Summer Ale

[Brew Cat]

We have been talking about Summer Ale. Is it an actual style or just something Sam Adams invented. Seems like everyone is brewing one and they show up at picnics all the time. It's something I've been brewing never the same since 2012. How about you all?

 

[Craigerrr]

Summer Ales, and some are lagers...
I am not familiar with that being an actual specific style, but I presume it is a light fizzy with an Ale character rather than a lager character.
Haven't seen Sam Adam's up in the Great White North for quite some time.

 

[Brew Cat]

Summer Ales, and some are lagers...
I am not familiar with that being an actual specific style, but I presume it is a light fizzy with an Ale character rather than a lager character.
Haven't seen Sam Adam's up in the Great White North for quite some time.

Well I suppose where you live there is no summer so no summer ale needed

 

[Brew Cat]

It's not particularly light and fizzy. Just like a pilsner is not light and fizzy. Sam's summer has been around since the 90s. It's brewed as a seasonal so it's different every year Most of the big breweries brew one Seasonally as well. I've always considered it an American Witbier. It's generally a wheat beer with citrus and sometimes spices. I was just wondering if there are guidelines other than the American Wheat beer category.

 

[Megary]

A Summer Ale to me means a session strength, pale colored low IBU beer, with a hint of lemon or lime. Could be an Ale or a Lager, not that most people would know the difference anyway.
This summer, I’ve been digging Cape May’s Tan Limes.
https://capemaybrewery.com/beers/tan-limes

I agree, these summer beers seem to be a lot more prevalent than before.

 

[Brew Cat]

A Summer Ale to me means a session strength, pale colored low IBU beer, with a hint of lemon or lime. Could be an Ale or a Lager, not that most people would know the difference anyway.
This summer, I’ve been digging Cape May’s Tan Limes.
https://capemaybrewery.com/beers/tan-limes

I agree, these summer beers seem to be a lot more prevalent than before.

Well that looks tasty and it calls itself a Mexican lager so I believe it's going for the corona crowd they ad the lime so you don't have to

 

[Brew Cat]

https://www.insidehook.com/drinks/summer-ale
Most of these I've had and others. I'm going to camp this weekend maybe grab some of the shipyard offering. I'll see what else they ha5

 

[Brew Cat]

https://beermaverick.com/beer-style/english-style-summer-ale/

There you have it. Sam's originally called theirs an English Summer ale. I believe it now deserves an American catagor6

 

[Sunfire96]

Deschutes Brewing used to make a summer ale called Twilight circa 2010 ish. It was one of my favorite seasonals of the entire year.

 

[Craigerrr]

Well I suppose where you live there is no summer so no summer ale needed

A very good point!

 

[Bigbre04]

a light citrusy golden ale or lager would suite. I would think Kolsch yeast would be a really good fit for this style. maybe a little bitter Orange peel/lemon or lime zest and some cascades would really fit the bill. probably between 4.5 and 5.2%. maybe a wheat heavy kolsch recipe????

 

[Sandy Feet]

Not an ale, but I had a chance to grab a six of the Sierra Nevada Summer Lager last month. I had a couple left in my beer refrigerator that I forgot about and took one to the beach on Sunday. That stuff is yummy. Very nice and light, tasty, and only 5%. A nice beer at sunrise and a very large Tarpon swimming right by you makes for an enjoyable beach day That thing did scare the shit out of me, just for a second, until I realized what it was. It was probably bigger than I am and fat as hell. It was also in 3-4 feet of water right near the sand.