Just bought a 6-pack of Sierra Nevada’s “Bottom Fermented Summerfest Beer.” They say, “Our Summerfest is an outstanding example of a traditional lager beer…”
I take a sip. Tastes exactly like every other Sierra Nevada beer. Good lord, lay off the hops already! Why bother messing with a lager if tastes exactly the same as your pale ales?
Their Porter, Stout and Weissen don’t 't taste like their American Pale Ale. They do like their hops and being a hop head does seem to be required to enjoy all their beers. I am, so I like them.
Yeah, I’m not the biggest fan of real hoppy beers, so I’ve never enjoyed most Sierra Nevada’s I’ve had.
If you’re looking for some good Summer Ale/lager type microbrews, might I suggest the following:
Sam Adams Summer Ale. I’m not a fan of their normal beer, but this is is good. Still an ale, though.
Saranac Adirondak Amber. Light, crisp, but with you know…flavor, so it’s a good lager, as opposed to most mas-market American beer.
Magic Hat #9. Again, an ale, but sooooooooooooooooooooooo damn good.
I dunno. To me it’s not anywhere near hoppy enough (nor the right hop profile–it’s heavy on the Saaz hops) to be an IPA. Doesn’t taste like their IPA at all. Then again, it’s a bit on the fruity and hoppy side to be a typical lager. It falls somewhere between the two styles, but not necessarily in a good way. It’s one of their weaker brews.
If you think Sierra Nevada is hoppy, stay away from Three Floyd’s (Alpha King, Dreadnaught, etc.)
Yeah, I have Sam in the fridge right now (I’ve had their Summer Ale a fair bit in the past, but it does taste a bit odd right now … must be those “Grains of Paradise”) and I love Saranac, more so because it’s regional (I’m in upstate NY).
I’m doing a side-by-side of Sierra Nevada’s Pale and Summerfest right now. The Pale is quite a bit hoppier, with that wonderful Cascade mouthful in every sniff and sip. The Summerfest is quite a bit milder, with not nearly the hops, and as pulykamell noted, Saaz as opposed to Cascade. The OGs are significantly different as well.