Sam Adams Summer Ale – Beer Review

Date June 16, 2010

Summer is a great time to enjoy tasty wheat beers!   Many brewers put out  special seasonal beers for summer which are lighter, and seemingly more refreshing in the heat than say, a stout might be.

Sam Adams Summer AleIn this case, we’ve got the 5.3% ABV Sam Adams Summer Ale to review for you which is in fact, a wheat beer.  Its brewed with wheat malt, lemon zest, and something called ‘grains of paradise’ which, according to the label are “a mysterious spice used by Renaissance brewers centuries ago“.

Mysterious indeed.

Further research shows that these ‘grains of paradise’ are a peppery type of spice found only someplace in Africa.  The real name of the spice is the Melegueta pepper, and its more closely related to cardamom.  Does it help?

I’d say so!   Sam Adams Summer Ale is one of those beers I actually enjoyed before I knew even less about beer than I do now!  Its been one of those beers that I’ve picked up from time-to-time, enjoying it, but not really caring about (or knowing) why.   Let’s see what makes it work for me.

Well, to begin the beer looks typical of a wheat beer.   It’s a straw-colored, beer, that isn’t quite clear in the glass.  It looks really good though!  It doesn’t create a massive head, but there is one and there’s also a little bit of lacing left on the glass.

The aroma.  Well, can I smell these ‘grains of paradise’?  I suppose so.  To me its got a little bit of a citrusy scent and there is a bit of a peppery thing going on too.  I guess those are the grains of paradise?   The beer has an inviting aroma and it reminds me of some Witbiers I’ve tried.   There’s something of a fruity thing going on in the background – maybe banana?  Not sure exactly but its quite nice.  They mention on the website that the beer is inspired by Belgian Witbiers – but instead of coriander and orange we have lemon and those ‘grains of paradise’.  Works for me!

The taste.  Well, as I’ve disclosed before, I’ve always liked the Sam Adams Summer Ale.  Its got a bit of a citrus flavoring, and a little pinch of those peppery spices make it an interesting drinker.  Again, like in the aroma, there’s something of a fruitiness going on the background – like the banana that I’ve mentioned.

Mouthfeel is just great.  This beer is not heavy at all, and it doesn’t have any stickiness or over-sweetness that would take away from its Summer beerness.  Last week at a BBQ I hosted, I found that this beer was perfect for the event and complimented the hot weather and food perfectly.  It was definitely better than the Sam Adams Blackberry Wheat that I also had that day.

I think Sam Adams did a good job on this one, and I think its a no-brainer good beer for summer that I go back to year after year.  I like it!

Rating: ★★★½☆

What do you think of the Sam Adams Summer Ale?  What’s you’re favorite Summer beer?

19 Responses to “Sam Adams Summer Ale – Beer Review”

  1. Mike said:

    I have a hard time with this one. It is probably my least favorite of the Sam seasonals. The lemon lest just seems overboard on it in my opinion.
    .-= Mike´s last blog ..Flying Fish Exit 16 Wild Rice Double IPA =-.

  2. Jim said:

    Sam Adams seasonals are a good way to introduce folks to craft beer without them even knowing you did so. they see the Sam Adams label and think they’re safe and accidentally wind up having what’s usually a pretty decent beer. Good plan for your BBQ, Scott.

    What I really want to know is when you’ll review a North Korean beer. I have it on good authority that they “make best beer.” 😉

  3. Bob Massey said:

    @Jim – I have a great beer store (utobeer) near my office in London, with over 600 bottled beers from around the world.

    I asked – in all seriousness – about North Korean beer, and they laughed.

    Good luck.

  4. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    @ Jim! I not know what you’re talking about! 🙂

    @Mike – I’m just the opposite. I think this is my favorite of their seasonals!

  5. Big Tex said:

    Taedonggang Mekjoo! It’s healthy, too!
    .-= Big Tex´s last blog ..Texas Beer Trippin’ =-.

  6. Don said:

    I saw this the other day and passed it up in favor of their cherry wheat. I have it on good authority that it is pretty tasty. Now I have it on good authority that this brew is pretty tasty too. I guess I’ll just have to try it too…Oh how I suffer for my craft.
    .-= Don´s last blog ..Hale’s Supergoose IPA: What’s With the Meerkat? =-.

  7. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    Don, we all suffer doing this work. There should be a prize or something! I tried the cherry-wheat last year. Come back to compare notes once you’ve tried it.

    https://thebrewclub.com/2009/07/10/sam-adams-cherry-wheat-beer-review/

    Big Tex – great videos! I told Jim that N. Korea had awesome beers! D’ oh!
    .-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Do Beer Glasses Matter? =-.

  8. Big Tex said:

    I’ve not had the privilege to taste some Taedonggang yet. However, I’ve been to S. Korea before, and their mass-produced beers are rice-based light lagers. I tried Hite, Cass, and OB while there. To varying degrees, I was reminded of Milwaukee’s Best. Given that soju is their forte, I’d venture to say that Taedonggang is just as bad.
    .-= Big Tex´s last blog ..Texas Beer Trippin’ =-.

  9. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    @Big Tax. Talk about a a comment thread going off on a tangent! I’ve tried the OB and Cass as well. I thought the packaging could easily pass as Miller Lite or something! From what I remember, the beer was not memorable.
    .-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Dale’s Pale Ale – A Beer Review =-.

  10. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    Heh. I meant Big Tex. Big Tax is another name for New Jersey!
    .-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Blackberry Wheat Beer Battle =-.

  11. Royce said:

    I totally agree with you that this is one of their best seasonals. I think it blows away the summer-style, delicious, session beers most other big brewing companies make (and Sam Adams is a really big beer company). That said it’s still not as interesting as as some other summer style beers in my opinion. But I really think you can’t go wrong getting a 6- or 12-pack of these for a summer bbq or party.
    .-= Royce´s last blog ..Beer Wednesday: Damnation by Russian River =-.

  12. Royce said:

    By the way thanks for the detail about grains of paradise = cardamom. I have always wondered what those mysterious grains of paradise were, but never remembered to look it up. And I only knew vaguely what cardamom was. To think they were one and the same!
    .-= Royce´s last blog ..Beer Wednesday: Damnation by Russian River =-.

  13. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    @Royce, I’ve been meaning to find out what it was too for a long time. Sometimes, you just need to be @ the computer with the bottle in-hand to actually remember to do it!
    .-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Samuel Smiths Organic Lager =-.

  14. Robert said:

    This is one of my favorite Samuel Adams beers seasonal or not. Keep up the good work Scott as this is another wonderful review!
    .-= Robert´s last blog ..Magic Hat Wacko =-.

  15. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    Thanks again, Robert. I think a lot of people might pass this beer up because it comes from a ‘big’ brewery, but its really a nice beer for summer.
    .-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Dale’s Pale Ale – A Beer Review =-.

  16. Steve said:

    Just tried this beer for the first time yesterday, on tap at a Chili’s restaurant. It arrived with an orange slice on the mug, which I immediately discarded. The waitress laughed and said she’d been telling the guys at the bar to hold the orange that “it’s not a guy thing”. Anyway, the Summer Ale started off pretty good, but the more I drank the less I liked it. Too much citrus, or maybe it was the mysterious “grains of paradise” – I don’t know. I enjoyed Sam Adam’s Alpine Spring – but Sam’s summer brew just isn’t my thing.

    For a summer beer I’d rather have Paulaner Hefe-Weizen, Blue Moon, or even Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat.

  17. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    Thanks steve! I’m not into it quite as much as in years past, but I still think its an enjoyable brew for Summer. I’m really liking their Whitewater IPA this year instead!

  18. Sundy said:

    Never had Summer Ale before, but in moments i will have my first, after the nice reviews given.
    Wikipedia has this to say about Grains of paradise:
    Aframomum melegueta is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. This spice, commonly known as grains of paradise, melegueta pepper, alligator pepper, Guinea grains, fom wisa, or Guinea pepper, is obtained from the ground seeds; it gives a pungent, peppery flavour with hints of citrus.

  19. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    Sundy – thanks for that bit of info! Reminds me that I need to make a trip to pick up some Summer Ale soon! Its already June and I haven’t purchased any yet this year!

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