Product: Blue Point Summer ale Producer: Blue Point Brewery Approximate Retail Value: $8.99 for a 6 pack Category: Beer Country of Origin: Long Island, USA Reviewer: D. Kearney Sparano The F Words: Flavor – Sweet, hint of berry. Feel – Clean, smooth. Finish – Refreshing, a little tart.

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Some weeks ago, I went in search of an excellent summer beer. After a couple of ups and downs, I found one that I really enjoy. Little did I know that it would be made practically in my own backyard. Mark Burford and Peter Lotter founded the Blue Point Brewery in 1998. Those that have heard of this brewery may be familiar with them for their Toasted Lager. Blue Point describes their Summer Ale as “light, thirst-quenching ale enjoyed by all on a hot, Long Island summer day, a light delicious taste with unique tartness.”

Blue Point is the epitome of a microbrewery. They brew craft beers the way they want to and are getting excellent results doing it. One of their unique innovations is that of a direct fire brick brew kettle. It was dismantled from a Maryland brewery and rebuilt brick for brick in Patchogue. The brewery attributes the kettle with imparting a lightly toasted, complex taste to their beer. As with many microbrews, quality is paramount and they use only the best ingredients they can (Bavarian hops for instance) to make their beer.

The first thing that I noticed about the Summer Ale was its golden color. It was not as dark as an amber nor was it like a pilsner, it was balanced between the two, it was golden. Balance as I found out, will be the key to this beer; it walks the line between many characteristics, while retaining its own flavor. Being excited to drink it, I eagerly took a sip. My immediate thought was: It’s delicious. In fact, it took several sips until I could get beyond how delicious it was and start to think about how it was delicious.

It is a sweet beer, but not surgery or fruity.  Though I think it has a slightly berry flavor to it. In some way it reminds me of two Sam Adam’s brews: Cherry Wheat and Cranberry Lambic. Summer Ale though is not as berry flavored as Cherry Wheat nor as tart as the Lambic. Again, it is somewhere in between. Looking up the beer on the website, they say that as well as using barley malt they also use a wheat malt, saying it gives a unique tartness to the beer. I think it also gives it the sweetness I mentioned and possibly even the berry flavor.

Words do not do justice to how much I like this beer. It is not too heavy nor too light. It is sweet without being sugary. It is refreshing but flavorful as well. The balance I think allows it to go well with many foods, so it would be excellent for a barbecue. Really, I can only think of two problems that I have with it: 1) It’s seasonal, so I can’t have it whenever I want and 2) It’s a microbrew so I can’t have it wherever I want. Other than that, it’s fantastic.