by Matthew Scott and Chazz Layne
With Summer officially here, we've taken it upon us to recognize that our viewers, whilst exploring the world, or just spending a weekend camping, likely enjoy it with an adult beverage. With Chazz and myself being avid beer enthusiasts, we curated 6 of the finest beers that could be assembled with the constraints of our lunch break to be reviewed for you here today. From the decoration of the cap, to the height of the bottle, we're taking this to the next level.
All testing was done in a controlled environment, with proper hydration. Beer was served at approximately 45-48 degrees to allow the flavor of the beer to "open up." This temperature is slightly lower than the often recommended 50-54 degrees to account for the fact that they are summer beers, meant to be refreshing after a long day of exploration. Unlike wine enthusiasts who often spit their desired choice of beverage in a bucket, we elected to drink ours.
Tops were removed with an Armadillo-styled bottle opener, which was a gift from our fine friends at AT Overland. We chose GoVino glasses, as they're durable, and likely to be a part of an overlanders kit, they were also available, and frankly purchasing glasses for the test would have left us with some very mediocre glasses, and no beer... Even though it meant discomfort, for the accuracy of the test, and for our viewers, we turned off our air-conditioning to simulate the summer heat as a monsoon was taking place, which meant cooler than usual temperatures in the high-desert of Northern Arizona.
Our rating system is based upon that of beeradvocate.com [link] we rated on a scale of five the look, smell, taste, and overall feel of the beers. In addition to that, we developed our own proprietary method of evaluating the subject beverages—one very important to overlanders who have limited and precious fridge or cooler space—inebriation efficiency. In a staggering use of math, which can only be attributed to my wearing of a v-neck, we painstakingly measured the diameter as well as height of each bottle. If you have limited cooling space, this will be simply groundbreaking.
Everyone has a different taste for beer, here's a little bit about ours:
Chazz's Beer Tastes
Chazz is generally a dark beer fan, and tends to stick to the thicker, barely-carbonated beers often served with a knife and a fork. During the hottest part of summer he's been known to enjoy hefeweizen and lighter ales. He is not an IPA-guy, and tends to shy away from hops.
Matthew's Beer Tastes
Matthew is generally a hefeweizen or Pabst Blue Ribbon enthusiast. During summer he is known to enjoy Goose Island #312. He despises most dark beer and thinks Guinness should be banished to a flat, tasteless place in Hell (Nitro Milk Stout is far better.) Fruity beers are this guys speciality—perhaps it says something?
Before we started, we practiced safe-alcohol-consumption and properly hydrated. We also drank water in between beverages to clean our palate.
Let the games stringent review begin.
Sierra-Nevada Summerfest
Chazz: 3 out of 5
The appearance of this beer leaves something to be desired. It rather resembles a 10 year tawny after it has been filtered by a homosapien (via consumption), then carbonated. The smell isn't much better, rather musty and old. Fortunately, these properties do not carry over to taste—while a little hoppy for my tastes, it was full of flavor, smooth and refreshing.
Matthew: 3.250 out of 5
Sierra Nevada's Summerfest, to be frank, resembles urine, but it's that tasty and refreshing kind of urine that you'd love to drink on a hot summer day while stuck in a canyon. It's easy drinking, with a slightly alcoholic lemon taste. Summerfest is like walking into an air-conditioned building on a hot summer day—incredibly refreshing at first, but you soon realize you need to get back to the hot, muggy miserable existence that is summer, the aftertaste kicks in and it wasn't quite what you thought it first was.
Inebriation Efficiency: Great
- Height - 7.75in
- Width - 2.60in
- ABV - 5.0%
Newcastle Summer Ale - Editor's Choice
Chazz: 4.4 out of 5
This is exactly how a summer ale should present itself—clear and burnt-gold, with the smell of a good, refreshing beer. Newcastle has always been a safe bet, with just enough hops, plenty of flavor, and a cool refreshing finish. This is the company's first attempt at a summer ale, and they've done a fine job at it.
Matthew: 4.125 out of 5
Over the past year or so, Newcastle has been branching themselves out beyond their infamous amber ale, and quite frankly they're not doing a bad job. This beer is definitely designed around an English summer, and to an extent they missed the point of what a summer beer is in the United States—light, and crisp, but somehow it all works out. The heavier, nutty and nearly chocolate tasting beer comes off refreshing, yet bold and has a smooth, full bodied aftertaste.
Inebriation Efficiency: Good
- Height - 8.00in
- Width - 2.50in
- ABV - 4.40%
New Planet 3R Raspberry
Chazz: 3.5 out of 5
The "raspbeery" has an odd, but pleasing appearance, and despite our best efforts, absolutely no head. The smell reminds me of a Jolly Rancher (both the shot and the candy), but the good memories end there. Unfortunately, for all it's impressive first impressions, it is disgustingly artificial in delivery. In fact, it is so bad that if I were subject to a gluten-free diet, and this was my only beer option, I'd give up beer.
Matthew: 2.625 out of 5
We included this beer for those who are gluten intolerant. It's quite admirable that New Planet is bringing more options to the table for a small market. Still, it's like drinking soy milk, sure you'll eventually get used to it, but I'm pretty sure I'd just cut it all out and switch to...not beer. 3R Raspberry Ale does have a unique look and smell, but it stops shortly after the medicine-like taste kicks in. Redbridge from Anheuser-Busch is really the best choice in this category.
Inebriation Efficiency: Mediocre
- Height - 9.1875in
- Width - 2.40in
- ABV - 5.0%
Leinenkugels Sunset Wheat - Value Award
Chazz: 4.2 out of 5
Sunset Wheat is the same beautifully glowing translucent amber common among hefeweizens, complete with a little sediment. While the smell is somewhat reminiscent of a certain household cleaning product, the moment it hits the tongue a slightly fruity and very refreshing taste takes over. This is a fine example of what a summer beer should be, and would be a welcome addition to any cooler.
Matthew: 4.75 out of 5
I was actually worried that I would be predisposed to rate Leinie's low. Between their summer shandy, and berry weiss, I was afraid this would be a girly beer and that I would love it, and to compensate I'd have to rate it low. I'm glad to report that this wheat beer isn't overly fruity, but still maintains a refreshing orange juice like taste. In fact, I wish my mother had served this to me as a child instead of orange juice. For those of you who think good beer has to be expensive, Leinenhugels really surprises me on this one considering it's around $6.99 for a 6-pack.
Inebriation Efficiency: Mediocre
- Height - 9.0625in
- Width - 2.50in
- ABV - 4.90%
New Belgium Somersault
Chazz: 2.4 out of 5
While it looks excellent pouring out of the bottle and smells like a field of freshly brewed flowers, the taste is akin to squeezing all the juice out of a lemon, splashing some warm hefeweizen on it, then waiting for it to go flat—I've sampled better tasting handy wipes. Somehow they've managed to make the texture of this beer even worse than the taste. Instead of the 7*C bliss promised by the label, the concoction instantly transforms into an insulating sea of foam the instant it touches the mouth.
Matthew: 2.25 out of 5
I'm not trying to hate on New Belgium like they're an indie music band that's been discovered. They've grown a lot recently, yes, but Fat Tire—thier flagship beer is still my go-to at a bar. New Belgium has done a great deal for the beer community in the United States, but they've dropped the ball on this one. It reminds of being 3 years old and eating dandilions behind my back porch. From the minute you open the top, it smells, and while it doesn't look bad, there's no way the lemon undertones can cover for it. I really think one of the largest craft-breweries in the United States could have put out a better product. Don't call this an American Blonde Ale—it's dandelions in a bottle.
Inebriation Efficiency: Great
- Height - 8.875in
- Width - 2.40in
- ABV - 5.20%
Odell India Pale Ale
Chazz: 4.4 out of 5
A traditionally pleasing amber-gold color, with the wonderfully hoppy smell I've come to love from India Pale Ales—unfortunately, my taste buds rarely agree with my eyes and nose. This IPA is one of the few exceptions, just bitter and spicy enough to add a little excitement. While I did not find it quite as refreshing as Leinenkugel's Summer Wheat, I have to give bonus points for it's ability to quench thirst even when warm (a common trait among IPAs). I'm not an IPA fan, but this one might find it's way into my Engel.
Matthew: 3.1875 out of 5
I've never really gotten along with IPA's. But they are one of the more refreshing higher alcohol content beers out there, to which I'll give some recognition. This is one of my favorite IPA's but that's like picking your favorite mini-van for me. It's very hoppy, and very much not for me, but it wasn't a bad beer.
Inebriation Efficiency: Great
- Height - 9.1875in
- Width - 2.40in
- ABV - 7.00%
We actually compiled spreadsheets of data, and throughout we took notes. Was it dorky? Yes, but it was actually quite eye-opening to put some numbers behind different beers. Sitting down and talking beer for an hour or two was a complete pleasure. If I was to fill up my non-existent freezer-fridge aka garbage bag filled with ice, there's no doubt that it would be the Newcastle Summer Ale. It's impressive to see the brand expand beyond their well-known brown ale and produce something different for the summer market. I enjoy the bold, slightly darker, yet sweet taste.
Both Chazz and myself were impressed with the value offered by the Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat. It's the cheapest beer we chose ($6.99 for a 6-pack) yet it had a refreshing summer taste.
Beer was provided courteously by the leftover change in the desk drawers of the Overland International team...this is what happens when you leave us alone on a Friday.
On a serious note: Please remember to put away the keys after you've had too much, drink responsibly—we did. Preferably on a remote trail somewhere in the mountains where you'll be camping, and sitting around a campfire with great company—I swear beer is better that way, and remember to pack out your beer bottles, throwing them in a fire for the next guy to deal with is not cool.
Keep in mind one of the amazing things about beer is the huge selection of choices, we think we assembled a pretty good list that will be available most everywhere that our readers are. Feel free to tell us what your local beer is below!
Cheers!
