Geary's Summer Ale (-2018)

The style of our summer ale is traditionally European, similar to a German kolsch: full bodied with a spicy hop tang and a rich, crystal clear golden color. Alcohol content is approximately 6% by volume.
Ingredients: Two row English malt (clarity, wheat and caramalt); Magnum, Tettnang and Saaz hops.

3.1

218 reviews

Portland, United States

Community reviews

3.6 12oz bottle. 2013 version, rustic quay and "Geary’s" in playful neon on label. Best edition in years -- turned up the malt a touch. Pours a shade darker than blond. Nose is tropical and grassy with a little roasty hint. Palate is smooth and creamy, yet light. Nice play of citrus and tropical fruit with a tiny hint of nuts and banana. The mention of banana, many, myself included, would find a little frightening. Don’t fret. It works perfectly into the background of the complexity.

3.4 Pours a nice deep copper with and average head. Starts sweet and malty with some grainyness and fruity. It ends fairly bitter.

3.0 Aroma is sweetish malts and a perfumed element. The flavor is medium grain/malt sweetness and a mildly tart fruit finish. I’m guessing it was out of season/somewhat old, might have gotten a few points up if fresh.

2.8 This has quite possibly one of the worst beer labels I’ve ever seen. It’s so bad that I dreaded reviewing this beer... it has been sitting in my review queue fridge for way too long. The only reason I’m drinking this now is because I’m getting tired of seeing the bottle sitting in the fridge. Fortunately, it looks much better in a glass than it does in the bottle. It pours a very light amber color, is heavily carbonated, producing a dense (but thin) white head. Its aroma is sweet, as expected from the color, but very fruit-like, and reminds me of a fruity Belgian ale. Not bad, really. In the mouth, though, the flavor needs a lot of work. The caramel and fruit sweetness lures you in to a metallic bite that’s somewhat uncomfortable. Once it warms up it’s actually a little better, and actually a little creamy. There’s just not that much about this beer that’s enjoyable, and even for a summer beer my palate would be frequently gasping for air in-between sips. Unimpressive, but overall not unbearably offensive.

1.4 Bottle. Pours a clear light amber with a smallish head. The nose is a combination of skunky and metallic, which is really off-putting. It’s a super malty and almost sour beer, almost acidic. It’s really unpleasant, IMHO.

3.1 Bottle. Citrus, sweet honey malt, light fruity/floral hops aroma. Golden with a medium ivory head. Sweet malt and lemon flavor with a grassy hops finish.l Medium body, flat carbonation.

3.6 Draft. Clear golden amber color, larhe white head, spider web lacing. Aroma pf peppery malt. Taste is peppery caramel.

3.0 Bottle. Lemon, barley malt and hay aroma. Golden yellow with small head. Slightly sweet lemon malt and moderately bitter herbal hops flavor. Not bad.

1.7 Barely there aroma and basic brown appearance with a simple but balanced taste and minimal mouthfeel.

3.2 Bottle - average size foamy head, light copper color, sweet malty aroma and flavor with fair hop bitterness - defnitely more full flavored that I expected, not your usual light, lemony summer style ale

2.7 Beer of the month selection. Light amber color, thin head. Faint corn aroma. Dry green hop flavor that lingers. Eh...

2.8 Pours straw yellow with a medium sized head. The Aroma is citrus mixed with a bit of malt. I Thin in body with a lot of carbonation. I Flavor is disappointing with a harsh hop bite that is not very flavorful.

2.9 Bottle. Beer of the month club. Clear golden honey, small white head. Light honey, apricot and bubblegum in the nose, sweet, somewhat alcoholic taste. Medium body, sleek texture, alcoholic finish. Lively carbonation. Too heavy for the summer.

2.6 Beer of the month club, pours golden to orange with a decent head, aroma of malt, cereals and some floral notes, flavor is sweetish with diacetil, malt, caramel and light bitterness, some fruity tones and hops medium bodied, not good

2.8 Bottle. Beer of the month club. Clear golden with a medium white head. Overripe fruits aroma with pear, prickly pear and banana. Sweetish flavor with malt, somewhat bready, fruits, light yeasty hints, and a finish with some spicy hops bitterness. Medium-bodied. OK.

3.4 This is a sort of pilsner-ish blond ale and pretty good. A little bit fruity but clean overall w/ some nutty malt and a touch of noble hop herbal character. Carbonation is vigorous w/o being biting, which lightens the mouthfeel and keeps it interesting on the palate. This isn’t a show stopper but a good beer nonetheless.

3.4 Bottle. Not as light colored or tasting as id expect for a summer beer, pretty flavorful and well balanced. I like a it a lot

3.0 Aroma i spicy, mildly hoppy, and almost wheaty. It’s dark copper rather than blond. Very activeand effervescent. It has some bitterness to it, but that is countered by a heavy malt presence all around. Some what like kolsch as the brewer suggests. A good backyard beer, too heavy for sessioning.

3.3 poured from multiple 12oz bottles - Not your typical summer ale brewed in the U.S., but quite satisfying. Hop notes are embellished compared to other U.S. versions. Nice creaminess and texture, but bitter finish is not altogether pleasant.

3.4 12oz bottle pours a clear golden with a large white head. Aroma of caramel, wheat, and pencil shavings. Taste has a nice malt and hop bitterness. It’s hot out and I’m liking this one.

3.3 Tasted at Seaport Beer festival. very floral and notes of buiscuit. medium to light brew. over-filtered in my opinion.

3.4 Draft at J’s Oyster in Portland. Pours a clear amber with a small, just barely off-white head. A little darker than a typical golden/blond ale. Notes of citrus (lemon mostly), sweet and bready malts, wheat, and faint grassy hops. Light-bodied, with moderate carbonation and a smooth, refreshing mouthfeel. Very nice, bested expectations.

3.1 Smells of pale malts. Spicy. Good refreshing summer beer. Cool label on the bottle. Hehe

3.0 355ml bottle. Golden colour. Wheaty aroma, but flavour is more bold hops. Unusual for a summer ale.

2.7 355ml bottle. Copper pour with very little head. There’s a really green quality with a lot of grain and a lemon vibe. Quite sweet on the palate with that really grainy feel and a chalky texture.

2.9 Different for a "summer" brew. Hoppier and fuller flavored than most. Easy enough to drink.

3.6 clear amber color with a big white head and good lace on the bottle. There is much carbonation in the glass. A lemon citrus and light bready aroma. There was a slight hops smell but mostly wheaty malt. The flavor displays a greater hops imprint than the smell indicted. The grassy hops leads to a clean taste and light palate that makes a powerful tasting yet pleasing summer ale.

3.0 Draught from ginger man. Pours an ambery gold. Mild thinnish head. Mild aroma. Some citrus and straw. Apples and pears to taste. Mild hops earth finish.

2.9 Pours a deep golden body with a lacing, creamy beige head. Aromas of grain, little grassy. Flavor has grainy notes, some lemongrass, and banana. finish is creamy and lasting grain and banana note.

2.9 Fairly good. A little malty and sweet but finishing kind of bitter. Personally, this wouldn’t be my summer beer as comes across kind of rich, but it’s pretty tasty for anytime, really.