Tap/Bottle: Tap

Rule of Citrus: Lemon

Last Tuesday was truly one of the hottest days I’ve lived through. On this day I happened to find myself at my usual Manchester watering hole and needed to cool off. What better way to reduce the heat than a fresh poured pint? You may say water, I say beer, although water does seem to help a bit.

This particular afternoon I glanced over the extensive beer pulls and chose Shipyard’s Summer Ale. I’m a huge fan of seasonal beers; I feel they do compliment the weather, so I never miss an opportunity to try one. Sitting at the bar I had a basket of popcorn near me and the bartender plunked this tempting copper ale next to the basket.

First sip I noticed there wasn’t a lot of carbonation or strong bitter flavors like a Samuel Adam’s Summer Ale. This had just enough bitter to hit the back of your tongue and finish very smoothly. It mixed well with the popcorn, which was fresh and lightly seasoned, and halfway through the pint I asked the bartender for a lemon slice. After squeezing out the juice and dropping in the lemon, I felt like the temperature fell a few degrees. Once again citrus prevails.

As the ale reached room temperature, the flavor stayed consistent. That is pretty crucial. A lot of beers lose their flavor toward the end of a glass or if it gets warmer. Shipyard’s Summer Ale ranked very high for both flavor and the ability to quench my thirst.

I’d certainly order that again, and you should, too. However, if you’re still drinking Miller Chill you’d be better off to buy a gallon of lime-flavored seltzer water and throw in a bit of salt. At least you won’t have the hangover.