Sierra Nevada Summerfest 2020

Want me to point a finger? ;-)

 

Ehh, maybe I’m not. Could be that I’m just bad at describing this.

 

Its worth remembering that Chico CA has already had some 90 degree days. Summer hits a little earlier out this way

 

I barely found a six pack (bottled 3/27) let alone 12s. But that’s the case with a lot of the national and regional beers, and even moreso with imports. They just keep disappearing in lieu of shitty local ones.
As far as the Summerfest goes, still a very nice beer. Crisp, balanced, with a touch of florally hops and a dry citrusy-lemon finish. I’ll grab a few more. That being said, I picked up 2 more sixers of Pilsner Urquell at the same time and I still much prefer it.

 

Yup!

Cheers!

 

I’ve always wondered what the Czech connection with this beer is, because whenever I drink it, it doesn’t really remind me of Czech pale lagers. Summerfest has always tasted to me more like a particularly grainy and grassy American lager than anything else.

 

Ya I've never really gotten the pilsner vibe from summerfest. I only realized people refered to it as a pilsner this last year

 

I always thought of it as a way for Sierra Nevada to distinguish Summerfest from Nooner Pilsner (when it was still being brewed) more than anything else. Nooner was their more German-style Pilsner (more bitterness, drier, lighter bodied from lower final gravity), with Summerfest being more of a Czech- or Bohemian-style (less bitter, softer, more rounded body from higher FG, inclusion of Saaz hops).

 

Below is how Summerfest is described on BA:

“Notes: There's something about a warm summer day that calls out for a cold glass of great beer, and this classic Czech-style lager is sure to fit the bill. Crisp, golden and refreshing, Summerfest is the perfect choice for soaking up the sunshine. Summerfest is a Czech-style lager featuring a slight malt sweetness, a spicy hop flavor, and the crisp finish you want on a hot summer day.

Added by BeerAdvocate on 06-17-2001.”

Nooner came much later (2015?) so there was an extended period of time where Summerfest was the only Pilsner (Czech-style lager) being produced by Sierra Nevada.

FWIW to my palate Summerfest is a lightly hopped German Pilsner.

Cheers!

 

Summerfest has been around longer than Nooner -- and outlived it. But American Lager? Hardly. That said, I agree it's not Bohemian -- it just leads back to my theory that Bohemian or Czech is just more sexy to the marketing department.

Summerfest is more German Pils to my palate.

 

Wow, I forgot Summerfest has been around that long. I guess Sierra Nevada has considered it a Czech style pilsner from the get go. And, yes, it drinks more like a German pils to me as well.

 

Agreed as well. The Einbecker Brauherren has a very similar hop profile, imo.

 

40th Anniversary is still occupying the shelves locally.

 

Yeah, but going by the SN web site that's still supposed to be available. It wasn't a seasonal waiting to be replaced by Summerfest.

Okay, looking deeper at the SN site the 40th page calls it the "spring seasonal," but the beerfinder shows it available alongside Summerfest.

@SierraTerence ?

 

I ran out today and saw tons of 40th sitting, zero Summerfest or any mix packs. I have to say this is the worst I have seen SN in AZ, usually we are flush with fresh beer from them but only seeing a lot of old stock, maybe its the Covid crap but other breweries are unchanged from befor all this if not better.

 

I’ve never truly understood the difference between a Czech Pilsner and a German Pilsner. Isn’t a Pilsner a pale lager brewed in the style of the Czech city of Plzen?

So saying Summerfest is more of a German-style Pilsner, would be saying that it’s more of an American interpretation of a German interpretation of a Czech lager.

Just finished a Summerfest, and it tastes like a delicious Pilsner to me. One of my favorites and I’m almost ready for another 12-pack.

 

Easy enough to reasearch:

*The higher ABV in Bohemian Pilsner is debatable, especially if you look at Urquell at 4.4%.

 

Yeah, I just looked it up. Some sources say a Czech Pilsner is more bitter, some say the German is more bitter.

So I guess I’m supposed to judge by color? I never noticed Pilsner Urquell, Budvar, or Staropramen to be distinctly darker than say Summerfest.

My point was that I don’t feel the style difference is well-defined. Historically all Pilsners were trying to copy Czech beers from Plzen, which themselves borrowed Bavarian techniques.

 

In the strictest sense, a Czech Pilsner is a light-colored lager brewed in Plzen, Czech Republic, namely by Pilsner Urquell. However, only Czechs themselves are pedantic about that detail, and almost all other Czech and Slovak golden lagers are categorized as Czech Pilsners by beer enthusiasts. Stylistically, they tend to be maltier and somewhat spicier than German Pilsner. I find PU (especially fresh) is also fruitier than most lagers. You may also compare Budweiser Budvar (sold in the US as Czechvar) as an example as well.

German Pilsner is a derivative type that is crisper with a stronger emphasis on hops. German Pilsner is itself divided into a northern and southern type. Northern German Pilsner is drier and much more bitter than the smoother, maltier southern type - compare Jever with Weihenstephaner Pilsner, as examples.

I don’t think Summerfest fits either type, but maybe it’s closer to the German type because it is crisp and dry.

 

Higher in final gravity but may also start out with a higher original gravity, which can result in the same ABV as a beer that starts with a lower OG and ends with a lower FG.