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Unlike the early spring, when a wave of seasonal beers came crashing onto the market, summer seems to find breweries introducing seasonals in fits and starts. Now that we've passed the equinox, most are out, though a couple of stragglers are just working their way to stores and pubs. The summer beers are further distinguished from the spring offerings in their unity of purpose: To wet parched throats. Whether ale or lager, nearly every summer seasonal is designed to be light, dry and crisp--everything one needs to combat the heat, should it ever arrive. Out Now A few breweries have a regular schedule of seasonal beers. For the fourth season, Full Sail Brewing brings back its very big, very bitter IPA, the single exception to the uniformly lighter summer beers. It is a wonderful beer, exceptionally bitter and rich, but at 5.4 percent alcohol, the only activity I'd recommend while drinking it is watching baseball in the air-conditioned comfort of home. Portland Brewing's summer seasonal, Summer Pale Ale, hearkens back to the brewery's first beer, Portland Ale. The malt is the same, but instead of using Nugget and Cascade hops, as in the original, Summer Pale employs hop oil from a single hop (though the brewery isn't saying which one). As a result, the beer has a nice hop aroma but isn't very bitter. Given that it's a summer ale, the brewery wanted a light, quaffable beer, but after the smell of fresh hops, I was hoping for more bittering. Of all world styles associated with summer, surely the most famous is Pilsner. The first example of the style, Sun Fest, comes from Pyramid. Pilsners are easy to brew badly and one of the most difficult styles to make very well. Pyramid's version is subtle but a pretty good beer. With a light-to-medium body, noticeable, crisp hopping and a touch of tangy yeast character, it is a beer of some complexity despite its low-key character. The aroma, fresh and inviting from the Saaz dry-hopping, complements the understated malt character. The yeast gives the beer something more than the dry finish of classic Pilsners but is in concert with the beer's other flavors. Another classic German summer beer style is Kölsch, which the Widmer Brothers attempt in their Sommerbräu. Hailing originally from Cologne (and the region surrounding it), Kölsches are, like Pilsners, known for their delicate, thirst-quenching character. More than that, however, Kölsches derive a zesty fruity/acidic quality, a byproduct of the ale yeast they employ. The Sommerbräu is a workmanlike summer beer, but due to the Widmer's very dry altbier yeast strain, it doesn't end with the tangy flair of a good Kölsch and isn't as complex. The classic flavor characteristic of Northwest hops is a citrusy, grapefruity tang that perfectly complements summer. Bert Grant of Yakima Brewing, introducing his final "single-hop" seasonal, takes advantage of that quality in Grant's Summer Ale, a pale ale featuring Chinook hops. As expected, the hopping gives the beer a citrus twang and, because it's dry-hopped, a fairly robust aroma. The yeast character, common to all Grant's ales, seems especially prevalent. Forthcoming BridgePort Blue Heron is hardly a summer seasonal, but the venerable beer's new taste is ideal for hot days. At the unveiling last week, the company showed off Blue Heron's new, spare labels (maybe a bit too spare if you enjoyed the old label) and let consumers get a taste of the new recipe. Though I can't say I like the label as well, the beer is impressive. Brewmaster Karl Ockert designed it to be a session ale, fairly light-bodied and relatively low alcohol (about 4 percent). But don't be fooled by the stats; this beer is an overachiever. From the look in the glass--an alluring, deep golden color (perhaps from the bit of chocolate malt Ockert included)--to the wonderful sweet citrus aroma and flavor, everything about the beer is surprising. Saxer Brewing's Pilsner may already be on shelves; if not, it will arrive soon. Of all the beers Saxer has made recently to great acclaim, this newest beer, the brewery's summer seasonal, may be the most special. In the style of most Saxer beers, this one is big, pushing the designation of "Pilsner" to the limit. Like Pyramid's Sun Fest, this Pilsner is dry-hopped with Saaz (which accompany the Perle, Tettnanger and Spalt hops), and the nose is hoppy, with pine and sweetly floral notes. If, in drinking macrobrew, you've come to equate Pilsner with pallid, the complexity of Saxer's offering will startle you. The malt and hops give the beer two layers of dryness, the hops providing a fresh crispness while the malt comes in with a grainy softness. Although the beer finishes crisply, there is also the slightest note of malt sweetness at the back of the tongue. Even the brewery is aware of the exceptional quality of the beer, hinting that it may become part of the regular stable. |
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