Alley Kat Summer Ale

Brewed by Alley Kat Brewing Company
Style: Saison
Edmonton, Canada

In short: A rustic (as in rusty kind of way) citrusy Saison with peppery notes. A surprisingly decent session beer.
How: Bottle 341ml. Consumed fresh on the summer of release. Sent to me by Hobbersr. Thanks a lot Riley.
The look: Some yeast particles in a clear golden body topped by a medium white head with good retention
In long: Nose is pleasantly rustic with also leafy hops presence. Taste is moderately fruity (citrus mainly), light caramel, some tobacco leaves, some acidity, rust, mild bitterness. Finish is medium dry with peppery notes. Certainly not the most authentic Saison ever but it does have a light Saison character going for it. Certainly not memorable but I think this is a very drinkable beer. It currently averages below 3.0 and this usually means it is a trainwreck. Not only is it not a trainwreck but I could drink a few more bottles of this. Not great by any means but still underrated. Quite drinkable which is what I expect from a Summer Beer. Come to think of it that’s also what I expect from any other season beer.

Light amber color. Light grapefruit nose. Light body, but grainy and not balanced. Light finish. Had after some real Saisons. This is nothing but bad imitation and moreover is not a saison. Not sure why they bothered.

341 ml bottle from a trade with hobbersr. pours clear golden with almost no head and very light carbonation. the nose is sweet orange upfront with english style pale malt in the back. no real indication of this being a saison from the nose. the flavour start out sweet, nice fruit leads to a dry finish. the peppercorn come in right at the end. i dont think this is a saison but its a nice beer. thanks Riley!

Hazy apricot coloured beer with a small light tan creamy head. Light effervesence. Pretty good 360 degree sticky lacing and solid retention of the minimal head throughout. Excellent sweet grapefruit aroma, light background cloves, light malts - steady smell to the bottom of my glass. Taste is there, but lacks anything amazing. Acidic with some orange for fruit and light malts. It’s more bitter than anything with some pepper in the big spice that in blended with the bitterness. Yeast is obvious and so is the sourness. Never ending bitterness. Medium bodied, quite tart (too much) and a bit mouth drying. Lots of carbs. There is some stomach heat that goes with drinking this. Could be better, but does ok to follow the style. Should’ve been worse, but Alley Kat is really improving their quality.

Honey brown and slightly cloudy, zero head was produced barley even a skiff bubbles is on top, very boring looking beer, this beer does not scream drink me. Mmmm…. Strange smell melon flavored candy and malts, interesting to say the least, overall the sent is very sweet but diluted. Refreshing tasting beer weaker malts and lots of citrusy notes make up most of the beer, there are some peppery notes hiding in the back ground to. The beer has a very clean finish with no after taste, but way to thin feeling. Overall its a drinkable beer but nothing special.

Basic orange colour with no head. Nose is light with minimal whisps of grapefruit and not much else. Palate starts with some decent weighted spring hops, then a distinct unsalted and unbuttered popcorn taste takes over. A little bit of grapefruit comes out late in the palate. Extremely lightly carbonated (which I actually like) and the finish is short with more popcorn. Not a complete disaster to drink as it is a touch refreshing although certainly not as defined by the label.

Bottle. Delicate nose, showing apples, yeast, biscuit and cascade hops with grapefruit predominant. Palte is more grapefruit and cascade, with loads of yeast, key limes, and rich maltiness. Very cool, but in no way a saison-style as claimed on the package.