Summer Beer Roundup
Summertime in Washington, DC. No matter which party is in office, DC always follows the 3H Policy: Hazy, Hot, and Humid. While summer beers are generally light and refreshing, it's doesn't mean they're short on flavor. I'm not such a fan of lighter beers, but my burgeoning love of IPAs has convinced me that perhaps a beer does not need to have color and viscosity of used motor oil to be enjoyable; especially on a day so hot you could fry an egg on the street.I often complain that I never use my degree in Physical Science for anything science-y. But this is a situation in which only the rigor of clinical evaluation can save us.
A friend's BBQ party seemed a logical location. We acquired our samples: 12 of the tastiest summer beers, as recommended by the staff of The Perfect Pour, Maryland's beer mecca. Our cohort represented the spectrum from mainstream - Sam Adams Summer Ale - to imports from the Land of the Rising Sun - Ise Kadoya, a small Japanese microbrewery.
What follows are the results of our selfless dedication to society. And the fact that we had 12 hours to kill waiting for Ken's pork shoulder to smoke.But first, all respectable scientific papers begin with a summary of the conclusions. Here's ours:Never, ever, start a beer tasting with a 10.4% (alcohol content) beer and an empty stomach. As a result I cannot guarantee the accuracy of anything beyond this point.
The Results
Avery - Maharajara
Smooth, with a slight cantaloupe aroma. Super hoppy pepper bite, with a slight citrus-grapefruit bitter at the end. 10.4% alcohol, but you don't taste it at all. Again, this is NOT the beer with which to begin. Highly Recommended - with caution.Anderson Valley
Smooth w/ hints of creme. Quite mellow. No aftertaste. Recommended.
Great Divide - Belgica
Harsh bitter right from the start that lingers. And doesn't go away.Hitachino Nest - Weizen
Sour apples. Worse on the aftertaste. This must have been a beer that had gone bad.Smuttynose - Summer Weizen
Mellow, with a yeasty bitter.Victory - Whirlwind Witbier
Light refreshing, hints of banana, not too heavy. Everyone enjoyed this archetypal summer beer. Highly Recommended.Blue Moon - Honey Moon
Light and refreshing, with a touch of honey at the end. Bubbled with a zesty-citrus effervescence and almost no aftertaste. Recommended.Hitachino Nest - Commerative
Light vanilla as you first taste, then grows and blossoms in flavor in the aftertaste. Highly recommended.Otter Creek - Solstice
Little flavor at first. Irony aftertaste, like tap water. Starts like water, finishes skunky.Rogue - Old Crustacean
Full bodied flavor that lingers but not heavily. Not overly fruity for a barleywine. This is not actually a summer beer. It was leftover from winter.Ise Kadoya - India Pale Ale
Not so hoppy. Nutty with a chocolate-iron aftertaste. Quite good, but too heavy for summer.Goose Island - Summertime
Light, effervescant and malty. Not much aftertaste. Good summer beer. Recommended.Though it may just be a myth that DC was built on a swamp, summers here can be brutal. Luckily, the DC-area has a fair number of craft beer stores and restaurants. And if you're in-the-know you might even find the occasional rooftop beer garden.
What's you favorite summer beer?
