Boulder Beer Never Summer Ale
Never Summer Ale is a bold new look at winter beers: gutsy, full-bodied and an aggressive fusion of secret spices. Like the first run of the day, this ale is deep and clean, crisp and drinkable, perfectly blended for a smooth ride...through the Looking Glass.
Grains:
British Dark Caramel Malt, U.S. 2-row Barley.
Hops:
Nugget, Willamette, Cascade and Top-Secret Brewmaster's Spice.
Grains:
British Dark Caramel Malt, U.S. 2-row Barley.
Hops:
Nugget, Willamette, Cascade and Top-Secret Brewmaster's Spice.
3.3
556 reviews
Boulder, United States
Community reviews
12 oz bottle into my NBB globe glass. Deep copper and clear with a lasting, off-white head and lacing. Aroma and flavor of toasted malts, caramel, barley, spices, pine, light roast and bitter hops. Medium body with a smooth, clean feel and a dry finish.
Draught@RNH. Deep clear amber color, creamy off-white head. Light bodied, watery palate. Ryeish sweet maltyness, grass and spices. Not summery!
Deep clear amber pour with minimal frothy head. Sweet and spicy aroma with grapefruit and pine. Taste is moderate sweet with a crisp finish. Medium body and hints of chocolate also pervade. Pretty good beer.
10/13/2010. From bottle. Pours red brown with a tan head. Malty aromas with spice, caramel and bready notes. Good hop balance which shows through all the way.
Apperance - A very nice golden red
Aroma- A caramel hoppy bouquet
T/P - A distinct malty hoppy flavor slight spice bite to it
Tends to linger little too long with a bitter after taste
Overall- Not bad a little too hoppy for my liking, but if you like that then it would be for you.
Bottle. Floral hoppy aroma with a slight earthiness. Pours reddish amber with very little head. Taste is smooth caramel malt to start with some earthiness to it. Finishes very dry with a fairly bitter finish.
12 oz bottle as shown .. . its 90 degrees outside and someone pulls this out..? .. . pours a light tan .. mild white head, moles of lacing .. . mild spice, spruce, and tree roots with some dirt still on them .. . light mouth, bit of a lingering finish .. . alright beer i guess .. . . Save the Bee’s!! ....that is all.
Draught nitro at Harris Grill. Poured dark amber with white head. Mild aromas of citrus pine. Quite smooth citrus mildly bitter taste. Good for summer.
---Rated via Beer Buddy
A - Pours a clear deep red amber with an off white that retains very well
S - Biscuity malt with a dose of green citrus hops mixed in. Water chestnuts, faint hints of spice reside in the background.
T - Caramel malt with a tinge of metal. Citrus and pine hops back the malt and provide good levels of flavor well as some peppery spice. Some maple floral sweetness combined with a nutmeg sort of spice. Hard to pin down. Has some strawberry rhubarb tang on the finish. Aftertaste is a balance of malt and clean hops.
M - Full bodied, lush type of carbonation.
A different take on the style for sure. Low on the spice level. Nice malt and nice hops. It actually makes me think of summer rather than winter. A great beer on any occasion.
Serving type: bottle
02-02-2011
Bottle. Pours dark copper with a small, tan head. Aroma of sweet caramel, spices, dark fruits and a touch of nuts. Slightly sweet flavor of caramel, spices, dark fruits, light nuts and a touch of chocolate. Similar finish with some added earthy hops notes.
Dark Brown color. Floral Hops, Caramel, Yeast and Malts on the nose. Taste has a fair caramel flavor along with some strong piney hop notes; Aftertaste has a a bit of a resin-like feel to it, which I think hurts the flavor. Body is fairly light and very low on carbonation, and it’s got a very creamy texture to it. Aside from the creamy texture and palate, there isn’t really anything special here.
Another underwhelming beer. Ok aroma and flavor, but nothing distinguishing about it.
Dark amber/red with a small off-white head. Decent lacing. Aroma is fairly straightforward - toasted malts, crystal malts, slight citrus, slight spice. Taste is a bit sweeter than the nose, notes of caramel, dried fruits, biscuit, and pepper spice.
I like the hops in this, especially for a winter ale. Big white fluffy head and burnt orange color. Not overly spiced, which is nice. A bit of a sweet malt backbone with a slightly floral nose.
Bottle from Village Wine and Spirits in Athens. Very gentle coffee nose. Reddish/brown, 2cm rocky tan head, and lotsa carb. Heavy dark caramel initial / harsh resiny hop bites and some spice in mid / goes to sweet malt, and leave a powdery choco note on the tongue. Medium body. Not bad. Very malty. Has a dirt sort of feel to it.
Draft to taster. Looks solid; a transparent amber with foamy off-white head that dissipates into lacing. Smells and tastes of caramel and spices with a touch of chocolate. Average on the palate. Alright.
pours amber from a bottle, little head. Aroma is sweet caramel malt, spice, herbs. Taste is malt, some bitterness, but a crisp mouthfeel. not tasting much spice, which is good. Unique and tasty, cant place the style.
Nice and strong. Alittle bit tiring after a while. Nice to drink in a couch whie watching some good tv show.
pours a lighter brown with a minimal tan head. This beer is sweet with some bitterness and caramel malts.
On tap at Trattoria La Festa in Stowe, VT.
Hazy, dark ruby brown with tan head and excellent lacing.
Aroma of bread, dark fruit, spice, hops and roasted malt.
Taste of dark fruit, spice, roasted malt, grapefruit, floral hops and brown sugar.
Medium body and high/medium carbonation.
12 oz bottle, Whole Foods Columbus. Lovely color between ruby and garnet; head dissipates into a thin white ring. Aroma sweet malt and predominantly caramel; sweet cracker and just barely some rotting veg; also some orange zest and pepper. Flavor candy sweet, caramel, light piney bitterness through the finish. Medium to medium-thick, lower carbonation; sticky and even a little oily. Took me a little while to warm up to this but this is a nice little winter warmer.
12oz bottle. Rusty brown with a medium off white head. Aroma of toast, caramel, vanilla and light holiday spice. Flavor is bready/doughy malt with some zesty spice and faint bitterness. Medium body with a zesty mouth feel. Decent beer, not over spiced and fairly drinkable.
December 24th, 2011 - I’m not entirely sure what the Brewmaster’s Top Secret Spice, but I am not convinced that it adds spice to Boulder Brewery’s Never Summer Ale. More notable in this brew is a eurhythmic balance between the malts, barley and hops, producing a smooth and well rounded winter warmer that I’d be pleased to bring to a party and share with friends who may not be as avid about craft beer as me. Through the looking glass, this brew is a shade darker than the median amber, with a clarity like a nice, after blizzard winter day. A whole grove of pine trees meets the nose in the aroma with a bit of hops bitterness, and a deep and abiding brown sugar sweetness. In aroma, at least, this smells like your typical winter warmer brew. More exceptional is the flavor, were a tempered sweetness (pine melded with graham cracker) is once more coupled with hops, most acutely detected in the aftertaste. Raisins lend some of their deep fructose syrup too, providing a general flavor that tastes of balance and depth of flavor. Boulder Brewery’s Never Summer Ale is at least one cut above the rest of the winter drinking variety pack.
Draft at Sugars. Slightly hazy dark orange copper pour with a lacey head. Spiced malts. Nutmeg. Vegemite. Sarsparella. Black pepper. Orange pith. Raisin spice cake. Earthy hops. Unusual. Not too heavy. Not too light.
Tap. Pours clear, dark amber with thin, fizzy off-white head; short retention and spare lacing. Aroma is grassy hops, caramel malt, light citrus fruit, toffee, and some hay. Flavor is balanced sweet malts and piney hops (light bitterness) with some supporting fig and date notes and light bread; dry finish. Medium body and low carbonation.
Amber red with this lasting white head; Malty sweet aroma with hints of berry, caramel, cinnamon- very nice & full; flavor is complex, this beer is rocking my worlld, its hard to describe really, malty caramel sweet, fruity sweet, slighty spicy(can’t placeexactly what spice) and hoppy; finishes dry and very bitter + hoppy; feels medium body. Gotta get more of this!
Amber color, frothy head lasting for a good while. Strong malt presence, carmel tasting. Followed by dry bitter hoppiness. Slight bitter aftertaste. Not overly impressed. Good but not memorable.
Pours a clear ruby with a thin tan head. Aroma has earthy/fruity hops, some dark fruits, slightly doughy. Flavor follows suit...a bit like yakima glory. Mouthfeel is medium and the finish is fruity and slightly bitter.
Flavorful mix and balance of malts with a tinge of hops. Turns malty, then turns more biscuity over time, like a mild Fat Tire.
A very full bodied ale packed with flavor. Goes down really smooth and is perfect to drink on a cold winter night