Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Sam Adams Summer Ale

I went out to eat with my husband and a friend last night.  The draft choices were sadly limited, so I got a Sam Adams Summer Ale.  Also sadly, my phone didn't want to charge, so I was unable to take a picture.  You're not missing much.

Vittles:
5.3% abv
7 IBUs
6 SRM
166 Cal.

Appearance: 7/10
It's a golden straw color, mildly hazy, with no head whatsoever.  I don't know if they didn't have their kegs under enough pressure there or what, but I was served a pretty unappetizing beer.

Aroma: 17/25
Barely detectable, but what I could smell was a very faint light maltiness.  I couldn't smell any hop characteristics, nor could I pick up on the citrus aroma that I know I've found in this beer before.

Taste: 25/40
I'm seriously not trying to pan this beer, but it tasted like faintly flavored water with just a vague hint of spiciness.  I've had this beer before, both on tap and from a bottle, and I remember it being more flavorful in the past, but this particular beer was very uninspiring.  The same light maltiness from the nose carried onto the tongue, and there was a slight lemon flavor in the aftertaste, but it really tasted very thin.  I was quite disappointed.

Mouthfeel: 8/10
It had a light-medium body, with low levels of carbonation.  It may have tasted like water, but at least it kind of sort of didn't quite feel like water.  Again, very disappointed, and I'm almost certain they didn't have the keg set to the proper psi.

Style: 4/5
American wheat ales are supposed to have a decent head with good retention, and the flavor should be more present than what I tasted in this Summer Ale.

Drinkability: 7/10
Not worth it for the price.  I'm hoping it was just a one-off, and not a change in the beer altogether.  I have had this beer before, and I did enjoy it in the past, but I feel like I paid twice as much for something that had less flavor and character than a macro lager.  It'd be fine for a sweaty day of yard work in the summertime, but I was less than thrilled having it with dinner.

Overall: 68/100
Maybe my tastes are changing.  Or maybe it was just an atypical pour.  That does happen from time to time. Either way, I feel like I should try another one, maybe from a different bar or out of a bottle, because it just didn't seem like I was drinking a Summer Ale.

Hoping the next one's better...  Cheers!

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