12x12 Review: Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Beers Included: Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Purchased: 6 June 2025

Price: $19.99

Initial Impressions 

Craft beer drinkers love to lament discontinued beers. Especially beers that have maybe been declining in sales, or aren’t as widely distributed as it used to be.

With Summerfest we have a rare example of a brewing bringing back a beloved beer. This is one I would pick up every year. Then there were one or two summers where I didn’t see Summerfest. Eventually it was replaced by a forgettable IPA. Since Summerfest came back, I’m happy to report that it’s easy for me to find in Massachusetts again.

Brew Day and Tasting Notes: Crackerjack Cream Ale

After my recent batch of Spring Training Stout, here I'm brewing another one of my house recipes I haven't written about in ten years. 

Look at those beautiful corn flakes.

Like Spring Training Stout, Crackerjack Cream Ale is one of those beers I ask myself why I don't brew more often. Bearing that thought in mind, this still was not a brew I had penciled in for the summer this year. I brewed this for two reasons. Firstly, I committed to making a ten gallon batch and needed to propagate a specific yeast strain. I figured that strain would work really well in this beer. Secondly, my friends from Maine Malt House launched a direct-to-consumer website for homebrewers. Their craft malt is will be perfect in this recipe.

12x12 Review: Samuel Adams Beers of Summer Variety Pack

Beer Included: Summer Ale, Porch Rocker, American Light, Blueberry Lager

Purchased: 31 May 2025

Price: $17.99 minus $5 rebate

Initial Impressions

I didn’t want to review two Samuel Adams 12-packs in a row but I won’t lie, scanning a QR code to receive a $5 rebate swayed me. I was probably going to pick this one up at some point; the rebate nudged me to do it now.

Brew Day: Maximilian Lager (Vienna Lager)

The last Homebrew Con I attended with Muntons was 2022 in Pittsburgh. At the time Muntons had made a lot of exciting updates and additions to their range of homebrew products. The new Muntons Flagship Range featured more modern, American craft beer styles as opposed to traditional English styles. Also released was a range of Premium Malt Extract which included Maris Otter Pale, Wheat, Oat, Sour, Munich and Vienna Malt Extract.

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I brewed 40 gallons of beer for the show and drove all eight kegs from my home outside of Boston to Pittsburgh. Marketing wanted to do a side-by-side of the Flagship Range Hazy IPA kit, the same recipe made as a partial boil/partial mash with the Oat Malt Extract, and the same recipe all grain. All three of the hazies came out great. The kit beer was noticeably the darkest of the three. The partial mash and all grain were very close. I also made a Passionfruit Sour with the Sour Malt extract; that was a recipe designed by the Muntons Product team.

With room for one extra keg, I suggested highlighting one of the other new extracts and ended up brewing a Vienna Lager.