I’ve been on a bit of a Summer beer kick here the last few weeks. Here is yet another option, Sam Adams Summer Ale. This beer is brewed with Lemon and Grains of Paradise, a little bit of a twist on some of the other wheat beers out there:
Appearance: The color of the beer is a slightly cloudy straw color. There are some very fine bubbles coming up from the bottom. The head is nice and lacing is OK.
Smell: The smell has a lot of the typical wheat beer smells. There’s some lemon and wheat, along with apple and pear. There is a bit of spiciness and a hint of sweetness.
Taste: Wheat, lemon, spice are the main players in the taste. It’s more citrus forward and is light bodied. The aftertaste is crisp with a bit of lemon/citrus sweetness. The flavor isn’t too complex.
Drinkability: This is a refreshing Summer beer. The 5.2%ABV is on the lighter side. It’s a bit thin bodied.
Sam Adams Summer Ale is a good, basic beer with all the bases covered. There’s nothing complex about it but nothing bad either. This is a great beer for those times when you just want a beer that is refreshing and easy to drink. There are definitely better examples of this type of beer out there but this isn’t bad at all and is a MUCH better choice than one of the macro “craft wheat beer knockoffs” that populate the shelves this time of year.
Here’s the score:
1. Appearance- 6 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 5 points (out of 10)
3. Taste- 12 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 7 points (out of 10)
Total 30 (out of 50) Points-3 Mugs
One of my favorites from Sam Adams. A staple beer in my fridge during the hot summer months!
Hi Chris,
The Summer Ale is OK but I think there are ones I like more like Sierra Nevada’s Kellerweis. Try it if you can get it. But, Summer is definitely Wheat Beer season. There’s something about them that make them so refreshing in the hot weather.