I initially suggested the topic of Summer Beers because no one else had, which surprised me. I thought this would be a fairly straightforward topic to write about but it wasn’t. Summer has kept us pretty busy here at BetterBeerBlog with all the festivals, events and good times. We’ve been so busy that I didn’t even get the chance to hit up the BevMo and pick up the Summer seasonals that were in stock. So, for this topic, I remedied that situation and headed over to BevMo to pick up what Summer Seasonals were left. I invited a couple of friends over for dinner and we had a mini-Summer Beer Fest to determine which beer would be the “Best Summer Beer”. Here are the beers we had with some of my notes.
Alaskan Summer Ale, Alaskan Brewing Company, 5.3% ABV
An American interpretation of the German Kölsch style of beer, this is as close as an ale can get to a lager without being a lager. While it misses to capture the true essence of an authentic Kölsch, it doesn’t miss by much. This beer is ridiculously easy drinking, is flavorful without loosing the subtleties and refreshing.
Festina Péche, Dogfish Head, 4.5% ABV
Branded by Dogfish Head as a “neo-Berliner Weiss”, Festina Péche is what happens when you tell brewmaster/owner Sam Calagione he can’t do something. At a session-level 4.5% ABV, this thirst quenching beer has a pleasant level of malt sweetness to counter balance its mouth-puckering tartness. The peaches present undertones more than an overt character which allows the beer’s Berliner Weiss character to shine through.
Mama’s Little Yella Pils, Oskar Blues, 5.3% ABV
An example of the Pilsner style of beer, Mama’s Little Yella Pils is Oksar Blues answer to those beer drinkers who ask for a macro American lager. It has a pils malt flavor and enough hops to balance but not as much as I expected from the Pilsner style. Out of all the beers we had this evening, this was the only one that came in a can.
Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema, Anderson Valley Brewing Company, 5.6% ABV
I wasn’t quite sure how to view this beer. The flavor profile is unlike most beers I’ve tried. A quick look at the BJCP style guidelines lists Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema as an example of the Cream Ale style. I found this beer to be malt-forward in flavor with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. More than one person described this beer as having a flavor reminiscent of “cream soda”.
Kellerweis, Sierra Nevada, 4.8% ABV
Sierra Nevada’s newest entry into their list of beers available year-round, Kellerweis is an exceptionally balanced Hefeweizen. All the trademark characteristics of a Hefeweisen are present: fruity, banana-like esters are balanced by clove-ish like phenols and balanced out by a moderately sweet, wheat character. The mouthfeel feels thicker than it really is and, for added complexity, pour out a two-thirds of the beer into your glass, swirl, and reintroduce all that yeasty goodness in the bottom of the bottle. What further separates Kelleweis from other Hefeweizens is that it was brewed using the traditional Bavarian methods of open fermentation.
Blackberry Witbier, Samuel Adams, 5.5% ABV
The one thing about Samuel Adams that I absolutely enjoy is the freedom they give their brewers. According to their website, they have 30 beers they brew regularly. Chosen by tens of thousands of beer lovers in over a thousand taste screenings, Blackberry Witbier beer is their most recent addition to their ever-growing portfolio of beers. Because this beer is brewed with Oregon Marion blackberries, this beer is much darker than your basic witbier. The berries contribute a large part to the character of the beer and are noticeable in both the aroma and flavor.
By the end of the evening, there was no clear cut favorite. A lot of people liked a lot of the beers for different reasons. Alaskan Summer ale was a favorite of a lot of people and seemed to embody the spirit of summer. The Festian Péche, my personal favorite of the bunch, ended up being a love it/hate it kind of beer. The one beer I thought that would’ve done better but didn’t was Mama’s Little Yella Pils. Both Sammy and I found this beer not as crisp as we would’ve thought and felt it could’ve been hoppier.
The one beer that did get a bunch of votes but wasn’t part of the “official” tasting line up was the Saison I made. It was the “reception” beer people could drink while we were setting things up still. Despite the fact that it’s a poor Saison, people thought it was a great drinking beer. Three cheers for the homebrewer!
As much as I would like to say that all the beers were great summer beers, I’m going to have to make an executive decision and say the best beer of our mini-Summer Beer Fest was… drum roll please… Saison! Yes, this is a very biased executive panel of one. If you don’t like it, hold your own mini-Summer Beer Fest!
In reality, all the beers were pretty good. It was difficult for the group to come to any clear consensus as we had a wide variety of beer styles on the table that matched the wide variety of preferences people had.
What I had hoped would happen ended up happening. I am of the opinion that part of what makes a memorable beer so memorable is what was happening at the time you drank it. Lounging in my backyard on a perfect, late summer evening with friends is what good living is about. We had good food and good beers on the table and everyone was laughing and enjoying the good conversation that accompanied the night. Hopefully as my friends drink these beers in the future, they can remember this night and the good time we all had trying these new beers.
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Cerveza Crema is also available in cans if you don’t want the Oskar Blues to feel so lonely.
Apart from trips to the beach and the inevitable shortening of women’s skirts, one of the reasons I so look forward to the start of summer is the release of these seasonal brews. They all have that slightly fruity edge that perfectly complements a hot summer day (or night, as you experienced with your friends). Nice write-up.