Beer of the Weekend #688: Strawberry Picnic Summer Ale
Bobblehead kindly bought me two sixers during his recent swing through Kentucky and Tennessee. The first I am drinking is Strawberry Picnic Summer Ale, brewed by the Blackstone Brewing Company of Nashville, Tennessee.
Strawberry Picnic Summer Ale pours a cloudy gold with a tint of amber or perhaps strawberry (which would be much more fitting and expected). Two fingers of dense, buttery, off-white head settles slowly. Despite the cloudiness, a lot of carbonation is noticeable as steady streams of bubbles rise to the surface. The aroma is fruity! As promised, strawberry is prominent. It reminds me of the strawberry lemonade at Polly’s Pies, which is made with real strawberries (or at least it comes with chunks of strawberries in the glass). There are also scents of wheat malt and perhaps a little citrus, mostly orange. The flavor is fruity with prominent strawberry, wheat, a bit of orange, and maybe a touch of lemon. The mouthfeel is smooth and full but light. It is a like a very wheaty and flavorful shandy. There is a little lager-like bitterness but it is mostly sweet and fruity.
Fun facts about SPSA:
•Style: For some unknown reason, the Blackstone website classifies the beer was “English Pale Ale.” The classification on BA — “Fruit/Vegetable Beer” — seems much more accurate.
•Price: Watching Bobblehead’s cats.
•Alcohol content: 5.2 percent ABV.
•SPSA is Blackstone’s summer seasonal and is released in March — a month that is usually winter-like, at least here in Iowa.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B/B+.
Strawberry Picnic Summer Ale pours a cloudy gold with a tint of amber or perhaps strawberry (which would be much more fitting and expected). Two fingers of dense, buttery, off-white head settles slowly. Despite the cloudiness, a lot of carbonation is noticeable as steady streams of bubbles rise to the surface. The aroma is fruity! As promised, strawberry is prominent. It reminds me of the strawberry lemonade at Polly’s Pies, which is made with real strawberries (or at least it comes with chunks of strawberries in the glass). There are also scents of wheat malt and perhaps a little citrus, mostly orange. The flavor is fruity with prominent strawberry, wheat, a bit of orange, and maybe a touch of lemon. The mouthfeel is smooth and full but light. It is a like a very wheaty and flavorful shandy. There is a little lager-like bitterness but it is mostly sweet and fruity.
Fun facts about SPSA:
•Style: For some unknown reason, the Blackstone website classifies the beer was “English Pale Ale.” The classification on BA — “Fruit/Vegetable Beer” — seems much more accurate.
•Price: Watching Bobblehead’s cats.
•Alcohol content: 5.2 percent ABV.
•SPSA is Blackstone’s summer seasonal and is released in March — a month that is usually winter-like, at least here in Iowa.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B/B+.
