Sierra Nevada Summerfest 2020

Still not a single bottle in this area... unreal...

 

Just checked the SN beerfinder for my area: 1 of 40 retailers that has Summerfest in stock. Just amazing.

 

It's been around grocery stores since the end of March but recently I noticed the liquor stores around here getting it in a little late. I just got some bottled 4/22. Probably the best lager I've ever had. I like it better than Victory Prima.

 

Beers are ranked in my order of preference with my brief snapshot of each:

1. Sierra Nevada Summerfest (4/29/20) - Delicious. Smells like a Munich biergarten. This year is tasting light to me. A very helles tasting beer, but this not to say that it doesn't represent a German pilsner, just that a helles base is noticeably there.
2. Full Sail Bohemian Pilsner (2/18/20) - Wow! Surprisingly good, damn good, and at almost 4 months! "Light malt profile" lets the Saaz and Saphir hops pop, both in appearance and in taste. Beautiful head and body. Substantial beer that drinks easy. I earlier quoted Full Sail's beer description because compared to the others, FS's Bohemian Pilsner had a richer, fuller body, a creamy maltiness that finished with an earthy, spicy kick.
3. Boulevard (in collaboration with Bierstadt Lagerhaus) Pilsner (05/26/20) - Tasty, but maybe a little green. Pleasant lager yeast smell - similar to Summerfest, but not as prevalent or tantalizing. Something about it doesn't gel: a thin, overly carbonated body clash with the harshness of the hops. Will try again in a week or two.
4. Logsdon Lager (05/20/20) Not much aroma. Watery. Blunt harsh hop taste. Not on the same level as the rest.

Sierra Nevada perhaps delivers the best seasonal in the country, and a pilsner that competes alongside the nation's best German renditions.

Honestly, I may have preferred the Full Sail, but there is something so refined and elegant about Summerfest. Czech pilsner fans have a winner with Full Sail. Not sure why it has a low rating on untappd - these people are IPA partisans is all I can guess.

Although I visited Full Sail on a trip to Oregon last year, I don't drink their beer. They are an OG brand that consistently brews good, if unremarkable, beers. We actually went for lunch there after a hike, only because pFriem was too packed and had a hell of a wait.

Cheers to the end of the week BA's!

 

What do you mean when you say the hops pop in "appearance"?
[QUOTE="gyorgymarlowe, post: 6933208, member: 1275984"Sierra Nevada perhaps delivers the best seasonal in the country, and a pilsner that competes alongside the nation's best German renditions.[/QUOTE]

Except it's a "Czech Pilsner" according to Sierra Nevada.

We've discussed in this thread already that to some (myself included) Summerfest leans more German than Czech.

 

Bell's Lager of the Lakes is my new go-to. Wish I could find 12-packs for value.

It's also called Czech by the brewery, but drinks more like a German Pils.

 

Not sure what I meant there...haha. Taste and aroma. The Summerfest drinks German to me!

 

Probably show up towards the end of July with 3 or 4 months on it around here... and if so...it will stay there as far as I'm concerned...I'm wondering if 40th Anniversary didn't fly off the shelves like they thought it would and...here we are...and it will push rue Oktoberfest release back in these parts as well...

 

I have not seen any Summerfest as of yet either. I have bought it way late in the season, as in December, it was still well worth having.

 

Closest retailer (now within 10 mile radius) to have the Summerfest has it priced at $17 a 12-pack -- $19 with tax. Bottled on 03-27-20. @SierraTerence our local distro is killing the brand in my area.

FWIW -- Summerfest was stacked in the cooler with a lone 12-pack of 40th Anniversary on top. Guess there's "wiggle room" with the distro's definition of "sold out."

 

1 month old Summerfest was a thing of beauty.

 

Well, I have to admit that 2.5 month-old Summerfest is tasting pretty good. No hop fade and the Pils malt is pretty sweet.

Maybe it's just because it cost me $3 more than usual. ;-)

 

I ended up passing. Never saw it originally and when I did it just did not grab my attention. Sadly this one feels lost in the crowd now a days.

 

Besides a SN variety pack of cans at Costco, I am now seeing six packs of bottles at several groceries & bottle shops. I'm feeling better about it, but won't be happy until I find 12 packs of cans less than a month old.

 

I passed over it for a number of years because of my less than memorable review. Now, I could kick myself.

 

I was ready to switch over to Lager of the Lakes just to spite the local distro, but I have to say the Summerfest is as good a Pilsner that can be had (which makes me even more angry at my distro). If you like good Pils, you owe yourself to try Summerfest.

To the Bell's, you should try that too. I plan to make a side-by comparison because they are so close in their goodness.

 

I will have to snag a few bottles to samples this year. I think I let my bad mood about it arriving so late get in the way lol. Next trip out I will get some.

 

I know how you feel.

 

Closing in on July....still crickets here....SN, come get the damn 40th Anniversary off the shelves and get me my summer seasonal! Ok, I'm just being dramatic but...at this rate, I will start seeing pumpkin beers before this thing drops in my area...

 

Aim high, my friend. 200 miles south of Chico I'm happily drinking 2 month old bottles. Cans have finally arrived within reasonable driving range (6.8 miles) but I'm in no rush. I seriously doubt they have less than a month on them but it would be a nice surprise.