Narragansett Summer Ale, Anderson Valley Summer Solstice & Magic Hat Stealin' Time

While summer has officially arrived, summer beer has been here since April. While that is all well and good, I am not interested in drinking a beer with a beach or sun on the label if snow could still fall at any moment. Now that it's late June and there have been consecutive 90 degree days, it's time for some light, crisp summer beers. But where to start? Beer aisles right now are loaded with summer beers trying to catch your eye and find their way into your coolers. So instead of letting you know if just one beer is good or not, I am going to review three very different summer beers so you can have a better idea of what is out there.

First up is Narragansett Summer Ale. This is a light, crisp pale ale that pours a clear gold with a white head. The aroma of bready malt, citrus and pine is very light but pleasant. After tasting, the flavor is very similar to the aroma. There is a light malt sweetness up front before the light flavor of citrus comes in and washes away fairly clean. I keep using the word light because that is exactly what this is. To be specific, it is a watered down pale ale. Normally I would make this a huge issue, but for a summer beer it works. This is an easy-drinking, sessionable beer that would work perfectly on a very hot day. Its 4.2% ABV puts it on the same level as Bud Light, it just tastes a lot better.

Overall I would rate Narragansett Summer Ale a 2.5/5. If you are looking for a light, easy-drinking beer for a day at the beach, this works nicely. If you are looking for something with a bolder flavor profile, I would leave this on the shelf.

Next up is Anderson Valley Summer Solstice. This is an interesting cream ale that pours a slightly hazy ruby brown with an off-white head. The aroma is slightly sweet, with caramel and lots of vanilla. Much like the aroma, the vanilla really stands out in the flavor as well. Right off the bat I was hit with caramel malt, followed by the bold flavor slightly sweet vanilla. These initial flavors work really nice together. They provide just the right amount of sweetness. But pleasant flavors then give way to a bland hop finish which really takes away from how good this beer could have been. That's not saying it's a bad beer, it's not. It's just a fun take on a cream soda beer with an underwhelming finish.

Overall I would rate Anderson Valley Summer Solstice a 3/5. I wanted to love it, I really did, but the finish just did not work for me. That being said, it's still too fun not to try.

Finally, we have Magic Hat Stealin' Time. Before I get started, I want to take a moment and mention that I really wanted to like this beer. This past winter I reviewed Magic Hat's Snow Roller and gave it a fairly harsh critique(you can read that by clicking here). I was hoping this pale wheat ale with ginger would restore my faith in the Magic Hat name. I am sad to say, it did not. Stealin' Time poured a crystal clear golden yellow(I thought it was unfiltered) with a fluffy white head. The aroma contained wheat malt, citrus, pine and ginger. Just from the aroma, I was fairly optimistic I would like it. When I tasted it, I realized how mistaken I was. Grainy malt comes through right away before pine, a light hint of lemon and a whole lot of ginger. The ginger is fairly strong and it could have worked if not for the strong metallic flavor that came along with it. Midway through the glass, all I could taste was ginger and metal. I ended up dumping out my glass which makes this the second Magic Hat beer I've reviewed and not finished.

Overall I would rate Magic Hat Stealin' Time a 0.5/5. It certainly lives up to its name. It steals time from drinking a good beer.


Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Boulevard Ginger Lemon Radler

Over the past few years I have watched with a puzzled look on my face as the Shandy/Radler became a popular variety of summer beer. Just like any style of beer, I found myself trying different interpretations from various breweries. Each time I sampled a new one I was left wondering what all the fuss was about. As a beer cocktail, I understand the idea behind the Shandy/Radler. A homemade mixture of beer and a sparkling lemonade or fruit beverage sounds refreshing. But a canned or bottled mixture of a poorly made base beer with a lot of “natural” flavoring to drown it out is something I find completely undrinkable. So, as I purchased a can of Boulevard Ginger Lemon Radler my expectations could not have been any lower. To add to that, I began to wonder if anyone will take this review seriously after reading this introduction. But I put that thought in the back of my mind as I began to pour what I hoped would be the first Shandy/Radler I would enjoy.

Boulevard Brewing Company's Ginger Lemon Radler pours a cloudy light yellow with a white head that falls off very quickly. There is not a lot of complexity here so to go into very specific details of what is in the aroma seems unnecessary. To put it simply, this smelled like ginger ale with a light, tart lemon backbone. It tasted exactly as it smelled. There was almost zero distinguishable beer flavor. To reinforce that point, this is the first beer in 13 years of trying that my Mom actually liked. The weird thing was, I liked it too. I found it light, crisp and easy to drink. The ginger flavor tastes genuine and the lemon provides a nice, tart balance to keep it from being too sweet.

The main drawback of this particular beer is that the beer itself seems to be missing. I say that because I feel like this review almost comes off as more of a soda review than a beer review. In fact I would say if you handed me a can of this and told me it was a lemon ginger ale I would have believed you. The 4.1% ABV is almost completely hidden as well, making this a dangerously sessionable, easy to drink summer beverage. It also makes this the first Shandy/Radler I have had that merits a second purchase.

Overall I would rate Boulevard Brewing Company's Ginger Lemon Radlar a 3/5. It's more of an alcoholic soda than beer, but it works.


Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Hamburg Sweet Tang Grapefruit Lager

Sometimes there is nothing nicer on a hot day than a lager. While I may have just stated the obvious, I want you to understand this is coming from a guy who would drink an imperial stout on a 110 degree day. Lagers are a style of beer I tend to forget about. Maybe it is because they are most famously made by breweries I tend to shy away from. Or maybe it is because they were the beers I learned my drinking limits on in college. Whatever the reason may be I rarely leave a bottle shop with one of them. That being said, I am frequently reminded particularly during the hot summer months that a Budweiser, a Heineken or a Pabst Blue Ribbon can be particularly refreshing. So I asked myself what about some of the craft beer options? That brings me to this week's review, Hamburg Brewing Company's Sweet Tang.

Sweet Tang is a lager brewed with grapefruit and it pours a densely cloudy orangey yellow with a white head. The aroma is bursting with grapefruit. I could smell it very clearly as I was pouring it into the glass. There is also a light, bready malt sweetness in the aroma but not much else. On aroma alone Sweet Tang appeared to have a lot of potential. After my first sip I was not sure what to think of it. While the flavor of the base lager is light, it is there. The grapefruit however dominates the flavor. What threw me off initially was that I expected the grapefruit to compliment the sweetness from the malt. It did not, and that is what makes this beer successful. It adds a beautifully refreshing flavor to the lager backbone before giving way to a very bitter and clean finish.

While a bitter, clean finish worked for me I understand the bitterness of it will not be for everyone. In fact, it took some getting used to for me but by the time my glass was empty Sweet Tang had won me over. This is not only a fine example of a craft lager, it is a fine example of how to use fruit in beer. Both distinct flavors mesh well together. While I may have wanted to see a little more of the lager shine, everything works here. I can safely say this is a beer that will be in my regular summer rotation.

Overall I rate Hamburg Brewing Company's Sweet Tang Grapefruit Lager a 3.75/5. Simple, fun, and easy to drink, a great beer to kick off the summer season.

Rating Scale:

1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Uinta Cucumber Farmhouse

The first time someone offered me cucumber water I thought they were messing with me. At that time I did not see much use for the cucumber. I found it to be the boring veggie I would typically eat first in my salads to make sure it did not affect the flavor of anything I actually did want to eat. I had no idea adding a cucumber to water would not only pleasantly enhance the flavor of the water, it seemed to make it even more refreshing. From that point on, I developed an appreciation for the cucumber. I found myself enjoying it more on its own. I stopped eating it first in my salads. I also felt it was only a matter of time until the refreshing flavor of cucumber found its way into some of the beers I drink. At a recent bottle shopping excursion, I was excited to see Cucumber Farmhouse from Uinta Brewing Company on the shelf. To make the first cucumber beer I have seen on shelves even more interesting, I saw that it was aged in gin barrels. I quickly picked it up, placed it in the fridge and waited to drink it on an incredibly hot day. Well, that day is today and I hope this beer is as flavorful and refreshing as it appears to be.

Cucumber Farmhouse pours a dense cloudy gold with a fizzy white head. The aroma is lightly spiced with clove, banana, coriander and cucumber. I rushed the aroma part because it is extremely hot and I had high hopes that this beer would be extremely cooling and refreshing. I was half right. The cucumber flavor stands out nicely. It hit my palate immediately before giving way to lemon, banana and clove. The finish then hit me with a lot of pepper and a hint of gin and oak. To put it simply, there is a lot going on here. Some of it works and some of it does not.

For my longtime readers you know I am a huge fan of barrel aging. In this particular case, I do not think it was needed. The light gin and oak notes do not seem to add anything positive to the beer. If anything they subtract slightly from the saison yeast in the finish. I think the light, crisp lemon flavor adds a nice touch to the beer. It provided a nice balance to the sweetness of the cucumber. Sadly, it got lost in a muddled finish with the a strong pepper flavor and a hint of oak. That being said there are some really nice flavors going on here, they just do not compliment each other well. I do feel there is a lot of potential for cucumber in beer. I would not be surprised if various styles of cucumber beer become a summer mainstay in the next few years.

Overall I would rate Uinta Cucumber Farmhouse a 2.5/5. There are just too many flavors here that do not go well together. There is potential for cucumber in beer however and I look forward to trying more of it in the future.

Rating Scale:

1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Singlecut Beersmiths Softly Spoken Magic Spells

First off, I want to thank all of my new readers who saw me on 13 WHAM'S Good Day Rochester(here is a link in case you missed it). Thank you for taking time to check out my blog. I have really appreciated all of the positive feedback. For this review, I felt it would be appropriate to touch on one of the many interesting beers I discussed on the show. In particular, I want to focus on one of the more sought after beers or “whales” I talked about in the last segment. The “whale” I will be reviewing today is the Softly Spoken Magic Spells Double IPA from Singlecut Beersmiths.

The best way to enjoy an IPA is fresh. Over time the strong hop flavors can fade and a beer can became a shell of its former self. For this review, I am drinking a bottle dated 5/17. This should be absolutely bursting with strong hop flavors and I could not be any more excited. 

Softly Spoken Magic Spells pours a cloudy yellow gold with a white head. From about a foot away from the glass I can smell the hops. They are bursting with tropical fruit. Tangerine, pineapple, grapefruit and (light) pine are all present. The taste is close to the aroma. Tangerine, pineapple, mango, pine jump out right away before a bitter grapefruit finish. The best way I could describe the mouthfeel of this beer is juice. While it is nicely carbonated, the hops have created bold, fresh citrus flavors. 

I want to remain critical but when a beer is this good it is difficult not to gush over it. Beers like this one are the reason I love beer and insist everyone continue to try new beers. Softly Spoken Magic Spells is a world class double IPA and has earned every bit of its “whale” status. If you are a fan of IPAs, this beer is well worth going out of your way for.

Overall I would rate Softly Spoken Magic Spells a 5/5. This beer is so good, I wish my morning orange juice tasted just like it. The Pink Floyd reference is really cool too.

Rating Scale:

1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Keuka Brewing Ghost of Rita

The gose style of beer has been hit or miss to me since I tried my first one about 2 years ago. For that reason it is not the kind of beer I regularly seek out. I feel that some breweries seem to get the odd mix of wheaty, tart saltiness to taste really well, while others find a way to make those flavors completely unappealing. One thing I have found is people who love this style of beer(like my wife) are truly passionate about it. So with an open mind I continue to try them in hopes of gaining a better appreciation for the style. This quest brought me to try Ghost of Rita from Keuka Brewing Company. The can immediately caught my eye and the description of a gose style beer with lime seemed to be the beer equivalent of a margarita. So with an open mind for the gose style and a fondness for margaritas, I popped the top of the can for this review.

The Ghost of Rita pours a slightly cloudy yellow gold with a white head that dissipates quickly. The aroma is tart, with strong wheat notes, salt, light citrus and coriander. The beer itself however barely has any bold flavor or almost any flavor at all. At first I got a light malt and wheat sweetness, with lactobacillus sourness to balance. There is a light hint of salt and lime in the finish but I really had to look for it. It washes away cleanly but the flavors I mentioned before were so light that they barely register. 

I wish I could say this is a light, crisp, clean beer that is perfect for the summer but it is not. To me, this is barely beer. If you take away the very subtle malt and sour notes there is no difference between this and a club soda with lime. I do not want to appear overly negative about Ghost of Rita. I think there is a great amount of potential here. If in future batches the flavors are a bit more developed that has the potential to be a wonderful option for the style. But unfortunately I do not rate beers on their potential. I rate them by what is in front of me, and what is in front of me is a disappointment.

Overall I would rate the Ghost of Rita a 1.5/5. An example of trying to be ambitious while playing it safe. It just does not work.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

New Belgium Citradelic Tangerine IPA

When I heard the news that New York was getting distribution of New Belgium Brewing out of Fort Collins, Colorado, I was fairly indifferent. This reason for this is while on vacation I went out of my way to sample a few of their beers and was fairly underwhelmed. Most notably I remember trying Fat Tire Amber Ale for the first time, looking down at my glass and thinking 'that's it?' But I do not want to start this review giving you the idea that all New Belgium Beers are underwhelming. I felt based on their reputation that perhaps I need to give them another chance. That is why on a recent trip I picked up New Belgium's latest offering, Citradelic Tangerine IPA. I felt that if I enjoyed that beer, perhaps I could get excited for them hitting the beer isles in New York.

New Belgium Citradelic Tangerine IPA pours a crystal clear golden yellow with a white head. The aroma is immediately noticeable. It is bursting with tangerine, grapefruit, orange zest, mango and just a little malt sweetness. The flavor pretty much matches the aroma. A light malt sweetness hits the palate before the citrus and tropical fruit notes come flooding in. Tangerine, orange and bitter grapefruit shine before giving way to a slightly sweet almost melon like finish. There is a lot going on here and I probably missed a few flavor notes, but that is what a second and third bottle is for. To put it simply, if you are a fan of a more tropical fruit forward IPA this is for you. It works and it works well.

Citradelic delivers the bold tropical aromas and flavors it promises. It also got me excited to see what else New Belgium Brewing has to offer when they become a mainstay in the New York beer market. My only real complaint about Citradelic is that I wanted it to have a little more body to it. That is nitpicking though, but that is what I do here. The lighter body and the 6% ABV does make this beer is fairly sessionable. That means it is a perfect beer to compliment warm summer weather or if you just want to try a lighter-bodied IPA.

Overall I would rate New Belgium Citradelic an 4/5. This is a perfect summer IPA if you are looking for something with bold flavor but on the lighter side.


Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!