Granite Brewery Summer Ale

Brewed by Granite Brewery (Toronto)
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Toronto, Canada

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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Light and uninteresting. If you are looking for a refresher, head straight for the Best or Special.

Smells sweet, honey-like. Fairly decent for a lager, no chemicals or ill aftertaste.

On tap at the Toronto location, yellow gold color, with a tiny ring of white head, faint floral hop citrus nose with a light honeyed pale malt aroma follows through on a light-bodied palate with a watery, juicy flowery hop leafy character with some faint grassy, citrusy flavours and with a subtle pale malt undertone accent, leading towards a lemony hop dry finish.

A fuzzy light amber, mild country hay aroma, taste light country barnyard and light fruit. Medium-light feel, not much to describe.

Glass, 3-ounce, at the brewery, savoured on September 16 2009; eye: golden with a caramel hue, clear, no effervescence, tiny ring of white head, no lacing; nose: light hops, light malt, light citrusy; mouth: light hops, light wheat, light hops, light malt, light finale in light hops, not much carbonation, slightly bitter, light body, slick; overall: a bit too light FRANÇAIS Verre, 3 onces, en fût, bue à la brasserie, savourée le 16 septembre 2009; oeil : dorée avec une teinte caramel, claire, pas d’effervescence, petit anneau de mousse blanche, pas de dentelle; nez : léger houblon, léger malt, léger citrique; bouche : léger houblon, léger blé, léger houblon, léger malt, finale légère en léger houblon, peu carbonatée, à peine amère, corps léger, coulante; en résumé : un peu trop léger

Tap at Toronto. Beer was actually pretty nice and easy drinking. Pours a very light blonde with a foamy white head. Aroma is fresh floral hops, light citrus hint, lemony, and clean. Flavor is crackery, toasty, light breadiness, and floral fresh hops, light grassiness, but clean and crisp. Easy drinking.

Draught at brewpub in Toronto. Pours a clear pale gold with small white head, modest lacing. Aroma is mostly floral with some fruitishness and grass. Flavour is fruity and grassy with floral hops giving it a reasonable bitter finish. Light body. Pretty decent beer for a warm summer’s day.

Draught at brewpub in Halifax, billed as Green Man Organic Ale. Clear amber, small beige head, lacing. Diacetyl in aroma blended with some fruit. Already not as inviting as the other Granite beers. Served quite cold and has fairly high carbonation. Refreshing but painfully thin and lacking body and structure. Slight lemony tartness and good hoppy aftertaste but not all that great considering.

Objectively speaking: Simply put, a lighter, summer take on their ringwood ale.
I like: Clean character all throughout. Fairly lasting white cover.
I dislike: Rather useless beer. More or less without aroma. The ringwood feels light enough as it is. Clearly not aimed at beer geeks, but dull all the same.

Cask sample at the Victory - poured a slightly hazy, lazy glowing golden hue with a small thick white head. Soft aromas of sweet grain and some faint hop presence. Flavours all fairly subtle - everything’s in place and well-balanced, but it’s all a bit too faint. If this were amped up a notch or two, it would be fantastic, but as it stands, it is a refreshing, quaffable summer ale. Would get again on a hot summer day.

full for a summer beer, pours golden with decent hops on the nose and the finish. Not mind boggling but solid.