Narragansett Summer Ale - Narragansett Brewing Co.

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Medium yellow with a fizzy white head. No lace or retention.

Mild maltiness and some slight citric hops in the nose.

Wow, am I surprised by this brewer. Citric hops, but not overdone. Nice malt to balance out the spicy hop bite. Light bitterness and malt in the end.

Medium body with nice carbonation.

I am shocked. Highly drinkable, with nice balance of bitter and malty with nice hop character. I would buy this again.

Serving type: can

05-12-2012 00:21:07 | More by OtherShoe2

BEERMILER12

Maine

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a pale straw yellow color with a fingers worth of head that lasts for a while

S: Pale malts, nice citrusy hops, and some breadiness. Very simple and clean

T: Follows the nose, starts with a slight hop bite and some maltiness and finishes clean and slightly dry

M: Light bodied with moderate carbonation

O: A nice, simple, and refreshing summer beer that is extremely sessionable. The price is great too, at only $8.49 for a sixer of pounders. I think I've found my new summer beer

Serving type: can

05-07-2012 20:47:10 | More by BEERMILER12

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to angrybabboon for throwing me a can.

Appearance: Clear gold. So very clear. Bubbly. Head is bright-white and drops to a thin, almost non-existent cap. Spotty lacing. Oh hells yeah.

Smell: Grass, a hint of lemon, and some biscuity undertones. Crisp and clean. Some lingering sweetness that reminds me of corn. A touch herbal and a nice punch of citrus. Very mellow. Pale malts.

Taste: Pale malts and a nice herbal, citrus undertone. Lemon brightens things up a touch. Nicely hopped, but done on the delicate side. Touches of roasted malts and some biscuity notes. Grassy and earthy in good measure.

Mouthfeel: Clean, dry, and crisp. It's the epitome of summer beer.

Overall: Dear every other summer beer,

You should be this. Thanks.

Serving type: can

05-06-2012 21:55:29 | More by Goblinmunkey7

mdfb79

New York

3.83/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to jslot38 for giving me a can of this to review. Poured from a 16 oz. can into my Duvel Green tulip.

a - Pours a somewhat hazy bright yellow color with one finger of fluffy white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of light citrus hops, light lemon, bready malts, wheat, floral notes. Light but pretty nice overall.

t - Tastes of citrus hops, wheat, grains, bready malts, earthy and floral notes. Tiny bit less citrus then the nose but nice.

m - Light body and moderate to high carbonation. Super easy to drink; a tiny bit less carbonation and it would be amazing.

o - Overall I thought this was a really good light blonde ale. There is some nice citrus hops to it and a lot of wheat and bready malts. Not super flavorful, but a really nice summer beer, and way better then most lighter beer options. Would have it again.

Serving type: can

05-05-2012 20:33:35 | More by mdfb79

Finn

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a nonic: Gansett Summer presents itself beautifully with a clear, straw gold body and a thick, fluffy white head that hangs out for a while. Aroma is modest, but good, with a distinct citrus component mingling with sweet and grainy notes. Its flavor is modest as well, but well done. It is a 4.2% summer beer after all. There is just a faint hint of the citrus coming thru, but is second to a very crisp, clean, refreshing malt profile, which seems as though there is some wheat in there too, which lightens the whole affair. The mouthfeel is nice and creamy however. I gotta say the lacing on this one is impressive. Overall, a very well done summer blonde: crisp, clean and to the point, although those looking for a more "robust" flavored summer beer (oberon, hop sun) may be dissapointed. But for what it is, a clean, lower alcohol summer ale, I enjoyed it, and would probably get it again.

Serving type: can

04-25-2012 01:17:03 | More by Finn

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured from a can into a Victory tulip

A- pours a clear shade of orange with a two finger white head. Beer is nearly perfectly transparent, head is robust...looks great!

S- the citra hops come through, but they're very mild. Disappointing

T- getting some biscuity-like sweetness as well as some citrus from the citra. The beer is sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. Very crisp

M- very light bodied, but that's warranted in this situation. It's not "thin" though, just light

O- this is going to become my go-to this summer. Tasty, light, refreshing, cheap, and it comes in tallboy cans. Love this

Serving type: can

04-24-2012 18:43:38 | More by bigfnjoe

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This just popped up in Philly, glad to see it. Hoping they send all their stuff down eventually. 16oz tallboy in a glass.

Bright Olympic gold color with just a touch of bronze holding through. A aggressive pour yields a nice inch of white stuff that is semi creamy, but dwindles real quick leaving small islands, faint lace.

Smell is pretty pale malty bold with some underlining earthy hops that bring some grass in to play. The citra does not come out like in other beers that use it, but this is a American blond. This smells pretty nice for what it is.

A really smooth and well balanced blond. Not bitter and not overly sweet. Getting some faint fruit under the pale malt with a small sweet spot towards the end. Earthy hops are mad light so don't expect a Citra blast, just expect it to balance out the sweetness from the malt profile.

Feel is light bodied with light carbonation, just enough to keep the beer from dying at the end. Not bitter, not overly sweet. A simple American blond. I could drink a lot of this stuff at 4.2%

Serving type: can

04-20-2012 02:45:35 | More by onix1agr

BigCheese

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

6 pack of tallboys, its only april so these must be fresh.

A: Clear pale yellow straw. big white foamy head. Head subdues into a nice thin layer of white. Patches of lacing.

S: Sweet malts, corn, a tad of wheat/yeast, maybe a hint of lemon. Bland smell.

T: Sweet balance of bready malts, with some grassy/herbal bitternotes as well as a bit of lemon/strawberry fruit flavors. Off notes of aluminum in finish. Lots of sweetness (bubble gum maybe), floral notes in finish. Although tame its actually really well balanced and semi complex, points off for metallic off notes though, slacking on can lining.

M: Rather high carbonation, for low abv quite creamy, light in body, but for a 4.2% blonde quite rich. Definition of session beer.

O: Probably my favorite summer ale, and my favorite session/can/bbq/beach beer. Fits the bill perfectly. What are you waiting for, grab a 'gansett!

Serving type: can

04-20-2012 01:51:32 | More by BigCheese

tzieser

Arizona

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

surprised i haven't reviewed this one yet.

a: poured from a 16oz can into a standard pint glass. clear golden in color with plenty of carbonation; whispy white head settles into a thin lacing.

s: bready aroma with notes of wheat and light citrus hops.

t: refreshing from start to finish. bready malt flavor with some cereal grains and wheat. finishes a tad dry with a little bit of citrus hop flavor (gotta love that citra). does a great job of balancing flavor and drinkability.

m: great mouthfeel.

by far the best summer ale available for the price. after reading the profile on the website, i was very surprised to see the addition of citra hops to the recipe. i look forward to this every summer. recommended.

Serving type: can

04-15-2012 00:24:12 | More by tzieser

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.3/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I got this one from Iimmush, cheers Tim!

Pours an effervescent hay color with 2 fingers of ivory head. Above average head retention & very good lacing

S: Perfumy & grassy hop notes

T: Follows the nose, plus sweet grainy cereal notes. More sweet graininess as this warms along with lemons. Finishes grassy with sweet grainy notes

MF: Light bodied with soft carbonation, pretty good balance

An alright blonde ale, just not enough flavor to get too amped up about

Serving type: can

10-14-2011 13:49:38 | More by russpowell

Durge

Connecticut

3.85/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Rubby for passing this on for a try. This summer treat is an anemic gold color with few signs of life but it does produce a voluptuous white crown of foam and gobs of lacing in retreat. The nose picks up a pretty pungent skunky wheat bread with a hint of cider. Hard to say whether this is good or not so good, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt...I'm thirsty. The flavor is light but not at all complacent as I get more skunky bread, wheat and sunny citrus hop. Very crisp with a delicate but deliberate carbonation that peppers the palate pretty aggressively. This is clearly a nice choice for sessioning/partying. Light bodied, near watery but held together by the lively feel. Lots of bread and a tasteful hint of bright hops to make this a very serviceable thirst quencher. Take it out on Narragansett Bay the next time you push off from the docks at the East Greenwich Yacht Club, bring some chips and salsa and a few Ghandi Bots for dessert, and all you need is a good friend or two to make it a great evening.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 04:31:24 | More by Durge

JMD

Connecticut

3.9/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Light dirty straw color with frothy white head that fades slowly and leaves some light lacing on the glass.

S: Light grains and toasty wheat. Some light hops as well.

T: Much more flavor than I expected after smelling it. Grassy with some bisquity malt. Lightly hopped with hints of lemon zest. Pretty refreshing.

M: Light bodied with moderate carbonation. Perfect for a summer beer.

D: I was pleasantly suprised with this beer. Flavorful and interesting, I could drink these all day. At 4.2 ABV, this is a great summer beer. Perfect while your roasting on the beach or hanging out at a backyard bbq.

Serving type: can

09-02-2011 23:22:19 | More by JMD

mltobin

Connecticut

3.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A tall boy can picked up at a local store in CT.

Appearance is light yellow color with a one finger head.
The nose has corn, flora, light citrus. It has a taste that is reminiscient of Honey Bunches of Oats or a similar cereal. Malts also come through, along with some more light citrus. MF leans towards light, a fairly crisp and dry aftertaste. A pretty solid "summer beer" that I picked out of my basement, before moving on to some autumn beers soon.

Serving type: can

08-27-2011 01:44:09 | More by mltobin

rowingbrewer

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a nice yellow color with a thin white head. The smell is grassy floral and citrus hops with a light background of malt bthe flavor is similar to the smell with a smooth clean finish bthe mouthfeel is light and almost thirt quenching. overall this is an excellent summe beer

Serving type: can

08-25-2011 22:03:29 | More by rowingbrewer

regspeir

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to victory4me for sharing this. Pint can into a standard pint glass. Pours golden yellow with a large 3-fingered white head that, even after some time, still was almost a finger's worth. Lacing was thin but present throughout. Nose is sweet with elements of lemon, grain and toasted malt. Taste was lemongrass, sweet malts, and hints of grassy hops. The finish is dry, crisp and light. The mouthfeel was on the light side, as expected, and mildly carbonated. This was a pleasant surprise and, reported inexpensive, would be a go-to summer standby…except we don't get it here (that I am aware of).

Serving type: can

08-21-2011 23:47:59 | More by regspeir

Schmidts

Pennsylvania

4.72/5  rDev +24.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Eddie's Mom for sending this to me from NY as this one does not come to Pa. Pours from the can golden yellow, with a nice white 3/4 inch head that fades quickly leaving some nice laceing.
Smells of sweet Malts sweet grass and citrus lemon.
Kind of Lemon fruit with a nice mild hop and malt grain taste. Very smooth in your mouth and very refreshing too.

Overall I have to give this a 4.5 rating it is a very drinkable and a very tasty Summer Ale Just what an Ale like this should be!

Serving type: can

08-20-2011 21:20:20 | More by Schmidts

erosier

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L: Pours a nice golden yellow color with a medium sized and medium bodied white colored head that fades quickly to a thin film over the beer.
S: Smells of sweet toasted malts, hints of sweet grass, citrus, and some nice citrus hops at the end of the nose.
T: Tastes of sweet toasted malts, nice citrus flavors with some nice citrus and sweet grassy hops at the end.
M: Crisp, fresh, refreshing, light bodied, perfect amount of carbonation.
D: Overall a pretty decent summer session beer. Light bodied, full of flavor, lower on the abv side.

Serving type: can

08-17-2011 23:53:45 | More by erosier

dbexpert

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Light gold/yellow in color, head is stark white on aggressive pour building to a solid inch
S: Nose is a subtle sweet cereal grains (lageresc), with citrus hop notes
T: Very clean, Straight forward. Sweetness is nicely cleaned up with light acidity.
M. Light, crisp refreshing, clean
O: definitely nothing complex. Very drinkable, as it is intended to be. Best summer beer of 2011!

Serving type: can

08-17-2011 17:33:15 | More by dbexpert

ant5431

Rhode Island

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Very tasty! got a 6-pack of 16oz cans for me & my uncle, (a former Narragansett brewery worker from the old Cranston RI days) we both thought it was a very good beer.
Poured a straw yellow with a nice white head & sharp aroma taste hoppy with citrus in the background. Crisp taste.
To bad i found these late in the season would have been my summer choice.

Serving type: can

08-16-2011 21:38:13 | More by ant5431

uustal

Rhode Island

4.4/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours a very pale yellow with a slight bright white head. Aroma of sweet citra hops and toasted grains. Great summer flavor begins with a good hit of those delicious citra hops. Grain and cereal malt add great balance and sweetness before a crisp hop finish. Flavor profile is not huge, but perfectly constructed for such a sessionable ale. Not a wussy, fruity, hopless summer beer, but a well crafted, hop and flavor friendly sessionable summer ale

Serving type: can

08-12-2011 21:24:47 | More by uustal

THECPJ

Delaware

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes: a thanks goes out to jimmyk77 for giving me this CAN.

appearance: golden pale yellow with a 1 finger white head

smell: citrus, wheat, spices, malt

taste: citrus, malts

mouthfeel: mild carbonation, thin to medium body,

overall: a refreshing and great summer time beer. might have a new favorite lawnmower beer.

Cheers,
The CPJ

Serving type: can

08-07-2011 16:33:05 | More by THECPJ

samyoung

Michigan

3.83/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Trader Joes representing the Narragansett brews well; I've also gotten the average lager and stellar porter. On my first trip to the Chelsea TJs picked up a six pack of tall boys at a nice price for NYC - $8.99.

A - Slightly orange straw color.
S - Whiffs of hop and malt.
T - This is where the beer blows me away- great hops and ale flavor, I was expecting a wussy summer quencher - this is for sure an ale.
M - Pleasant at first, quickly dissipates.
O - Very good and very drinkable summer brew - this is definitely my pick for the summer.

Serving type: can

08-03-2011 19:39:23 | More by samyoung

DirtyPenny

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Hello, Narragansett, I didn't see ya standing there.

A: Straw gold. Only poured out a little, so didn't get this best look at her. Seemed pretty enough. Dressed in a pretty blue can.

S: Lightly piny hops with a subtly floral perfume.

T: Wow. Hops are the thing you'll notice here. Narragansett Summer is frontloaded with them, and while I'm not a hopdhead, this manages to not be a bad thing. She's not in your face about them and doesn't leave you bitter. Pale malt is the second thing you'll notice. Kinda flipped my world upside down.

Summer is a simple girl. She's only got two notes and she plays 'em backward but balances 'em beautifully.

M: Light with lively carbonation that manages not to be too fizzy or ticklish.

O: I'm not normally a fan of summer brews, but 'Gansett made a wonderfully refreshing beer here. Hops are noticeable without smacking you over the head, which most hoppy beers do these days, IMO. Pretty and simple.

Serving type: can

08-01-2011 01:53:30 | More by DirtyPenny

Dools9

Massachusetts

3.84/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bright blue tallboy into a shaker pint...

A: Pale golden in color with a nice foamy, frothy head. Stuck around for a while and left some pretty good clumps of lacing.

S: Pale malts, mild sweet bready aroma with a bit of citrus and just a touch of a lemon zest.

T: Malty, bready sweetness followed by a bit of floral/herbal hops, lemon and mild citrus/mixed fruit. Really crisp and very refreshing.

M: Thin and light but in a good way. Good carbonation with a bit of slick creaminess. Really refreshing and perfect when it gets hot up here in New England.

O: Really enjoyed this summer offering from the boys (and girls) at Narragansett. At only 4.2 abv, its extremely sessionable, goes down easy and would be perfect on a hot summer day at the beach. The best of the best for summer beers as far as I'm concerned.

Serving type: can

07-31-2011 03:23:29 | More by Dools9

BennyL1

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From the tallboy into Sam's Perfect Pint.

'Gansett summer is a nice bright golden color with a good and foamy white head. Very nice lacing is left on the glass.

The nose has a fairly distinct graininess to it. A slight touch of hops as well, nothing that really jumps out at you but pleasant.

A nice bready malt taste at the front gives way to a nice hop bite. There isn't anything overly complex going on here but it makes for a very refreshing drink on a hot summer day.

Light body with medium carbonation and a clean crisp finish, refreshing to say the least.

This is a great summer brew from the guys at Narragansett. There seasonal brews continue to impress me. I've probably bought a case of this so far this summer and there is most likely another six pack on the horizon.

Serving type: can

07-30-2011 03:31:37 | More by BennyL1