Samuel Adams Summer Ale:
Greetings all, and welcome to a beer review reminiscent of those long hot summer days of New England.  Now I’m sure it gets toasty for an hour or two in the greater Boston area, but really, it doesn’t touch what goes on here by a long shot.  That being said, I’m weary of a summer beer coming out of the area, especially when a majority of the beers from there are heavier and more cold weather based.  Samuel Adams does its best to buck this trend with a their classic Summer Ale, a beer brewed with Grains of Paradise, a rare pepper from Africa with history dating back to the 13th century in brew making.  The beer is a mellow one taking notes of flavor from shandys, hefeweizens, and a touch of pilsner and rolling them all into a familiar yet unique witbier.  The beer’s nose is one citrus and spices that don’t really come out until your first sip or two but provide a unique and welcoming addition. The taste is crisp up front with the spice of the grains and essential oils from the lemon peels come through the malt taste that seems to ride the whole length of the tongue like a roller coaster.  There is a nice after taste of malty spice that is mellow but memorable.  A good summer beer though I think I’d lean more towards the Coastal Wheat when given between the two, but hey, variety is the spice of life and you can do way worse than this one when choosing your summer drinking.