Hello everyone.  I appreciate you stopping by for a few minutes to check out another craft beer review.  For today’s tasting I’m going to be trying the Anchor Summer Beer made by the Anchor Brewing Company situated in San Francisco, California.

I’ve always had the greatest respect for Anchor products and I have yet to ever try this beer so I figured I’d give it a go while the weather was still warm to see what it was all about.

I checked on their website, anchorbrewing.com, and discovered this enticing little description.

The crisp, clean flavors of Anchor Summer ® Beer are refreshingly light, a thirst-quenching American-style filtered wheat beer.

Released each year in advance of the summer season, Anchor Summer ® Beer is an all-malt beer, with over 50% of its malt derived from malted wheat. It is fermented with a traditional top-fermenting “ale” yeast, yielding a clean, balanced flavor that highlights the refreshingly light flavor of malted wheat. The head is unusually abundant due to the natural protein deposits of wheat, with a thick consistency similar to meringue.

First brewed in the summer of 1984, Anchor Summer ® Beer is the first American wheat beer in modern times. Anchor Summer ® Beer is intended to be a lighter beer for those who don’t want to sacrifice tradition or character.

Ok.  Let’s pour.

This beverage came in a 12 oz. bottle with an ABV of 4.5%

It poured a relatively clear, golden color with a smaller, bright white head.  The texture was a bit fizzy and soapy.  The retention time was only average, however the lacing seemed ok to me.

The nose presented some clean grain and wheat notes.  Hints of crackers and/or fresh wafers accompanied some soft floral notes while a delicate lemon citrus scent added a bit more complexity.  Not bad at all.

The taste was quite bready and malty with a nice wheat presence.  A decent little lemon citrus relish added some sweetness while a touch of grain and grassiness gave it that fresh savor.  It was somewhat simple, but that’s ok with me for a Summer beer.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Crisp, refreshing, thirst quenching and smooth.  Not incredibly dry, yet not incredibly watery either.  Right down the middle.  A good medium strength carbonation allowed an ok amount of flavor to be left behind after each swallow.

Overall, I found this to be a solid and suitable Summer brew.  Easily one that I will have again before the season ends.  The drinkability was outstanding and it has enough character to blow away any of those macro “lawnmower” beers that most drink.  Anchor never disappoints.  Their beers might not be among the upper echelon any longer, but they never produce sub par representations of any style.  I’ll continue to support them as long as my craft beer journey keeps me thirsty for good beer.  So, if you guys have yet to ever try the Anchor Summer Beer…. pick one up and give it a taste test.  I think that you may enjoy it.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.7 out of 5

Grade:  B