Newcastle Summer Ale

I received a sampler six pack of this from Heineken USA about 3 weeks ago and finally have gotten around to reviewing it.

Newcastle Summer Ale is an English Bitter. Coming in at 4.40% abv.

Ahhh...An Ale made specifically for summer consumption. One would imagine it being light and refreshing. Not too over powering and ready for the masses.

What do you think of when it comes to Summer? The beach, mowing the lawn, carnivals...? You can't really leave beer out of that equation either. Beer is definitely a summer staple in much of the western world. So leave it to some breweries to capitalize on the summer

fervor and make an attempt at some sort of Summer themed beer.

Newcastle is not the first brewery to make a "summer" beer and i'm sure they will not be the last either.

What did I think about it? Put your shades on, your swimming trousers, and get ready to ride a wave of summer bliss...

First of all, why is this in a brown bottle and not a clear one like the Brown Ale? Well I asked this question to customer service and was never answered. I was led around the question and instead of an answer was given the history of the Brown Ale. Bollocks I tells ya, bollocks!

I consumed this Ale on 9/13/2011 on a fairly warm day. It was clear and 79 degrees F. I guess Summer is fading but was still an enjoyable day to say the least.

Look: Newcastle Summer Ale pours a light amber, golden color. The bubbles leftover from carbonation danced to the top of the glass, doing the tango to create a thick, whispy, white head that stood about an inch and a half, and lasted for well over a minute. The beer itself does advertise itself fairly well and looks very appealing on a hot, summer's day.

Smell: Time to stick the ol' nose in the glass and take a whiff. Hmm...quite peculiar to say the least. I get apples and raisins. Very fruity. Even some pear in there too, maybe mango? Not sure I have smelled a beer like this before. Definitely a bit odd...not bad though.

I also picked up some sweet caramel no doubt from the malt, and some bitter grapefruit doused in a bit of wet hay. It's actually fairly appealing, odd...but appealing.

Taste: Down the throat it goes. This Summer Ale is actually moderately bitter. Tea like hops and some sour grape flavors float across the palate. I'm also picking up a bit of a buttery flavor. I am assuming this is from the yeast? It's a bit off putting but truthfully, as I drink more, it grows on me and I begin to actually enjoy it. About mid drink, some smoked malt and caramel begin to round out the beer. The aftertaste leaves a bit of a sticky caramel flavor that just about clashes with a grassy, slightly bitter flavor. Oh, and more butter.

Overall, the more I drink of this the more I actually enjoy it. Would I get it again? Yes, I can say I would. It's not anything exceptional and it's definitely not a great Ale. It's a good beer though if you really aren't looking for anything complicated and want something to drink on a hot day that isn't complete swill. It's light, a bit hoppy, and a Summer Ale. If you are into that thing, great. If not, also great.

Newcastle Summer Ale gets a 3/5