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.
Beer Review
Summerfest
Packaged Date: 4 April 2025
Aroma: Beautiful blend or rich, doughy malt and floral, spicy hops
Appearance: Yellow, brilliantly clear. Moderate foamy head that’s a little fizzy and fades.
Flavor: A very hop-forward lager. Medium-high floral and spicy hop flavor with a punch of hop bitterness. Both are accentuated by the light body. Malt flavor is low, flavor is like an artisanal white bread. Fermentation is clean and crisp.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with medium carbonation. Very crisp with a hint of lingering hop resin and bitterness.
Overall: A German pils with a similar balance as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. While the calculated IBUs are significantly lower than Pale Ale, the lighter body and seeming absence of specialty malt in Summerfest gives it a similar overall character.
After reviewing three fruit beers and an American Light Lager, this was a nice change of pace. While some breweries have upped the hop flavor in their summer ales to the point where they are basically IPAs, most summer beers an easy-drinking blondes, wheats or fruit beers. Summerfest brings relatively big hop character, while managing to be supremely drinkable.
For a macro drinker, Summerfest might not be the most approachable. For my beer fridge, this beer is damn near perfect. My first 12-pack went so quickly I had to talk myself out of buying a second one because I brewed three beers for the summer and they are all on tap and tasting great.
No comments:
Post a Comment