Samuel Adams Summer Ale

Samuel Adams Summer Ale, Samuel Adams’ take on the American wheat ale style with an infusion of lemon peel and grains of paradise, poured a clear straw color into the glass, with medium carbonation feeding its small white head.  The nose quickly did away with any possibility the added spices would be subtle, led heavily by lemon, wheat, and grains of paradise.

Samuel Adams Summer Ale opened appropriately bright and citrusy, the carbonation quickly pulling back to lemon and hints of tropical fruit.  The wheat, while lacking in body, came through in the middle and mellowed out the lemon, but was a bit grainy in character.  The fade was a blur of the competing fruit and yeast.

Samuel Adams Summer Ale hit the goal of being light and drinkable, but there was something slightly artificial about the entire drinking experience.