Summer Beer Battle
Summer time is officially in full swing and that means baseball, barbecues, beaches and beers. Living in Florida we start summer a little earlier and it gets a lot hotter, but with the right frosty beverage the heat will be an after thought. I took it upon myself to take on the difficult task of trying 5 delicious summer brews from some of my favorite craft breweries. This latest battle pins Harpoon’s Summer Beer, Sierra Nevada’s Summerfest, Red Hook’s Slim Chance, Brooklyn Brewery’s Summer Ale, and Shipyard’s Summer Ale against each other.
For this article I will be using the same criteria to measure these beers as I did in Pale Ale Battle so you may want to refer to that article if you don't know what these numbers mean. Let the tasting begin, here they are one through five.
Brewed by Shipyard Brewing Company, LLC Portland, ME
ABV:4.8% IBU:27
This wheat beer is less hoppy than many of the beers that Shipyard puts out, however it does a have a fragrant hop smell to it. Brewed with English barley malt, it is golden in color and is a smooth crisp drink. With hints of citrus this is a very refreshing beer without sacrificing great taste. This beer would be great with seafood!
Brewed by The Brooklyn Brewery Utica, NY
ABV: 4.5% IBU: 25
Brooklyn describes this beer as an "English Light Dinner Ale.” I describe it as delicious! Golden in color with a hoppy and floral aroma and taste. This one was a little heavier but still very smooth, crisp, and gulpable. Down one of these bad boys after mowing the lawn and I guarantee you'll be feeling better.
Brewed by Harpoon Brewery Boston, MA
ABV: 5% IBU: 28
What a Kölsch style ale! Kölsch style ales are similar to lagers but with a milder mixture of hops. Harpoon continues to please my palate with this delectable brew. It is very mild but has a nice sweet finish that could make anybody feel better in 92 degree heat.
Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico, CA
ABV: 5% IBU:28
One of the nation's first craft breweries puts this pilsner style lager out to help quench our thirst. However it did not live up to the standard of some of their other beers. It is light in color and in flavor but does finish with a good bite of hops. This one is worth trying but I wouldn't pick it over the top three.
Brewed by Red Hook Ale Brewery Portsmouth, NH
ABV: 3.9% IBU:18
By far the sweetest beer of the bunch, it is light golden in color and very smooth. This beer is great for people who like sweeter beers with little hop flavoring to them but for me left a little to be desired. I like to have a mouth full of flavor with my beers and I just didn't feel this one.
Finishing all of these five delicious beers was quit a chore but one I gladly followed through with to determine a Summer Beer winner. Shipyard Brewery came out a head in this one however all five beers are great. Summer time is a time for friends and family to spend time together outside, so get together with some buddies pick up a six pack or a twelve pack and try something new!
Written By:
Jeremy M. Parcels
Thursday, May 20, 2010
