Beer of the Weekend #922: Summer Jam
I have been drinking so little beer recently that the beer of the weekend is the beer I bought for last weekend: Summer Jam, brewed by the Big Grove Brewery of Iowa City.
The color is darkish raspberry red. A finger of red-tinted, bubbly, dense head settles slowly and evenly.
The aroma is weird because I’m not used to sours. It portends ... sourness. There are hints of berries and fruit but they are dominated by tartness. I don’t know any other way to describe it. It is very yeasty, funky, and ... sour. It reminds me a lot of saison but without the spice. That’s basically what it is: saison with fruit and berries instead of spice.
The flavor is tart but tasty. It reminds me of New Glarus’s Raspberry Tart—though Summer Jam is actually tart. (Raspberry Tart is the most crushable beer I have ever had.) Flavors of raspberry, blackberries, and cherries are most prominent—along with the general tartness. The tartness lingers on the taste buds, especially the tonsils. Each sip coats the mouth in a soft, sweet film much like juice. It tastes more like juice than jam to me.
Fun facts about Summer Jam:
• Style: The brewery calls it “Berliner Weisse Inspired Ale with Fruit.”
• Price: $9.99 for a four-pack at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City. I’m thinking of that character in Lawrence of Arabia who shouts “Outrageous!”
• Alcohol content: 4.5 percent ABV.
• Calories: 135 per 12-ounce serving (estimate). Since it’s so sweet, perhaps I should multiple the ABV and ounces by 3 instead of 2.5. The result of that calculation is 162. Either way, it is a pretty light beer calorie-wise.
• Here is the description courtesy of the beer’s webpage:
Interestingly, a different description appears on the can:
I hope it provides good cheer, because I need it this weekend.
• So how little beer have I been drinking? I drank two beers last weekend. That was it. I have not needed or craved it. I have even come to detest the fact that people associate me with beer.
• I did something I have been thinking about doing for a long time: I created a Flickr account. Why? To embed my pics. That way I no longer have to edit the photos or add my URL with Preview.
• I keep writing “Summer Jame” instead of “Summer Jam” for some reason.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
The color is darkish raspberry red. A finger of red-tinted, bubbly, dense head settles slowly and evenly.
The aroma is weird because I’m not used to sours. It portends ... sourness. There are hints of berries and fruit but they are dominated by tartness. I don’t know any other way to describe it. It is very yeasty, funky, and ... sour. It reminds me a lot of saison but without the spice. That’s basically what it is: saison with fruit and berries instead of spice.
The flavor is tart but tasty. It reminds me of New Glarus’s Raspberry Tart—though Summer Jam is actually tart. (Raspberry Tart is the most crushable beer I have ever had.) Flavors of raspberry, blackberries, and cherries are most prominent—along with the general tartness. The tartness lingers on the taste buds, especially the tonsils. Each sip coats the mouth in a soft, sweet film much like juice. It tastes more like juice than jam to me.
Fun facts about Summer Jam:
• Style: The brewery calls it “Berliner Weisse Inspired Ale with Fruit.”
• Price: $9.99 for a four-pack at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City. I’m thinking of that character in Lawrence of Arabia who shouts “Outrageous!”
• Alcohol content: 4.5 percent ABV.
• Calories: 135 per 12-ounce serving (estimate). Since it’s so sweet, perhaps I should multiple the ABV and ounces by 3 instead of 2.5. The result of that calculation is 162. Either way, it is a pretty light beer calorie-wise.
• Here is the description courtesy of the beer’s webpage:
Our warm-weather seasonal, Summer Jam gets a hefty dose of raspberries, blackberries, and tart cherries. We add the fruit after the beer has finished fermenting to allow all of the fruit “jamminess” to hang around in the finished beer. Tart, refreshing, fruity… jammy.
Interestingly, a different description appears on the can:
A refreshingly tart Berliner Weisse that’s jam packed with raspberries, blackberries, and cherries. Tart. Jammy. Refreshing... The perfect beer for summertime shenanigans. Pair with sunshine, laughter, and good cheer. Rock on!
I hope it provides good cheer, because I need it this weekend.
• So how little beer have I been drinking? I drank two beers last weekend. That was it. I have not needed or craved it. I have even come to detest the fact that people associate me with beer.
• I did something I have been thinking about doing for a long time: I created a Flickr account. Why? To embed my pics. That way I no longer have to edit the photos or add my URL with Preview.
• I keep writing “Summer Jame” instead of “Summer Jam” for some reason.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
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