Granite Brewery Summer Ale

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

Nice copper body, sweet malty aroma. A bit of bitterness, with a dry bitter finish. Decent beer, but not great, and not sure why this beer is considered appropriate for summertime.

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.

Organic brew at Ginger’s Tavern in Halifax. Crystal clear golden beer toped with a thick fine laced head. Beautiful sweet fruity nose, Challenger hop brightness, some juicy fruit and cherry notes over a lean earthy British malt bill. Sweet flavour, lightly minerally with cherry and soft grapey sweetness. Lean bodied, but with enough malt to balance the sweet/earthy hops. Great balance. A very sessionable pint. I think I’ll have another.

Extra dry hopped, least liked of blind tasting of six casks at Bar Volo. Cloudy yellow, minimal head. Very Malty, too malty, some hops. Mid sip hint of citrus. Thin body,fresh, clean and drinkable. No carbonation.

Lighter ale with nice refreshing qualities , not much of any aftertaste .

Draught. At the Granite brewpub, Toronto. Poured slightly hazy amber-orange with a small head. Light aroma of fresh grain, sweet fruit, very lightly toasted malt and some dry perfumy hops. Taste is similar, just grainier and sweeter - it’s a decent patio beer, a little thin with an incredibly quick finish, quite fresh. Pretty unmemorable mouthfeel - soft and a bit watery, but again a good summer patio beer, pitchers would not be refused.

2008-08-23. Murky pastel yellow-orange, headless. Very hoppy aroma, grassy vegetation, hugely hoppy. Similar grassy green hops in the flavour, light bitterness throughout, muted citrus. (6+) Average palate. Pretty decent, but I don’t care for the hop type/profile personally. 7/3/6/3/13 - 3.2 Cask, Golden Tap Awards, Toronto

August 2007. Draft @ brewpub in Toronto. Golden yellow, small white head. Interesting aroma of hops hints at grass, hay, and wheat. (6+) Decent amount of bitterness in the flavour, with sweeter pale malt providing the foundation. Average palate. It is not going to knock your socks off if you are looking for a big flavourful brew, but it does have enough flavour to make a very nice summer quencher. 6/3/6/3/14 - 3.2

Volo Cask Situation, Cask #5 Golden colour. Strange grainy grassy aroma is a bit off putting for me personally. Similar flavour of light hops and mild grassy bitterness is somewhat unrefined. Feels like the wrong choice of hops for the malt, almost lager like. Didn’t care for this. [Note to self #s in notebook - update!]

May 2006 Dry hopped Cask at C’est What FOSB. Yellow body, small white head. Grainy light hop aroma. Similar flavour with very grassy hop character that is confounding my palate, this is decent but a little strange. Can’t put my finger on it but there is something I am finding a bit off putting. Average. 6/3/5/3/11 - 2.8

Oct 2001 a cask ale, golden hue is slightly less heavy than the Peculiar and a touch less malty. Nice... 6/3/5/3/13 - 3