Last of the Summer Beer

Here we are, just over a month into summer and at the market, I am greeted by a floor display of Okto. With the seasonal brews being rotated off the shelves, I figured I should post my summer beer roundup before they all disappear.

Starting on a positive note, none of the seasonal beers I’ve tried this summer have been complete disappointments. All of them seem comfortable to occupy the space between mediocre and quite good. Although, this statement should probably be qualified. My house has been inundated with homebrew as of late, severely reducing my consumption of commercial beers. It is quite possible that the shelves are teeming with abominations and I’ve just had the good fortune of avoiding them thus far.

Oakshire – Line Dry Rye

Line Dry Rye is my favorite of the summer brews I’ve sampled this year. A crisp Pale Ale with enough rye that I can actually taste it. Again, further clarification is in order. Be it beer or bread, I have a real hard time detecting rye if it is not either used in copious amounts or accompanied by the tell-tale caraway. For example, the Rye Beer I brewed a few months back had 27% rye in the grist. And I though it could have benefited from another pound or two.

For their summer beer, Oakshire used 20% rye, split evenly between flaked and malted. At this level the rye spiciness is present, but not overpowering. And while the rye-tio (you’re kidding me right? – Pun Editor) has not change from last year, I believe something else in either their recipe or process has. This year’s incarnation is both drier and cleaner tasting than the inaugural run. A great summer brew; worth trying if you have not yet done so already.

Ninkasi – Radiant Summer Ale

While Oakshire marked the shift in season with the switch from CDA to Rye Ale, the change is harder to detect at Ninkasi; hoppy spring Pale giving way to hoppy summer Pale. Radiant is just a touch sweeter and a touch malter than the preceding Spring Reign. Not a bad brew, just not remarkable.

Maybe sentiments differ outside of Eugene. See, around here, you can always find a tap of Quantum, Ninkasi’s year-round Pale Ale. So having another two oh-so-similar brews released as back-to-back seasonals leaves something to be desired. 

Widmer – Sunburn

I really appreciate this beer for it is; a low ABV (4.3%) Pale with a simple grainbill (2-Row & Light Crystal) that somehow packs as much hop flavor as some IPAs. If only that flavor didn’t come in the form of Citra; a hop that tastes so much like tropical fruit candy that I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that is isn’t artificial, lab created.

This is probably just my hang-up though. I have the same issue with the Nelson Sauvin hops, which I think taste like tangerine Jolly Ranchers. I will say that the unique flavor of Citra hops do provide a quenching sensation, which is both apparent and welcome in Sunburn. A nice, light summer ale, my idiosyncrasy aside.

Redhook – Rope Swing

Rope Swing is a Czech style Pilnser, hopped entirely with Saaz. I received a couple sample bottles in late spring and was pleasantly surprised with Redhook’s first foray into Lagers. The beer does have a hint of caramel malts, making it slightly sweeter than my favorite NW Pilsner (hush this “NW Pilsner” nonsense –Style Guideline Editor), Ltd 03.

Personally, I found the Saaz hops to be bright and flavorful, but there are Other Opinions floating around the interwebs that rebuke this assertion. Rope Swing isn’t breaking any new ground, but it’s a decent, inexpensive Pils. And props to Redhook for not filling their seasonal slot with a “lite” beer this year. New Belgium, take note.

Deschutes – Twilight

When I first tried Twilight on draft this year, I was taken aback by the huge Amarillo flavor. Did the recipe change? I don’t remember it being so distinctly hopped. Unfortunately the bottles have been a little hit-or-miss. Some sport the same lush, citrusy flavors of the draft version, others are dull and grassy.

I didn’t think to check the batch numbers on the bottles, so I can’t say if the problem is a production issue, or just improper storage. I’ve picked up the same off taste in other beers that spent too much time under harsh florescence at the mini-mart. In any case, kegged Twilight has done right by me this year; proceed with bottles at your own risk.

So, that’s it for my summer beer roundup. I’m sure a few more seasonal brews have passed my lips in the last few months, but I failed to write anything down about them. And while I have no qualms with recalling a recently imbibed brew from memory, performing postmortem without proper notes leaves a bad taste. It’s funny how the application of time to memory causes a twisting of recollections. Oh well, the weather is nice. Grab yourself a summer brew.

Cheers!
Kevin