Brooklyn Summer Ale

Brewed by Brooklyn Brewery
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Brooklyn, New York USA

Bottle from Kris Wines. Oh dear this really was a disappointment, I expected so much more from Brooklyn. Poured a light gold colour with a medium white head. Really insipid and bland in all departments. Merest of malt and hops in the nose. Tedious watery flavour with some vague wheat/citrus notes, and a rather unpleasant aftertaste. Avoid this one.

What a summer ale should be. Light but flavorful. Mouthful is of citrus and malts with a bit of a crisp aftertaste.

I always thought I was a fan of summer beers, but looking at my ratings of beers of the seasonal style I’ve realized I’m actually a bit miserly when it comes to rating them. Why? Because so many tend to be too light to appreciate. Fortunately the Brooklyn Brewery has been able to put their craftsmanship to make Brooklyn Summer Ale not only a crafty beer, but a beer that can be enjoyed by anyone.

APPEARANCE AND AROMA

(NOTE: I am changing this portion of the review from “pour, color, and aroma” to “appearance and aroma” since I don’t really care HOW a beer pours, but more what it looks like after it has been poured [and even this is still a minute factor since appearance and/or aroma are not necessarily correlated to how good a beer is over]).

This beer has a dark gold color and a crystal-clear complexion. There are big bubbles nestling on the bottom of the glass which occasionally rise to the top. The head is large, off-white, mostly foamy but slight creamy. It left a surprising amount of lacing on the glass for a summer brew.

The aroma is sweet, light, and crisp with a hint of spice. I detected yeast which explains its slightly bready scent. It’s very inviting from the nose alone.

TASTE

Debate rages on the internet as to what style of beer Brooklyn Summer Ale actually belongs to. Some consider it a Belgian golden ale, others call it an English Pale Ale. Brooklyn’s website describes it as a “luncheon beer” and discusses the history of such brews. Frankly, I think some of the beer nerds get too hung up on labels because as soon as I took my first sip I knew it was a summer beer and that’s what matters.

The taste here is much like the smell – light, sweet and crisp with a strong yeasty component. It’s surprising how thick and soft the actual mouthfeel itself is since the flavor is rather mild but the mouthfeel makes it seem richer than it actually is. I get just the slightest, faintest hints of banana and clove, but at nowhere near the volume of a hefeweizen.

I also noted a slight metallic taste in the initial mouthfeel, but its quickly washed away by a tasty, lightly-hopped composition with a back end that’s oddly reminiscent of those European green bottle pilsners. It’s not dry, but it’s not intense either.

FINISH

While I would describe Brooklyn Summer Ale as a mostly crisp beer, it’s very surprising just how soft and thick the overall mouthfeel is. It doesn’t dance on the palate and finishes very smooth and clean. The overall drinkability here is high – but that’s the point, right?

BODY

Summer beers should be easy to drink, tasty and refreshing – which Brooklyn Summer Ale is – but they should also be light enough to not overwhelm the drinker. At 5% ABV, this is one of the heftiest summer brews I’ve ever drank. While it certainly does not feel heavy during or immediately after the drinking process, I’d bet the average drinker would find the beer surprisingly filling if drank in larger quantities.

FINAL THOUGHTS

A beer like Brooklyn Summer Ale just goes to show how a craft brewery can take what is otherwise a run-of-the-mill beer and turn it into a quality product. It’s a shame this beer doesn’t receive the distribution the bigger name brands do since it’s superior to them in so many ways, and you don’t have to be a beer snob to appreciate it.

NOTE: Watch the video version of this review at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLclYdIDqc8

Months since I had this, I can’t remember much. I remember it was easy to drink but I was a bit disappointed by the taste. Will try it again (if I can get it in Ireland) and re-rate but for now this was not great.

Cloudy dark amber color; Medium creamy body; Aroma of yeast & fruit/floral; Flavor of light sweet malt, some hops, and citrus; Finish is crisp and slightly sour; Overall, a solid Blonde ale.

POurs yellow. Nose is floral hops with hints of oranges, crisp toasted grain. Flavor is clean crisp malts, mild citrus hops, bread. Easy drinker.

A: Pours a mild golden yellow in color. There is a medium head that fades to a small rim atop the glass. There is a slow stream of bubbles making their way to the top to keep that little head around. S: This beer has a nice malty aroma to it. I can also detect a nice sweetness that reminds me of the smell of Big League Chew bubblegum. I like it. T: This is a nice brew. Starts out nice and malty. This really reminds me of a wheat beer. There is a very mild hop character in the finish which is pretty dry. M: Nice level of carbonation to this medium to light bodied brew. Crisp is the best adjective for this beer.

Puffy head atop a clear dark yellow. Looks like a slightly darker lager. Not bad but not mind-blowing. Nice light ale yeast in the smell. Hints of summery orange and lemon. Pale malt flavors. Has a little bready dryness. Refreshing but not too light. The taste is pale -- almost wheaty -- sweetness, with hints of fruity (orange/lemon) and berries on the back end. Nice and summery and light. More acidic than I would have thought. Light-bodied but with a little creaminess. A good, light, summery beer. Rather weak but good, unobtrusive flavor.