I got an email a few weeks ago from Newcastle asking if I’d like to try their new beer. Of course I said yes, never turning down a free beer, and they shipped one out to me right away. The beer has the familiar Newcastle logo, but brighter summer colors. So here’s what I thought.

Looks

The Newcastle Summer Ale has a clear gold color. The beer is very clear, so clear it almost looks like a lager. The beer had a slight head, but the foam dissipated very quickly. I had troubles keeping enough head in the glass to take a picture. The carbonation was quite strong, like champagne, which might be why the head disappeared quickly. The bubbles were quite large.

Aroma

The Newcastle Summer Ale has a very faint hop aroma. It’s actually very faint, but you can pick up slight smells of grass, and maybe caramel? It was hard to tell what kind of malt was coming through. The label of the beer says “Hops and Glory”, but the hops weren’t really dominant in the aroma.

Taste

The beer is very crisp and clean, again more like a lager than an ale. The Newcastle Summer Ale is very thin, but I think it’s supposed to be that way. The beer is only 4.4% ABV, and it’s supposed to be more of a session beer. There is a good bitter aftertaste to the beer, but I couldn’t pick out the hop type. It was just a solid bitterness. The beer also was quite carbonated as I noted in the looks section, almost soda like. The Summer Ale had a champagne mouthfeel.

Results

Overall I thought the beer was ok. It’s not going to be as popular as Newcastle Brown Ale, but it does make a good lawnmower beer or a good session beer for a hot day. I guess that’s why they call it “Summer Ale”. It will quench your thirst, but you won’t feel too tipsy to mow the rest of the lawn after knocking back a few of these bitters. I’d give the beer 6 sunny days out of 10.

Brewery: Scottish & Newcastle UK Ltd.
Country of Origin: United Kingdom, Scottland
Style: English Bitter
ABV: 4.4% ABV
Serving Type: 12oz Bottle