Anchor Summer Beer (2012)
Summer Seasonal (April-October)
12 fl. oz. (x2) / $2.88 USD / 4.5% ABV
About: "Released each year in advance of the summer season, Anchor Summer Beer is an all-malt beer, with over 50% of its malt derived from malted
wheat. It is fermented with a traditional top-fermenting "ale" yeast,
yielding a clean, balanced flavor that highlights the refreshingly light
flavor of malted wheat. The head is unusually abundant due to the
natural protein deposits of wheat, with a thick consistency similar to
meringue. Malts: Blend of 2-Row Pale and Malted Wheat / Hops: Goldings and Glacier."
Thoughts: Poured a very light yellow with a fluffy as all hell white head that came bursting over the top of the glass. Looks like of like whipped egg or cream.
The smell is very crisp, light citrus.
Taste is very heavy on the wheat with a dash of sweet lemon zest. It's a real gentle tasting beer, with a smooth malt flow that drifts into a slight haze. The first moment of each sip is a refreshing tingle. It's very clean tasting, aside from a little bit of grass towards the back of the mouth. After my second bottle it got a little metallic tasting, as the grassy undertones built and the sweet zesty citrus tones got clouded.
Mouth feel is light and bubbly. It's actually quite delightful feeling.
I'm confused as to why the description says this is an "all malt beer", and yet, the website states two types of hops and I get the sensation of hops in this. Though I'm not really a summer beer type of guy, I've been trying a few more lately and this one is pretty good. Not great, and not terribly interesting... but the light crisp nature of the brew and the tingling from the zest was fun while it lasted.
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5 comments:
I think the "all malt beer" statement refers to there being no adjuncts like corn or rice, and maybe that there's no unmalted wheat (like in a Belgium White). I drank this at a summer BBQ this year, and it hit the spot. It's an interesting summer beer for sure, and better than a lot of others Ive tried.
Ah, that makes sense.
I liked this Summer Beer and their Christmas ale, but when I was in Cali I tried their regular year round brew while on a boat and it really didn't do anything for me.
Funny you mention Steam beer, because I had a couple of pints on tap last night. I dig it. I also really like the Liberty Ale, but Christmas and Summer are really excellent. I can't wait to taste this year's Christmas brew.
I meant to ask you in my last comment... how does Anchor Summer compare to Old Chico? They're both "light" wheat ales, so I'm curious if they're at all similar.
Hmm... I think I liked Anchor's Summer Beer better than Old Chico. But maybe that's just the circumstances since I had compared Old Chico to the more flavorful Sierra Nevada beers and it just tasted watered down. Whereas with Summer Beer I wasn't thinking of any other beer at the time?
One thing for sure, Summer Beer looked incredible when I poured it! Old Chico really didn't all too much. And while the beers are stylistically the same, I do recall them tasting quite different from each other.
Interesting. If SN ever releases Old Chico out here, I'd do a little comparison between the two. But Anchor Summer is up there with Narragansett and Brooklyn Summer ales for me.
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