Day 309: Newcastle Summer Ale

Name: Summer Ale

Brewer: The Caledonian Brewery Co. LTD (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Brewed in Newcastle, England

Classification: English Bitter

Alcohol: 4.4%

Thoughts: Getting free beer samples never gets old! Newcastle has just sent me a couple bottles of their Summer Ale, and I guess I'll just have to drink it and tell you what I think. It pours a very bubbly, golden orange color that is quite opaque. The head isn't much to talk about, but I devoted a whole sentence with a comma in it to it. The aroma is tart. That's not all, but it is the first and foremost characteristic of the aroma. I also smelled an adequate amount of apple and earthy hops. The mixture made for an interesting, almost juice-like nose. After the first couple of sips the tartness started to bother me. Then, all of a sudden, it disappeared. I mean it vanished and toasted malts, more hops and a cereal-like quality came to the forefront. It wasn't all that exciting, but it was much more enjoyable than this taste plus the tartness. I have to admit, even though Newcastle gave me some free samples, this isn't a brilliant beer. It needs some work. Mainly I would add more hops and maybe a different variety of them. Maybe they will take my notes and create the greatest beer in the world and I will become super famous! But probably not. 

Rating: 74/100