Has a year gone by already? The heat tells me that it is time to check out some new summer brews. Never one to shy away from such things, I talked my friend Gavin into bringing a selection by for tasting. Thanks to him and to Primo Vino for providing the beer! Take it away Gavin…
Wailua Wheat Ale – Kona Brewing Co.
5.4% alcohol by volume
Wailua wheat is brewed with passionfruit and filtered, giving it a light, fruity taste. The high carbonation and subtle flavors make it perfect for the hottest of days. It has strong orange and lemon flavors and the tiniest hint of hops, with a lack of the more yeasty banana flavors that can dominate other wheat beers. The passionfruit flavor is dry rather than sweet and comes at the back of the palate, lingering as an aftertaste. The beer is so light, though, that we found it easily overwhelmed by food, seeming to take on an almost budweiser simplicity. If your using it to compliment a meal, be advised it works as well on the forehead as in the mouth.
Summerbright Ale – Breckenridge Brewery
4.5% alcohol by volume
This beer has many of the virtues of a classic american wheat. Its brewed with orange and lemon peels, and the lemon is strong on the nose. The citrus takes center stage on the palate, and the hops are bigger than in the Wailua Wheat, giving Summerbright more weight and backbone. The carbonation is creamy and light. With food it tends to take on hints of coffee and the hops grow larger.
Somersault Ale – New Belgium Brewing
5.2% alcohol by volume
This is the heaviest of the beers tasted, with a sweet malt nose and a darker more amber color than the others. The hops are citrusy bold and become more apparent the longer you sip. The palate gave off spicy hints of cardamon seeds, orange zest, and under ripe apricot. The complexity of the palate made this a great beer for food or for just sitting and ruminating over. It definitely left a strong yet refreshing impression.
Alaskan Summer – Alaskan Brewing Co.
5.3% alcohol by volume
The Alaska Summer ale is brewed in a kolsch style giving it a very light color with hints of amber. The palate starts off with a touch of banana and a sweet malty character but gets progressively dryer and hoppier, finishing with a bitter dryness. Low carbonation helps the taste progression move smoothly. This beer is great with desserts or sweeter food. It lacks the citrus found in the other beers we tried, and to me didn’t feel as summery as the others, but I suppose one needs a little more weight and dark flavor to tackle those slightly cooler Alaskan summers.
International man of mystery.