Sierra Nevada Summerfest is a Czech-style lager with 5.0% ABV that is supposed to go well with a warm summer day. Sierra Nevada has grown from micro-brewery into a fairly large brewery that distributes nationally.
The beer pours a golden yellow with a moderate head of about a finger and a quarter. The head was airy and bubbly and started to dissipate quickly. The aroma was very faint. There were notes of grass and malt but not much else aromatically.
The first sip offered notes of malt and hops. There was a grain taste that stood out as well. It was certainly crisp and finished somewhat dry. The flavor seemed to mellow into a more enjoyable lager which would give this beer repeat drinkability. The malts seemed to balance out the hops very well towards the end. It was light-bodied and finished crisp.
There wasn’t much lacing but what little was there was bubbly and clung to the glass. There was moderate carbonation and the beer maintained a decent level throughout the process.
Overall this was a decent beer. I wasn’t a fan of the first couple of sips. It had an overwhelming grainy malt flavor that clung to your throat. However, the beer definitely mellowed out into a very drinkable lager. The crispness of the beer would certainly make this an enjoyable beer for a warm or hot summer day in an ice cold glass. Also, its low ABV gives this beer a summer drinkability for a longer session.