Summer Brews

[skahtboi]

Just stopped down at the corner and picked up some summer brews to try. Got a 6-pack of each; Sam Adams Summer Ale, Pete's Wicked Summer Brew and Shiner Summer Stock. I tried the Sam Adams first, as I have never been real thrilled with any of their products. To my surprise, it was a really nice beer. Smooth, just a hint of citrus, all in all the best SA product I have ever had. I moved on to the Pete's, and while it was balanced well between refreshing hoppiness and citrus flavor, it didn't quite excite my taste buds the way the SA offering did. I have had the Shiner version before, and found it to be a pleasant and very tasty Kolsch style beer. However, out of this bunch, the SA Summer Ale was, to my shock and surprise, the winner. Anyone else have any summer offering that I need to look into, or that they were surprised that they liked?

[hopjack13]

i tried the spam adams in va last month i thought it was okay, i also tried the anchor summer brew that was a little to bland for me . the one i was wondering about was the sierra navada summer brew , i saw it but didn't pick it up. anyone try the sn??

[aemikeg]

u know, i actually got the sierra nevada by accident about a month ago. i thought it was the sam adams summer beer. what i remember while drinking it was "wow. this tastes pretty good. i didn't like the sam adams much due to the spice and lemony taste so i thought this was an improvement." i had my wife get me a 12 pack of the sam adams summer brew and i tossed out half of it. now i've gotta find the sierra nevada again.

[hopjack13]

well that doesn't make me feel too good, i lilke all the sierra navada offerings that i've tried, and i've been to the brewery in chico and sampled everthing they had on tap. i knew i shoulda picked up the sum biscuit when i saw it... damn...now i gotta try and find it again too!
i need to be more like steveh and learn to take one on the chin once in a while;)

[steveh]

Tasting new beers is a dirty, thankless job, but someone has to do it! ;)

Last night at a fave beer bar I had a cask-conditioned Three Floyd's Pride and Joy (mild ale), an Anchor Summer, and a Goose Island Summeertime (Kolsch). The 3 Floyd's P&J is wonderful, I've had it before - but not as a cask conditioned draught. The Anchor Summer is a nice, light, warm-weather beer, with a slight honey sweetness and mouth-feel to it. I enjoy the GI Summer, but last night's draft seemed a bit off - it had a musty, cardboard flavor that didn't belong - it may have been on the line too long.

BTW - Skhatboi, when you sample your selection of Summers again, start with the Pete's - I think having the Sam first may have masked the Pete's milder flavors. I had some Pete's last week that was pretty good.

AFA comparing the Sam Summer to Sierra's Summer, they're two different beers, so you have to expect some diversity. The Sam is based more off of a Belgian Wit - thus, some of the spiciness. The SN is a straightforward Pilsner, subtle and clean in its aproach. Given the choice, I'd drink the SN first, then the Sam. A local had the Sam on tap this year, friends and I consumed it often.

S.

[newportstorm]

Not sure about availability in your area but the East Coast has some good summer drinking. Just a few that I've enjoyed this summer:

-Allagash Summer Ale (nice Belgian in a 12 oz bottle)
-Harpoon Summer (Kolsch style brew)
-Geary's Summer (hard to find outside of New England)
-Brooklyner Weisse (light and refreshing hefe)
-Plenty of good German hefes match up well with summer heat - hell, they match up well any time of year. But I prefer Hacker-Pschorr or Weihenstephaner (esp. their dark hefe)

Stay cool. Cheers!

[threecb]

I had the Harpoon Summer a couple of weeks ago. Nice crisp beer. It went down great at a sunny barbeque!

My favorite summer seasonal, by far, is Flying Fish Farmhouse Summer Ale. A belgian style. They also make a bigger version of it for their winter seasonal Grand Cru.

[skahtboi]

Originally posted by steveh
Tasting new beers is a dirty, thankless job, but someone has to do it! ;)

BTW - Skhatboi, when you sample your selection of Summers again, start with the Pete's - I think having the Sam first may have masked the Pete's milder flavors. I had some Pete's last week that was pretty good.

S.

I will try that tonight. Like I stated, though, the reason I started with the SA was to get it out of the way, not being a big fan of their other products.

[threecb]

Had a chance to try this one (http://www.redhook.com/ales_sunrye.html) last night.

Not a bad summer beer. Very light (color is pale gold), not much of a hop profile, but the introduction of the rye added some character to the brew. It won't replace Flying Fish Farmhouse as my Summer Beer of Choice, but drinkable.

Anyone else try this?

[beerman1001001]

Yeah, I tried this too. It was a good beer, but I was dissapointed because I was expecting something similar to the Rye that Red Hook had produced in the past. They used to make a Rye that was fuller bodied and almost like a hefe. The new version is good, but not as good as the old, I thought.

[steveh]

Originally posted by hopjack13
The one i was wondering about was the sierra navada summer brew , i saw it but didn't pick it up. anyone try the sn??

I found a sale on the SN Summerfest over the weekend and threw myself on a live six-pack. A fair warning to all of you Ale Advocates, this is one of SN's few lagers that they brew - and you may just find yourself enjoying it!

The Summerfest tastes the way a good, fresh, Munich Helles should taste. Malty nose with a hint of hops, maybe a slight diacetyl. Clean, sweetish (but not overpowering), malt flavor with mellow hops in the finish. The flavors linger on the tongue and don't disappear quickly, yet they're not as heavy as an Oktoberfest or Bock.

Chalk up another winner for SN. These guys are showing their skills to be able to nail such a good lager while maintaining their status as a premier ale micro in the U.S.

S.

[Reddengray]

Originally posted by steveh
I found a sale on the SN Summerfest over the weekend and threw myself on a live six-pack. A fair warning to all of you Ale Advocates, this is one of SN's few lagers that they brew - and you may just find yourself enjoying it!

The Summerfest tastes the way a good, fresh, Munich Helles should taste. Malty nose with a hint of hops, maybe a slight diacetyl. Clean, sweetish (but not overpowering), malt flavor with mellow hops in the finish. The flavors linger on the tongue and don't disappear quickly, yet they're not as heavy as an Oktoberfest or Bock.

Chalk up another winner for SN. These guys are showing their skills to be able to nail such a good lager while maintaining their status as a premier ale micro in the U.S.

S.

The Summerfest is an excellent beer. They also put out a Pale Bock that I think is even better. It is only bottled for release in Chico (April or May), and available for about 3 weeks, but worth getting if you can.

[skahtboi]

I, too, went out and bought a 6 of the SN Summer Brew. I think it is the best of the lot of summer beers I have tried so far this summer.