Review: Samuel Adams Summer Ale (2009)

It's St Patty's day, it's the 10 year anniversary of me getting my drivers license and I'm crankier than usual. Honestly, St Patrick's Day isn't my lets get drunk on beer day. The last time I actually had more than one beer on St Patty's day was probably back in 2007 when I had a pitcher of Green Moosehead with friends. St Jean Baptiste day IS my St Patrick's day, a day when I drink beer from Quebec and eat poutine, celebrating all things Français.

I'm reviewing Samuel Adams Summer Ale. I had this bottle in the fridge since I got it, June 2009, the same weekend when I graduated from university. Macro style beer doesn't age at all, so it's gotta be drunk.

I bought several varieties of Sam Adams back in 2009 and 2010 as they didn't distribute to Canada at the time, and hearing that their beer is decent, I decided to give it a try. One of the beers I brought back was their Summer Ale. The Summer Ale has since became a part of the seasonals here in Canada, so it's fairly easy to find every summer.

It was $7 for a 6 of Sam Adams Summer Ale, so fairly afforable, while in Canada it is $12 for 6.

Appearance: Pours a clear dark golden yellow, darker than straw, not quite orange, slightly amber. Decent amount of head, snow white at that!

Aroma: There's a bit of a maltiness and lemon zest coming from the smell. Honestly, not the best aroma. However, this seems like the kind of beer one would drink on a patio on a hot hot summer day on the prairies.

Taste: Bland with a bit of a maltiness like any lager and that lemon also here in the taste. As this is an old old old batch, it has a somewhat stale taste to it. But very drinkable still, with it being NEARLY THREE YEARS OLD. Tastes like a lager, with a bit of lemon zest for the most part.

Overall Thoughts: Actually considering this bottle is nearly 3 years old, it actually tastes near identical to the 2011 edition. I honestly don't care for it, but this is something that would easily aim to the average person who enjoys a lager on the patio. When I think of a summer beer, it's always a witbier/hefeweizen, not a lagerish ale with a lemon hint to it. One beer I'd love to see Sam Adams bring to Canada is their Latitude 48 IPA, damn, THAT'S delicious!

From the label: Refreshing, crisp and tangy. Summer ale is brewed with wheat malt, lemon zest and Grains of Paradise, a mysterious spice used by Renaissance brewers centuries ago. Summer Ale is an American wheat ale from one of America's original craft brewers. Cheers!