Snark Double Team, Part I: Sam Adams Summer Ale Review

Summer Ale
Samuel Adams (The Boston Beer Company), Boston, MA
http://www.samueladams.com/

Samuel Adams Summer Ale at a Glance:
Style: American Wheat Ale
Appearance: Cloudy, golden
Aroma: Wheat, citrus, pepper
Taste: Wheat, citrus, pepper
Verdict: Refreshing but the strong pepper flavor can be divisive

One of my goals this summer has been to try as many seasonal brews as possible. Writing about all of them as proven to be a challenge that I can't overcome. Most of them are mediocre--not bad, just not great. Mediocrity destroys creativity. Consequently, most of these summer seasonals haven't made it to the blog. Sorry.

To help me overcome the mediocrity induced laziness, I enlisted the help of a snarky outsider named Brian. Brian possesses an intrinsic snarkiness that is difficult not to notice. He and I also disagree about most beers, making him the perfect foil.

We began our two-beer snark-a-thon with Summer Ale from Sam Adams. Sam Adams is the heavyweight of the craft beer division. Even a lazy beer drinker can find the company's wares almost anywhere, and most of the beers are quite good. (You may remember that I enjoyed Sam Adams Rustic Saison just a few weeks ago.)

Sam Adams Summer Ale

The Summer Ale poured with a golden color that you'd imagine a summer ale to be and provided a nice, tight head of small bubbles that almost immediately dissipated. Brian declared that "it smells like an airport urinal." I never get my nose that close to public toilets, so I can't comment on the accuracy of his statement. I told him that he was likely smelling wheat, citrus, and a hint of peppery spice."No, it is definitely pee that I am smelling," he responded.

The peppery smell was a bit of a mystery until I read the label, which declared that the Summer Ale was brewed with Grains of Paradise. I have no idea what Grains of Paradise are, so I guess it is still a mystery. I assume that they are some sort of pepper that is endemic to Boston or Africa or someplace. I do know that I am not crazy about smelling them in my beer, but I'll get over it as long as they don't ruin the taste.

Summer Ale in the glass.

Once in my mouth, Sam Adams Summer Ale provided a proper mouth feel for the style and the right amount of carbonation. There is nothing to complain about in this area. Sorry for letting you down. To both Brian and me, the beer tasted exactly like it smelled. For me that meant wheat, citrus, and pepper. For Brian that meant pee. Strangely though, Brian responded after his first sip that the beer was quite refreshing. I tend to agree, even though I am not crazy about pepper in my beer.

The Summer Ale grew on both of us as we drank it, in opposite directions. Brian declared, "I like it less the more I drink it. It reminds me of Tequiza." I would never drink a Tequiza, so again Brian is on his own. I found it refreshing and adequate on all fronts, though nothing spectacular. Brian concluded by saying, "One of my least favorite beers of all time. Did they make this with Epsom salt?" as he poured it down the drain.

-Ryan

Style: Wheat Ale/Saison
ABV: 5.3%
Availability: Nationwide. Look for it in the Summer Styles Variety Pack or individually

Other beers that may interest you:
Sam Adams' Rustic Saison
De Proef Brewerij's Saison Imperiale
Odanata Beer Company's Saison Ale

Franziskaner Weissbier Review: An Old Standard in Wheat Beering

It is officially unofficially summer, which means two things: I hate the Miami Heat and the calendar says it is time to drink wheat beer.

Franziskaner Weissbier - Classic German Wheat

Franziskaner Weissbier is an old wheat beer standby. Dating back to 1397, it might be even older than wheat itself, though someone should double check that on Wikipedia. Franziskaner, now owned by Anheuser-Busch/InBev, makes two versions of their wheat beer: this one, called Hefe-Weisse Hell, and a darker version called Hefe-Weisse Dunkel. Those are their words not mine, although something may be lost in translation. The bottle of the label says "Naturtrüb," which is German for "clumpy nastiness in bottom." For God's sake, swirl before you pour!

Once I poured the Franziskaner into a glass, the profusion of bubbles immediately struck me. A clean, white head erupted at the top of the golden-orange beer and lingered nicely. The aroma of the Franziskaner was fairly standard wheat beer with a hint of citrus and yeast. The yeast came through strongly on the tongue too, along with citrus, and fair amount of sour. The Weissbier had a good mouth feel for a wheat beer.

Franziskaner is an old standard among wheat beers. Though there is nothing particularly noteworthy about it, at least after it makes the long journey from Bavaria to the local Trader Joe's. If nothing else, I recommend it as an alternative to Blue Moon or Pyramid.

-Ryan

Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 5.0%
Availability: Nationwide

Other beers that may interest you:

Odanata Beer Company's Saison

De Proef Brewerij's Saison Imperiale

Sam Adams' Summer Ale

Sam Adams' Rustic Saison

Eel River Acai Berry Wheat Review: What the hell is Acai berry and why is it in my beer?

Eel River's Acai Wheat

I admit it; I'm being hypocritical, but Eel River nearly lost me before I even tried this beer. I hate fruit in my beer. To me, beer and fruit go together like Israelis and Palestinians. Eel River did not just go local farmers' market for this particular fruit either. The brewery went all the way to the Amazon for this nearly unpronounceable flavor adjunct. I don't mean to complain, but I suspect that Eel River chose Acai berry not for its flavor characteristics, but for its marketing potential to hipsters.

The beer itself poured golden and cloudy, with no hint of pink food coloring. The berry aroma hit my nose immediately, which was a bit of a surprise considering the lack of berry color. The taste was tart, not sweet, and filled with berry. The beer finished with a strong wheat presence.

The overall effect of the Acai berry and wheat partnership was refreshment. Despite the organic hippy nonsense on the label, I like this beer.

-Ryan

Style: Wheat Ale/Fruit Beer
ABV: 4.0%
Availability: Specialty stores nationwide