Summer Ale
Collective Arts Brewing

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From my favourite LCBO at Tecumseh Mall in nearby Windsor. Canned April 23/25. My 25th beer from the Hamilton, Ontario brewery, and 10th for 2026. Audaciously admired by Sundae the cat...

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Apr 23 2025 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a hazy pale yellow colour, briefly supporting an inch of loose, bubbly white head that fizzles within ninety seconds. A frothy collar and a filmy cap linger on the surface, with a generous swath of lace adhering to the glass; looks like a NEPA. Hints of grapefruit, passion fruit, white peach and lemon peel on the nose are pleasant & approachable, yet rather understated; suggestions of wheaty malts and lychee, too.

A nice, light hazy pale ale with very low bitterness: grainy malts and wheat provide some background support for flavours of grapefruit, lemon rind and passion fruit. Pithier on the tail end, with hints of underripe peach and lime zest fading into an off-dry aftertaste. Light in body, with assertive carbonation that prickles the palate continuously, remaining lively for most of the session. Feels crisp and almost thirst-quenching; a very quaffable summer ale, indeed.

Final Grade: 3.98, on the high end of a B+. If you're a fan of this brewery's Hazy State IPA, I think Summer Ale would make a reasonable substitute: they're relatively similar products that fill basically the same niche, i.e. a hoppy session ale. Hazy State is the more bitter of the two, whereas I think Summer Ale is a little more refreshing - I'd need to try them side by side to know for sure which one is my favourite. Either way, it's worth trying if you're in the market for a session ale.

 

Pours a yellow blonde pineapple juice color. Didn't pour any foam. Smells hoppy and like citrous rind.
Taste is pretty good. A little sweet and hoppy mixed with citrous rind. Overall a pretty good IPA like beer.

 

May 31 2026