Summer Honey Ale
Big Sky Brewing Company

Summer Honey AleSummer Honey Ale
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From:
Big Sky Brewing Company
 
Montana, United States
Style:
American Blonde Ale
Ranked #340
ABV:
4.7%
Score:
77
Ranked #27,094
Avg:
3.37 | pDev: 15.43%
Reviews:
169
Ratings:
348
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 22, 2023
Added:
Jun 16, 2002
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  40
When the days get longer and the air gets warmer, we get outside quite a bit. And we build a big thirst. Summer Honey helps us shake off the winter and slakes our thirst for a refreshing brew. Summer Honey is a full-flavored summer seasonal ale. Brewed with a unique, balanced blend of spices, Northwest Hops, and Montana honey. Summer Honey is brewed during the early days of spring and released around the first of May each year. Light colored, light bodied, and very drinkable, Summer Honey sacrifices nothing to create a flavorful beer that can be enjoyed during the height of the Summer.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by NeroFiddled:
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.92/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Big Sky delivers a beautifully floral, gently sweet, and lightly citrusy golden beer in their Summer Honey Ale. It pours a deep golden body with an orange cast beneath a frothy head of bright white that steadily dwindles to a cottony surface covering and thick collar. Rings of spotty and cragged lace are left behind. In the nose it's lemony over some malty and honeyish sweetness. The body is medium with a decidedly dextrinous edge, and it's crisp on the palate with a lightly bristling carbonation. The flavor is loaded with honey flavor and wheatish malt. Floral hop flavors and a bit of lemon zest help to round it out. It finishes surprisingly short and dry given the amount of flavor packed into each sip, and it lingers for a few moments with a combination of wheatish malt and floral hops as well as a very light touch of pine. Quite a nice summer ale! This one's perfect for a wide variety of events, and I could easily imagine enjoying this at a ball game, boating, a backyard BBQ, fishing trip, or cool evening on the porch. Worth trying.
Dec 20, 2006
More User Ratings:
Photo of HorseheadsHophead
Reviewed by HorseheadsHophead from Colorado

3.34/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Clear golden color; small white head. Decent retention.

Smells sweet--mild honey, faint spices, smells a bit like ginger ale to be honest.

Tastes of ginger and lemon zest, cardamom, faint tingle of pepper, honey, white bread, and a touch of hay and grass. Crisp and clean.

A decent blonde ale. Nothing excited, but that's basically what blonde ales are. Not bad.
Oct 22, 2023
 
Rated: 3.47 by bigpoppa67 from Wisconsin

Aug 17, 2022
 
Rated: 3.65 by DownyIsHungry from Minnesota

Aug 27, 2021
 
Rated: 4.19 by Vylo from New Jersey

Jul 09, 2021
 
Rated: 3.42 by miwestcoaster from Michigan

Jun 01, 2021
Photo of Spikester
Reviewed by Spikester from Oregon

3.79/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Clear gold with three fingers of foamy white head. Rings of lace as the head falls.
Smell is grain bin malts with some herbal hop note.
Taste is grain bin malt with a minor herbal hop touch. A bit of honey shows later though not really sweet.
Mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation. Finish is wet and lightly sweet.
Overall a tasty summer ale. Numbers on the bottom of the can are 184203 ?????
Oct 06, 2020
Photo of TheBricenator
Reviewed by TheBricenator from Oregon

4/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: Clear golden yellow with a decent-sized head that pulls back to a thin layer leaving minimal lacing
Aroma: Honey, flowers, sweet malt, warm bread, floral hops, a little clove or vanilla (I can’t put my finger on it)
Taste: Honey-smothered bread with a nice floral bouquet that joins in and meshes well. Honey, bread, flowers, and the unknown spice note tango throughout before finishing very soft and light
Mouthfeel: Silky smooth, low to medium carbonation, zero dryness, and a soft finish. Full bodied for how light it drinks too.
Overall: Tasty stuff here. A really well-made blonde ale with honey and a perfect summer companion. I’ve been drinking this for years and it continues to satisfy but also is a great change-of-pace for all the German lagers I seem to drink during the summer
Aug 15, 2020
Photo of Wetzel
Reviewed by Wetzel

4.46/5  rDev +32.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Seasonal Ales are always a great way to brake out of last seasons rut and Summer Honey is the feeling of mild purchase at the checkout line though don't be fooled by the 5% ALC by volume content. Here is beer with a nice grain flavor of wheat and after taste of a fine ale with the modest though not overly modest after taste of honey and freshness of summer over glow. It is good beer for the stadium, a family barbecue or social event, and though it would be perfect for a day out on the water it is good choice for back neighborhoods or out on the poach because you will want another one some time if not immediately after the first one. It taste that good.

The look is golden and crisp though bodied like a true micro beer. It could be compared to a Bavarian wheat in feeling. The smell is fresh though not overly sweet. The foam has a nice head and feels casual though complex.
Apr 18, 2020
 
Rated: 3.85 by EAR from Arizona

Aug 24, 2019
 
Rated: 3.7 by sparx1100 from Minnesota

Jul 27, 2019
 
Rated: 4.3 by superwho24 from Arkansas

Jul 19, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Pfishin28 from South Dakota

Apr 28, 2019
Photo of JerzDevl2000
Reviewed by JerzDevl2000 from New Jersey

3.27/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Picked this up over the summer when I was out west, having most of these when I was on the road. I saved one for the house here and even though summer just recently ended, a brew like this has me missing the longer (and warmer) days outside!

With that being said, this was still easy to enjoy during a cooler night such as this, even though this wasn't terribly deep or complex. Bright with plenty of head, there was a good amount of lacing left behind once I started to work my way through this golden ale. Some lemon, pepper, spice, and honey were faintly found in the nose as the last of those came through in the taste. It felt like there was a ton of latter in the taste as a nice floral mouthfeel took over with a good amount of wheat in the mix as well. This reminded me of something from Sam Adams as this was appropriate for the season while being unoffensive as possible at the same time.

Because of how little alcohol was in this, it felt a bit like a Radler when all was said and done because the booze was nearly impossible to detect. The aftertaste left a bit to be desired as a rural, outdoor feel took hold given how much of the grass, spice, and wheat lingered; to the point where I needed a shot of water to chase it down. Not a bad beer but not great either - just right for a lazy summer day on the lake or in the park...
Oct 15, 2018
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

3.44/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from 12oz can into glass. Stamped on can bottom is '115184'. Marked as 5.0%ABV.
Clear, pale gold colored body. Thin white head, which dissipates to interrupted cap and ring. Leaves behind some scattered spots of lacing.
Bright, pale malt aroma, with the earthy essence of the honey.
Pale malt flavor, with the floral nature of the honey (without its sweetness), and some spiciness to finish up.
Smooth, thin to medium mouth feel. Good carbonation. Refreshing.
A summer time ale that is easy to quaff and provides plenty of refreshment. The honey smooths out the enjoyable taste profile.
Jul 26, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by COBEERHUNTER from Colorado

Jul 20, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by chillin from Indiana

Jun 28, 2018
 
Rated: 2.78 by corywalston from North Dakota

Jun 05, 2018
 
Rated: 3.41 by jbundang9 from California

Feb 24, 2018
Summer Honey Ale from Big Sky Brewing Company
Beer rating: 77 out of 100 with 348 ratings