappealing. Finishes kind of sweet and acidic. The Verdict: Too sweet, too lemony in a Pledge, Ajaxy kind of way, and too unbalanced in the center, where I’d really like something to grab onto.

#378: Samuel Adams Summer Ale – Boston Beer Company, Boston, Massachusetts

Ah, Samuel Adams Summer Ale. One of the beers that made me go “Beer can taste like lemons and stuff?” Knowledge I hadn’t yet acquired. The first time I tried it, I loved it. Who wouldn’t, really? But now, five or six years after my initial discovery of good beer, I’m wondering what I think of it. So let’s find out. It’s brewed with two-row pale malt and malted wheat, and hopped with Hallertauer Mittelfrueh, with lemons and grains of paradise added. Checks in at 5.3% ABV.

Brought the Boston Lager “Perfect Pint” glass out of retirement for this one. Kind of hard not to. So no “down the middle” pour with this one, had to trickle down the side to avoid a disastrous waiting period and, potentially, a messy counter. The result is a nice-looking brew; creamy, thick white head on top, lovely glowing orange/yellow lighting things up underneath. Bright lemon coming right out of the glass, but not a citrusy hop-derived lemon, more of a lemon pledge/Ajaxy lemon. I’m scared.

Eh… this leans just a little too damn sweet for me. My gut tells me it’s the lemon peel. I could probably do without that in this particular beer. Now, I wouldn’t rush into saying it isn’t enjoyable. Had I been quaffing this while sweating in 95-degree weather, or perhaps even on a cool beach at night, I could see it working. But right now, eh. There’s a snappy lick from the carbonation up front, with an added touch of lemon, revealing a center that gets a little too muddled. Sweet malt and sickly lemon meld together in a way that I find quite unappealing. Finishes kind of sweet and acidic.

The Verdict: Too sweet, too lemony in a Pledge, Ajaxy kind of way, and too unbalanced in the center, where I’d really like something to grab onto.

#368: Narragansett Summer Ale – Narragansett Brewing Company, Providence, Rhode Island Just last Saturday I had an absurdly happy beer moment. I won’t make it a secret to any of you, I really, really enjoy the range of Narragansett beers. The lager is consistent and tasty, the bock is scrumptious, the marzen is lovely, and the porter… oh dear, the porter. Brilliant. The thing is, to my knowledge, they had yet to start shipping to my area. I’d only ever tried them when I was in the Boston area, or when friends from the Boston area smuggled some Gansett goods down here. But after a survey of the cooler at my local liquor store, I found TWO Gansetts. Summer Ale and Cream Ale, each of which I’ve been dying to try. Happiness is happening. The summer ale is brewed with two-row pale malt and Citra hops, checking in at 4.2% ABV. Pouring it slowly, a large, fluffy, bright white head emerged out of this one, sitting atop a lovely looking body. You can clearly see the subtle, delicate carbonation in this one, gently snailing around the pale, bright golden body. I usually find out what the ingredients are before I review a beer on here, but lately I’ve been diving in head first in an effort to compare my tasting notes to what the beer was actually brewed with. It’s kind of a test to see if I can pick up on anything that’s actually in the beer, and it’s also a way to free my mind to find other aromas and flavors I wasn’t already programmed to find. With this beer, I dunked my nose above the rim and could think of only one word: “Citra.” I knew it right away, as a balanced array of tropical fruits, such as pineapple and mango, came hopping right out of the glass. But it’s used judiciously, which I believe is most flattering to the Citra hop. I couldn’t be happier that this beer is now available in my area. Finally, there’s another beer I can slot in next to Brooklyn Summer Ale and Hop Sun as my summer brews of choice. When you have a beer with this set of flavors, I often prefer the carbonation to be delicate, and that’s exactly what we’ve got here. It’s as round as beer gets. There’s a quick whack of tropical fruit up front, mainly watery fruits such as pineapple, with just a touch of orange rind. It gives way to a bready, juicy center of pale malt, followed by a finish that boasts a lovely, moreish bitterness, drying out nicely. The Verdict: I’ll be drinking plenty of this in the coming months. Deep, malty, with a bright hop aroma and flavor, and that wonderful, subtle carbonation that I enjoy so much. Good stuff.

#368: Narragansett Summer Ale – Narragansett Brewing Company, Providence, Rhode Island

Just last Saturday I had an absurdly happy beer moment. I won’t make it a secret to any of you, I really, really enjoy the range of Narragansett beers. The lager is consistent and tasty, the bock is scrumptious, the marzen is lovely, and the porter… oh dear, the porter. Brilliant. The thing is, to my knowledge, they had yet to start shipping to my area. I’d only ever tried them when I was in the Boston area, or when friends from the Boston area smuggled some Gansett goods down here. But after a survey of the cooler at my local liquor store, I found TWO Gansetts. Summer Ale and Cream Ale, each of which I’ve been dying to try. Happiness is happening. The summer ale is brewed with two-row pale malt and Citra hops, checking in at 4.2% ABV.

Pouring it slowly, a large, fluffy, bright white head emerged out of this one, sitting atop a lovely looking body. You can clearly see the subtle, delicate carbonation in this one, gently snailing around the pale, bright golden body. I usually find out what the ingredients are before I review a beer on here, but lately I’ve been diving in head first in an effort to compare my tasting notes to what the beer was actually brewed with. It’s kind of a test to see if I can pick up on anything that’s actually in the beer, and it’s also a way to free my mind to find other aromas and flavors I wasn’t already programmed to find. With this beer, I dunked my nose above the rim and could think of only one word: “Citra.” I knew it right away, as a balanced array of tropical fruits, such as pineapple and mango, came hopping right out of the glass. But it’s used judiciously, which I believe is most flattering to the Citra hop.

I couldn’t be happier that this beer is now available in my area. Finally, there’s another beer I can slot in next to Brooklyn Summer Ale and Hop Sun as my summer brews of choice. When you have a beer with this set of flavors, I often prefer the carbonation to be delicate, and that’s exactly what we’ve got here. It’s as round as beer gets. There’s a quick whack of tropical fruit up front, mainly watery fruits such as pineapple, with just a touch of orange rind. It gives way to a bready, juicy center of pale malt, followed by a finish that boasts a lovely, moreish bitterness, drying out nicely.

The Verdict: I’ll be drinking plenty of this in the coming months. Deep, malty, with a bright hop aroma and flavor, and that wonderful, subtle carbonation that I enjoy so much. Good stuff.