Victory Summer Love Ale

Summer ales are a particularly strange beer. They aren't exactly an all-day IPA, but they are really close with the intent to stand up on their own, but they shouldn't overpower the taste buds with too much to do. Think of it as a beer to drink while you're sitting on a deck in the country with some friends. I've had this in a bottle, but I picture myself sitting on the deck with can. Who's with me? WHO'S WITH ME?

The very pale yellow beer has a fairly sticky white head that leaves enough lacing to let me know this came to play. The aroma is more bread malt than hops, but lemons back it up with a definite grainy texture to them. I'm thirsty, so enough cogitating.

First sip is a lot more of the lemon citrus than malt, but the bready/crackery malt is holding it up fairly nicely. The grains are kind of passing too quickly, and they seem to be just another part of the crackers.

Tip-in is carbonation tingle that makes the whole mouth seem cool but with a bit of a bite. The citrus and the crackers are helping everything out as best they can. The middle comes along with the malt turning into bread and kind of stale bread at that. The citrus is still here, but it mixes with the carbonation to become a bit too spiky. The finish is a dramatic cessation of the carbonation coupled with a bitter cloud that has the grains sitting as the base.

Bottom Line: An ale with character and a bit of a bite. More bite than it deserves for such a low ABV, but it's still enjoyable.

3.0/5