I first had Victory’s Summer Love Ale during our brief, smoking hot pub crawl through Center City during Philly Beer Week 2011. Since I had this beer after a Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA at Fergie’s Pub and a Victory Headwaters Pale Ale at The Oyster House, I can’t say that I remember much from the first go around, so when I saw it on the shelf at Wine Works in Marlton, NJ, I decided to pick up a bottle in order to analyze it more closely.
Here is what Victory Brewing Company has to say about this beer:
With the sublime, earthy familiarity of noble, American and German hops backed up by fresh and clean German malts, Summer Love Ale® ends with a surprising burst of lemony refreshment from fistfuls of American whole flower hops. Love Summer, now.
And here is what their employees have to say about this beer:
Now that we have all of that out of the way, let’s get on with the review…
- Appearance: Clear, golden yellow color. Very little foam and lacing.
- Aroma: Bright, citrus hop aroma, i.e. pink grapefruit. A bit of honey sweetness.
- Taste: Lightly carbonated. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel. A hint of fizzy bubbles tickle your tongue. Citrus and honey sweetness at the onset. Moderate hop bitterness starts to build at mid palate. Crisp, clean, and slightly bitter finish.
- ABV: 5.2%
I am happy to report that the Victory Summer Love Ale is quite delicious. The hops and malts play very nicely together resulting in a very well balanced and easy drinking beer. Victory’s Summer Love Ale is crisp, clean, refreshing, and highly session worthy. They need to start canning this one!
Only one question remains…
How does the Summer Love Ale compare to the Victory Prima Pils or even their Headwaters Pale Ale, their other highly refreshing, session worthy beers which I enjoy immensely? Perhaps a side by side by side comparison is in order.
