Here’s what I know about this beer: The label looks good and says it’s a wheat beer made with lemon zest and grains of paradise. I also know Jim Koch makes damn good beer. If you’re wondering what grains of paradise are, they are a brewing spice used by Renaissance brewers. It’s actually the seeds of a type of ginger, which has a characteristic peppery taste. They are commonly used in West African cuisine. Let’s see how they do in Jim Koch’s brew tun:
Summer Ale - Samuel Adams
From a 355ml bottle with a best before date punched in the side of the label, the beer is a medium yellow with hints of orange in the centre. The beer is clear with a good carbonation. A little head receedes into a nice ring with some fuzzy film that Sam Adams’ patented glass keeps present with it’s etched bottom. Aroma is very cool, wheat, ginger, lemon peel and black pepper. Smells sooooo tasty. Taste is immediately spicy, almost a coffee like taste, but immediately the lemon comes out with a nice yeasty taste. Finish is lightly spicy, and a little tangy. Nicely light and bubbly on the tongue, I could definitely see me, a book, a dock or hammock and eight of these in my future. Probably a cooler too. I don’t like getting up, once I settle in. This beer is a great option for people who aren’t accustomed to drinking wheat beers. Like Grasshopper, by Big Rock, this is a Kristal-weisen (filtered weisse beers). These beers don’t have as big a yeasty tastes as their hefeweisse big brothers, which makes the transition a bit easier. But seasoned weisse drinkers will undoubtedly enjoy this too. Nice and refreshing, a real treat on a hot day. This is my kind of lawn-mower beer! Cheers, Jim, another gret brew.
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