Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
From: Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Co.)
Spring and summer always seem to be good times for wheat beers, and Sam Adams doesn’t skip out on them, offering their Summer Ale. This summer seasonal features malted wheat along with lemon zest and something called grains of paradise. This is an usual African spice, first used as a brewing spice in the 13th century. Also sometimes called Guinea pepper or malagueta pepper, it’s spicy and warm, with a slight bitterness.
The beer pours a golden straw color, with just a bit of an orange tinge to it, and is slightly hazy. It had a fluffy bright white head, only about 3 fingers width. The head settled quickly, leaving behind just a threads floating on top.
The aroma was very crisp and refreshing. There’s a little bit of sweetness, and there was a smell of fresh grain, a wheaty scent that is similar to fresh bread. There’s also citrusy lemon odor, and just a small hint of spiciness. Very little hop aroma is detectable, but there’s a slight green-ness noted.
The flavor of Summer Ale is definitely what you would anticipate from the aroma – flavors of wheat, citrus and spice. It’s lightly wheaty, with an undertone of sweet lemon. It’s saved from being overly light and sweet by the spice notes. They’re faint at first, but it’s similar to cloves and cinnamon, but with a more peppery bite. It should be noted that the spice flavors were much more pronounced as the beer warmed, so if you’re looking for a little more complexity, serve it at the warm end of the scale. It was slightly hoppier than you might expect from the aroma, but Summer Ale isn’t a bitter beer.
The beer is very drinkable. It’s not so heavily carbonated that you wonder if you’re drinking soda pop, but has enough carbonation to keep it from feeling flat. It’s very smooth, with the thinner body you’d normally associate with a wheat beer.
Summer Ale is good with spicier dishes such as Latin American foods, earthy cheeses such as Camembert or Fontina, or with salads or poultry. It's best served at 45-50 degrees in a traditional pint glass or mug, or a Weizen glass (this is a long, thin-walled glass, narrower towards the bottom but with a flare at the top to accommodate the fluffy heads normally found on wheat beers).
Summer Ale, as the name implies, is a seasonal offering from Samuel Adams, available only during the summer months. It’s a great session beer for those hot summer days. And because of its light taste, it would also be a good choice for those who normally aren’t fond of beer, or to begin converting non-beer-drinkers.
