Summer Ale
Vancouver Island Brewing

I bought a six pack of this to try and as I poured it as gently as I could into the glass, I got one inch of beer and the rest bubbles from CO2. This beer has way too much carbonation. I'm wondering if I got a bad batch or if was intended to be overly carbonated. It took me five minutes to be able to pour the whole bottle into a glass.
Once the carbonation settled after a few more minutes I gave it a try. The beer has quite a fruity smell and it has a mild orange-y citrus taste to it. The after taste is a bit like banana.
If the carbonation was lessened I think I could really enjoy this beer.

 

 

From notes. I had this one on tap at Whet on Granville Island earlier this week while out for dinner with family.

If I'd known this was a hefeweizen, I would have tried it before now! I always assumed from the name that it was a pale ale. Too bad. It's actually quite a nice hefe.

Pale in colour, a bit cloudy, moderate amount of head.

A bit sweet, very low bitterness, can taste the wheat and yeast. This one reminded me more of the German hefeweizens I've tried than it reminded me of, say, Parallel 49 Banana Hammock.

Mouthfeel is crisp.

I look forward to trying this one again!

Tried on tap at the Vancouver Island brewery proper, enjoying a nice chat with the dude working there at the time (forgot your name, bro. My bad). In any event, this guy was very knowledgeable and helped guide me through a solid tasting session. This brew is actually dubbed "Beachcomber" Summer Ale and is a cloudy lemon yellow hefeweizen with off-white head. Aroma is typical of well-crafted North American takes on this style, banana and clove with banana dominating, along with some citrus rind and faint brown sugar and perhaps just a tinge of roast. Palate mirrors this closely, a big banana forward flavor with some citrus, clove, and white pepper spice, crisp and refreshing despite the fruitiness. Appropriately fizzy and thin to moderate body with a tangy, crisp finish. Shows some of the hybrid American wheat and hefeweizen character you often get with North American takes on this style but very good nonetheless. Some added noble hops in the finish provide an extra element and sure, this would make a solid summer session option.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great to see this beer back in rotation under another guise as it was my fave Hefe about 2 years ago. Still has the luscious mouthfeel and the big banana/ cloves notes to the nose. Great take on the style but the Summer Ale name is a little confusing as it sounds like a Golden Ale or Cream Ale.