Boulder Beer Never Summer Ale

Brewed by Boulder Beer Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Boulder, Colorado USA

4 oz. beer flight at Old Chicago, Peoria, IL. Dark brown, unique hop flavor, fruity, very unique!

Crystal clear light chestnut supporting a medium khaki head. Earthy aroma of herbs, toasted malt, mild citrus and pine resin. Nice balance of flavors with equal parts roasted malt and hops taking center stage in support of spices, caramel and a touch of smoke. Satisfying mouthfeel and a richly flavorful but still crisp finish

Malty, nutty, some slight fruitiness, and dates on the nose. Deep orange amber color with a fluffy head. Great balance of malty caramel sweetness, with mild spicy fruity hop bitterness. Firm body with good carbonation, chewy but not filling, smooth rich long finish. One of my favorite winter beers, fantastic breadth of flavor and complexity, yet very approachable.

12oz bottle. Pours clear copper in color with foamy brown head. Aroma sweet, caramel and malt. Taste of roasted malt and mild bitter hops with bitter finish.

12 oz bottle from the Binnys singles rack (Orland Park, Il). Pours a deep dark copper, largely clear, with amber decent head that dissipates to a film. Aromas are assertive floral hoppiness, citrus and floral, with impressive carmel and toffee malt backbone. Initial is a little more subtle, light bitterness from citrus and floral hops that moves to a carmel, toffee, and toasty body. Touches of citrus and gumball work well. Finishes with a toasty bitter finish. Touches of nut, biscuit, and flowers throughout. A tad dissapointing flavorwise after an impressive nose. Gumball and citrus add a nice touch though. Malt forward, nonetheless. Decent body. Ok overall.

12oz. Bottle: Aroma of hops, citrus, spices, toasting, malts, and a hint of caramel. Poured copper/amber in color with a small to medium-sized, dense, tan head that diminished but lasted throughout. Clear. Not sparkling. Small lacing. Flavor is lightly sweet and lightly bitter. Tastes of caramel, malts, hops, citrus, brown sugar, maple syrup, light spices, and toasting . Medium body. Slightly sticky texture. Average carbonation. Sweet, caramel and hops finish.

The newer description of this beer written on the bottle doesn’t inform me that there’s spices added to this. I’m not always opposed to spiced beer but I’m a little annoyed at this one since I wasn’t in the mood for this sort of thing at all. Now that my anger has died down......Amber beer with a thin white head. Nutmeggy aroma. This one is malt-forward with loads of bitter spice. There’s a decent fruitiness to this one as it warms. Again, not what I was in the mood for.

Bottle. Clear deep orange pour. Decent head. Flavor is dry and roasted malt, a hint of caramel. Assertive northwest hop finish. Lingering notes of anise, cinnamon, nutmeg. Light bodied. OK beer.