Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Small head, light malt aroma, nothing other notable. A very light bite with a crisp-dry hop finish, not tremendous but enjoyable.

old rating: 5/3/6/3/12 - 2.9 (summerfest 2007) 5/3/6/3/12 - 2.9 (summerfest 2008) summerfest 2009. pour is a clear yellow with a medium white head, and some lacing. smell is faint, slight grain, some straw, and a little citrus. taste is crisp, smooth, grain, some malt, a little corn, and some citrus.

June 2005 - Just another one of those summer seasonals that I’m not fond of. A little better than say, a Sam Adams Summer Ale, but then again, that’s not saying much. Golden brown, decent head. Just another lager. RERATE May 2008 - Pour was golden, decent head and lacing. Sweet pils malt aroma. This beer is a crisp and refreshing lager, with sweet pilsner like malts and a nice bitter grassy hop finish. Crisp, clean and refreshing. A nice beer for hot weather sipping or enjoyment with some food.

Bottle. To my palate this tastes like what in German is described as a ’Pils’. Its way better than any larger you’d get on tap in a stardard UK pub. I tasted a lot of German pilsners when I was in Berlin in the summer and this easily beats them. Sure, its a larger - but it does everything right: the dryness of the hops balances with the crisp citrus notes, and just the right amount of alcohol roughness to keep it intresting. In a limited style this is about as good as I’ve had, I’ll be taking it to my next BBQ for sure.

Picked up a single 12-oz bottle at Flanagan’s Liquors in Appleton, Wisconsin. Pours a light blonde pale brew with a decent, thick white head that dissolves to a fine film and good lacing. Aroma of multi-grain/corn malt, flowery hops, and some citrus zest. Taste is light to medium bodied, light carbonation, with a light bready malt and a hint of tangerine zest. Finish is slightly spicey, mild bitter with a tangerine citrus aftertaste.

Great lager, just the right amount of carbonation and a great balance of malt and hops. The hop content gives a mild spiciness in the background that is just barely noticeable, very subtle. My only problem with it is that it smells too ’beery’ (think Heineken); I would have enjoyed a couple notches more of hops.

Bottle: Light hoppy aroma. Small head that dissipated quickly. Lightly bitter flavor with short duration. Not a bad beer. Good summer brew.

Sierra Nevada’s Summerfest is a classic pilsner brewed with top-notch ingredients. It pours a clear light golden with a thin white head. Nice hop bitterness clearly lacking in most domestic pilsners; tasty and satisfying and very smooth. This is what Budweiser would taste like if they stopped using rice in their beer. Buy a case, fire up the BBQ this summer, and enjoy a Summerfest