Summer Honey Ale - Big Sky Brewing Company

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.08/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pristine honey with lemonade colored trim. The head is rich ivory in color and sponge-like in texture. Persistence is better than average, while lace deposition is worse than average. There's nothing wrong with the appearance, but nothing catches the eye either.

The aroma is lightly sweet, breezy and citrus zesty; perfect for a summer cooler (which is the opposite of a winter warmer). I can't detect either honey or spices, but feel confident that I'll be able to appreciate them on the palate.

I like Summer Honey Ale. The bee juice contributes flavor and an ideal amount of balancing sweetness, in addition to whatever pale malt sweetness is present. Hoppiness is on the tame side for an APA, which allows the beer to achieve an easy, pleasureable sweet-bitter balance. Honey-dipped grapefruit wedges?

Even though I can't identify any specific spices, it tastes like something out of the ordinary is present. The beer tastes more herbal than spicy to me. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that coriander is one of the secret ingredients. The flavor deepens with warming, so if you really want to appreciate the best this summer brew has to offer, don't drink it too cold.

The mouthfeel is summer beer light, along with being soft and feathery. That combination increases drinkability exponentially. I usually have a swallow or two left at this point in my reviews. Not today.

With Summer Honey Ale, Big Sky has demonstrated their brewing dexterity by keeping three balls named 'honey', 'hops' and 'spices' in the air at the same time. They've come up with an excellent summer cooler that I'd love to have access to when the hot weather rolls around.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2005 23:42:07 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

copper color with a good amount of clarity to it. two inch head of white foam came over the top right away.p.

nice and hopped, grassy with some decent touches of light citrus and pine mixed in. A biscuit like bready middle to it that really came out once it warmed up. The flavor was more of the same, crisp and clean, with a quick hitting citric hop bite. Crisp and clean

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 04:31:05 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the brewery in August 2009 during our West Coast road trip. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a pale golden color with a white head. Nose brings forward a dash of honey and a little bit of mildly floral hops. Pretty plain overall, and this carries over into the taste. There is some faint honey-baked bread along with some ever so slight bitterness. Feel is light and well carbonated. No apparent defects, just nothing really going for it.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2010 00:18:15 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.13/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a clear, yellow body with a fizzy, white head. If that doesn't say "Summertime Drinking", nothing does!

Smell: Faint pale malt nose with a note of honey, but maybe half a note each of spice and fruitiness.

Taste: Light pale maltiness with a modest honey-based sweetish. Hint of peach fruitiness as well as a touch fo spice. Floral, citrusy hops with a fairly tame, gentle bitterness. The flavor bounces back and forth between the simple, sweet honey and light spice taste until you reach the dry, thin finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: Easy drinking, lightly flavorful, though somewhat forgettable. Yep, it's about average for a simple, summertime libation!

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2009 16:57:52 | More by ChainGangGuy

UCLABrewN84

California

3.45/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a semi-clear light orange with a 1 inch off-white head that fades to a thin film. Foamy rings of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, honey, and some spice notes. Taste is of toasted malt, honey, and spices. There is a slight bitterness on the tongue after each sip that lingers for a bit. A good level of carbonation makes for a crisp and clean mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but not something I would buy more of.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 16:55:42 | More by UCLABrewN84

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  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.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2006 22:35:19 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Gale Sayers shaker pint glass.

It's still summer, right? Regardless, this brew pours a clear wan gold topped by a short-lived half-finger of white foam. The nose comprises wheat, light honey, light corn syrup, light flowers, and light lemonade. Did I mention the lightness? The taste brightens things up a bit, but not very much. A hint of nuttiness joins the party, along with some very light orange flesh. The body is (surprise, surprise) pretty light, with a light carbonation and a slightly watery feel. Overall, a nice light brew for summer, but I do wish there were more to it.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2010 23:28:24 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Fine white head that leaes quickly, honey golden color. Aroma: spicy sweet, arousing, tingly, bright. Taste:utterly delicious. So far, the best honey beer I've had, though I haven't had them all (Dupont Biere de Miele, Young's Waggledance, where ARE you??. ) Bright honey flavor comes shining through. Light body, pleasant finsh, easy-drinking. Not much in the hop department, but that's not what they're going for. An excellent summertime refreshment!

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2003 13:26:48 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.33/5  rDev +28.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a pale gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a pale and bisquit malt scent with some honey notes and a musty breadlike finish. The taste is excellent. It has a very smooth pale and bisquit malt flavor that is slightly sweet and very drinkable. It goes down easy and finishes spicey and breadlike. The mouthfeel is good. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a damn fine summer seasonal. It has real good flavor and aroma; a good drinker.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2004 22:26:22 | More by WesWes

Mora2000

Texas

3.65/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a very clear yellow color with a white head. The aroma is honey and wheat. The flavor is more of the same with lots of wheat and honey flavors. For a pale ale, there is hardly any hop character. Medium mouthfeel and low to medium carbonation. A nice easy drinking beer, but that is about it.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2010 22:37:14 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

3.25/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a clear, golden orange color with a small, white head of bubbly foam. There were thin traces of lace.

S - It smelled of honey and biscuity malt. There was a slight floral aroma, too.

T - It had a strong honey flavor with a good deal of spices. There was a good deal a sweet biscuity malt.

M - It was crisp and fairly sharp. A very light bodied and easy drinking brew.

D - This is an okay beer. It really seems more like a blonde ale than an APA.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2010 01:03:51 | More by zeff80

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.25/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours golden/honey with efferevesence & a 3 fingers white head. Good lacing & head retention

S: Slight lemon zest & peppery notes

T: Lemon, honey & slight floral hop notes. Grainy notes follow Finishes lemony & sweet, off style to me, would work better as a wheat ale

MF:Light & spritzy. Okay balance, skews too sweet

Drinks okay. I prefer the crystal ale as a summer time libation. One of the better honey beers I've had, still a bit too sweet

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2006 03:57:41 | More by russpowell

emerge077

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This was chilled to around 55º and poured in a Lake Louie pint glass.

Golden yellow, a feeble head of foam that collapses quickly. Nucleation trails from the bottom of the glass. It doesn't really leave any lace, but a few random spots decorate the glass.

Plain pale malt aroma, graham cracker.

Papery pale malt flavor, mild graham sweetness. Not really getting any floral or honey flavor. Average is about all I can say. Moderate fizz, drinks fine. A no-brainer for a dog day.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2008 23:21:00 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

2.95/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a very pale yellow, with a light cap of fizzy white foam, spotty lace.

S: Honey, piney hops.

T: Sweet with honey initially, but goes heavy into an earthy, green hop profile that wasn't my cup of tea, still drinkable though, it's OK. The honey is a very minor part of the beer, don't expect something like Midas Touch.

M: Crisp, light-bodied, nice carbonation, good mouthfeel overall.

D: I've been a fan of Big Sky in the past, I just didn't find this one very good, a pass for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2009 17:24:10 | More by Halcyondays

jwc215

New Jersey

3.28/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours clear yellow with a thin white head that becomes a wide patch. Trailing lace slides down glass with minimal stickage.

The smell is of honey, grain, light pepper/floral spicing.

The taste is of sweet grain and some honey. A mild general spiciness gives some balance to the rather abrupt finish.

It is appropriately light bodied, not too fizzy.

A bit too sweet (and leaning towards bland) on the taste, though stops before becoming too honey-ish. Not one I would seek out, but refreshing enough on a hot day. Easy enough to drink, as there's not much to it, and carbonation is controlled, making it pretty smooth. More of an American Blonde than an APA, to me.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2009 20:50:45 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer appears a clear pale golden hue, with one finger of soapy white head, which leave nary a speck of lace as it melts away. It smells of mildly sweet honey, and white grain. The taste is crisp grain, a bit of generic honey, and mild muddled dessert spices, with pretty much no discernible hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body medium weight, and plain, with an off-dry finish, some newfound earthy hops rounding out the latent honeyed graininess.

Nothing special, but nothing off-putting either. A good beer to go with intensely spicy hot wings, as was the pairing in my case.

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2010 06:43:34 | More by biboergosum

Wasatch

Utah

3.5/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice clean/clear golden yellow color, nice carbonation, little fizzy off-white head, with minimal sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, very slight hop note, little spice note. The taste is sweet, malty, with some spice. Medium body. Drinkable, this is not an APA, should be a Blonde Ale or Cream Ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2009 21:07:06 | More by Wasatch

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

(Served in a mug)

A- This beer has a golden light copper body with a crystal clear body and a soapy foam head. There was a very gentle carbonation of tiny bubbles.

S- The slight sweet honey notes came with a pale malt note that was dry and fresh. There was a light sulfur note in the finish.

T- The taste of fresh pale malt had a slight honey sweetness that followed. There was a bitter hop finish that had a soft grassy quality to it.

M- This beer had a medium-light mouthfeel with a tight fizz texture at the finish.

D- The sweetness of the honey was nice and the bitterness of the hops offered a nice balance. Most beers that add honey have some odd fermented honey flavors but this one wasn't bad.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2006 18:58:40 | More by rhoadsrage

Zorro

California

2.53/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Strange, from the name I expected a summer honey wheat beer.

This beer pours a clear golden colored beer with a decent white head.

Smell is sweet and floral with the trace of flowers that honey leaves behind but there is still a trace of honey in the scent. The bottle says there are spices in this but I am not picking them up.

Taste is dry very dry and with a sharp bitter hit at the start of the glass. Flavor of flowers and high alpha acid hops. Not much more I can say about this one the taste just isn't there.

Mouthfeel is good.

A boring beer that tastes like a Coors with kicked up bitterness levels. No reason to ever try this.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2006 03:14:15 | More by Zorro

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +31.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This clear light golden brew throws out a medium white head with little retention. Beautiful sweet clover honey is present on the nose with some light spicing perceived also (cinamon?). This is really a nice tasting summer brew. The honey is evident as well as some wheat malt it seems. There's a nice little hop bite. It's light to medium in body and glides over the tongue effortlessly. There is also a very nice dryness present throughout the drink, but moreso on the finish. One of my favorite quaffable summer beers.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2002 19:31:38 | More by Bighuge

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.9/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Dark gold color, 1" head, looks like an ale. Aroma was plain, honey not discernible, nor are the hops beyond the faintest flourish hint.

Taste is also rather muted, hops and honey are not relevant, sweetness is more reminiscent of corn than honey. Faintly bready. Light caramel. No development through the bottle, even as it warms. Girlfriend/intro beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2011 02:01:32 | More by Beerandraiderfan

DoubleJ

California

3.4/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Part of a mix-pack from Cost Plus World Market, on to the beer:

Pale filtered straw colored in the body, head is white and fuzzy with modest retention. The aroma is mild, hop and tea leaf notes with touches of sweetness (could that be the honey?). As it enters the mouth, I immediately become refreshed off its easy and light flavor. Almost citrusy tasting. Bready notes break up the monotone flavor. I can't seem to find the honey character; okay it's there, but it's very light. This is a simple and refreshing beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2008 04:15:39 | More by DoubleJ

Gusler

Arizona

3.53/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours from the 12 ounce bottle a slightly foggy gold with a portly bright white creamy head that dissipates leaving the lace a firm sheet upon the glass. Nosey is sweet with honey and malt, citrus like in its crispness, start has a pleasant honey taste, nice malt presence, the top light to medium in feel. Finish has a sparkling acidity, the hops underpowered, sweetness continues to the end also, a bit dry, a drinkable beer, maybe a bit to sweet for me, but not a major malfunction.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2007 18:21:22 | More by Gusler

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

The CANQuest hits the trifecta with this surprise gem! CAN you believe it - I will have had it on-tap, out of a bottle and now from a CAN?!?

From the CAN: "We make water fun! 'Some Catchy Phrase Goes Here.' Ale brewed with honey and spices." I should also mention that unlike the bottle label, where the bear is upright and rampant, on the CAN he is on all fours, surveying a river vista with mountains in the background.

My pour created a finger of eggshell-white head with good retention. The color was a golden-yellow with NE-quality clarity. I got the honey up front on the nose. There was a light spiciness in there, but it seemed more yeast-driven than anything else. Mouthfeel was slightly thin with a honey-sweet taste on the tongue. Finish had a spicy dryness that I would have otherwise attributed to a yeast strain doing its thing. The spices were there, but they did not seem readily identifiable to me. This is definitely a summer beer! Light, smooth, dry on the finish - a definite CANdidate for the cooler (if only it were readily available). Tasty.

Serving type: can

07-10-2010 16:06:41 | More by woodychandler

kojevergas

California

2.6/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a true imperial pint glass in high altitude Castle Rock, Colorado. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average; I quite fancy honey beers, but this brewery has yet to impress me.

A: Pours a two finger head of slight cream, fair/below average thickness, and okay retention. Colour is a transparent light gold. The abundance of bubbles makes me wonder if it's overcarbonated.

Sm: Mildly full barley, traces of cidery honey notes, and no detectable spices (I was looking for them per the label). A mild strength aroma.

T: A barley foundation with some decent honey notes atop. I detect no spice at all. It's quite simply built so there isn't much to say about it. No layering or depth. It's decently balanced I guess.

Mf: Smooth and wet, but also too obstructively thick. There's hardly any allowance for what few flavours are present. It's by no means creamy. The finish is abruptly dry and a touch coarse.

Dr: Drinkable but forgettable. I might try it again on draught if I'm feeling squirrelly but otherwise I'll just avoid this in the future. This was the fourth and final beer I had from their variety pack; I see no reason to have anything from this brewery in the future unless it comes naturally to me. They seem to be pretty shite.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 04:23:30 | More by kojevergas