Anchor Bewing Co.: Summer Beer

I was wandering up and down the beer aisle in Safeway earlier this week looking for a new brew to sample and write up. I had forgotten how much of Safeway's selection is devoted to name-brand brews, and how little there is to sample in the way of genuine crafts. With some trepidation, I grabbed a six pack of Anchor's Summer Beer. The trepidation had nothing to do with Anchor. They're pretty well-regarded, and as San Francisco's oldest and best-known craft brewer, I have to confess to a certain hometown bias. My worries had everything to do with the particular genre I had selected. I generally find summer beers disappointing. They tend to have very mild and uninteresting flavors. Refreshing, perhaps, but the same might be said for Corona or even a properly-chilled Coors Light.

Fortunately, Anchor's Summer Beer bucks the trend. This one is really hoppy for a Summer beer, about on par with what you'd expect to get out of a pale. But the taste is a little bit drier than your typical pale--much more earthy than citrusy. As is typical with the summer ale genre, this one is brewed with wheat rather than barley. But while the unmistakable wheaty smoothness is present, it is somewhat obscured by the hops. The beer is also highly carbonated. Not soda-level carbonation, but about as carbonated as you can expect to find in a beer. Combined with the healthy dose of earthy hops, this gives Anchor's summer beer a very crisp taste that lingers a bit on the tongue, which is the perfect recipe for a hot summer day.

I suspect that real devotees of the summer ale genre will be a bit put off by this one. Most summer ales opt for a soft and mellow wheaty flavor accented by fruit and citrus notes. By contrast, Anchor has opted for a starker, bolder take that uses the wheat as a springboard for a pronounced, but simple, crisp hoppiness. But what disappoints the summer ale enthusiasts is a boon for hopheads!

Samuel Adams: Summer Ale

After my somewhat poor review of the previous local brew's white ale, I stumbled across an extra couple of Sam Adams' latest seasonal brew in my fridge. While summer is still quite a way's away, we were given a taste of it here in Boston a week ago. As per normal New England weather, the climate quickly shifted back to normal (rainy, cold), but that doesn't mean I won't take up a chance to sample what will come.

Despite an ugly bottle (brown, yellow, and blue? Come now, guys), I was pleasantly surprised by Sam Adams' latest seasonal attempt. It's a pale wheat ale, and has a wonderfully cloudy and heady pour. While light, it remains crisp and bready, with a light citrusy aftertaste that is quite refreshing. I definitely see myself drinking more of these on my porch come summer. While not overly pronounced in flavor, it definitely doesn't stick to your tongue, my biggest complaint with their spring-time witbier.

I think one of the best things about this beer is that it simply doesn't make me thirsty after drinking it. It's crisp and refreshing, great for late summer bbqs and the warm and humid summer evenings. So while not overly flavorly, I still appreciate their effort at making a tasty and light beer. I think I can finally say I've found a Sam Adams beer that I'll actually ask for at a bar, so hopefully it'll be available on tap. As for all you west coasters, keep an eye out for it at your local packie, bodega, or whatever you kids out there call the local boozery.