Some Excellent Summer Samples!!!!!!!!!!

Some Excellent Summer Samples!!!!

Some HIGHLIGHTS of my summer tastings {so far} as there is still a lot of summer to go!!!!!

 Hello everybody. I hope that you are having a most excellent summer season of fun in the sun and of course, while doing that, tasting some good summer season craft beers. Since my last post was on different types of summer ales, I figured that would share some of my favorite beers that I was lucky enough to try on my journey while I was on a 5 city Midwest book tour.

So first out of the gate, from Revolution Brewing, (Chicago) Their Ghost Ride Kolsch was stunning. Coming in at 5.3% ABV, this light straw colored beer was very crisp, with flavors of bread, with a coriander lift up front that tapers off with slight citrus notes.

 

Next up, from Perrin Brewing, out of Comstock Park, Michigan (near Grand Rapids, MI), was their Blackberry IPA. This purple hued, slightly tart beer is brewed with ripened blackberries, and uses a slightly bitter hop added to the recipe that is grown in Michigan. It has an overall floral bouquet, but the taste is absolutely amazing with the tartness of the blackberries complimenting the bitterness of the hops very nicely.

 

 From Kuhnhenn Brewing in Warren, Michigan come two delicious beers. The first was a limited release grapefruit wit. This wheat forward beer has just the right amount of grapefruit added to give it the “spot on” tartness the makes it stand out. Not being overly citric with fruit either, this is definitely one of the most refreshing beers that you could have on a hot summer day.

 

 The other beverage from Kuhnhenn was their Simcoe Sillier. A spruced up version of their Simcoe Silly, this beer, made with simcoe hops, has tropical fruit flavors that explode into a swarm that plays perfect against the spicy overtones. Great drinkable ale!!!!

And lastly, from Stumblin’ Duck in Chesterfield, MI comes the most perfect lime shandy ever. A spin on the typical lime beer, this wheat beer (not a hefeweizen though) has a breadiness on the nose that mixes with the citrus of the limes. Once sipped, the lime bursts forward in a way that you might think it could be a margarita and then the subtle wheat flavors round it out towards the end reminding you that it is a beer. But alas, no salt and no tequila required!!!!!!!  Another winner!!!!!

So drink a couple of beers (but not too many - no hangovers :( ) and enjoy the SUMMER, and as always, RAISE A PINT OF ALE!!!!!!!!! CHEERS  

Summertime Beers = Summertime Flavors

Summertime Beers = Summertime Flavors!!!!!!!!!!!

Well fellow beer drinkers, now that the 4^th of July has come and gone, and the summer seems like it is half over (even though it has really just begun) we should delve into some of the summer ales that are on the market before it is too late and we need to change up and start with the autumn ales and lagers.  

There are definitely some great new recipes that breweries are experimenting with to keep the flavors (pun intended) of the warm weather flowing (another pun intended) to quench that burning thirst.

First up, while not relatively new, sour beers tend to pop up more often during the warmer summer months. With using certain strains of bacteria, and aging them in barrels, a sour taste emerges. A nice chilled sour can be the perfect accompaniment to any meal, or even as a digestive.

Gose ales, which originated in Goslar, Germany, are top fermenting ales the are characterized by the use of coriander and salt. While not as sour as a direct sour beer, there usually is a slight sour essence to them. Lactic acid is added to the wort before primary fermentation. This adds a very unique flavor that creates a very unique beer. Berliner Wiesses’ are another type of sour beer that are usually brewed with fruit to mellow out and balance the sour flavor. Sometimes a tart fruit such as pomegranate is used for that purpose.

Shandies have also become very popular in the more recent years with all types of fruits being used now. Back in the day, lemon was the most popular fruit used in the brewing process for the Shandy. The wort is fermented with different types of fruit as to infuse the ale with sometimes a sweeter flavor along with the flavor of the desired fruit. Nowadays, you can find Shandies that use, the aforementioned lemon, lime, grapefruit, and a slew of other types of summer fruits. 

The Kolsch is another type of popular summer beer as well. The Kolsch is a warm fermenting, cold lagering, type of beer usually brewed with different types of pilsner malts which gives them their light quality. While the Kolsch can also be found around the fall for the autumn tasting, I prefer to have a Kolsch in the summer. Its light crisp flavor, low IBU, and clean taste, goes great with an afternoon outdoor BBQ.

Another year round (yet once again, I think works best in warmer climes) is the ever- lasting IPA. Every once in a while I am in the mood for the hop train. Whether you like hoppy or semi-hoppy, the added flavors of the hops (whether, citrus, pine trees, etc.)along with the clean crisp taste, is always a winner in the summer.

So now that we have some of the great summer types of beer explained, what the hell are you waiting for? Get out in the sun, kickback on the water, and pick up a few variety cases from your local market and get sampling. There are a whole lot of summer beers to try!!!!!!! 

Enjoy the summer, and as always, RAISE A PINT OF ALE!!!!!!!!! CHEERS