Brand new to cans for the summer of 2011! Brooklyn's Summer Ale joins their Brooklyn Lager in cans just in time all your summer time activities. We're sort of surprised it took so long for them to add another beer to their canned portfolio but I think this says a lot about the state of the canned craft beer market. The more the better. We wouldn't be surprised to see more of their beers in cans in the near future.

From the Brooklyn Brewery site:

"Brooklyn Summer Ale is a modern rendition of the "Light Dinner Ales" brewed in England throughout the 1800's right up until the 1940's. They were also called "luncheon ales" or even "family ales", because they were refreshing and flavorful without being too heavy. We brew our Brooklyn Summer Ale from premium English barley malt, which gives this light-bodied golden beer a fresh bready flavor. German and American hops lend a light, crisp bitterness and a citrus/floral aroma resulting in a beer with a very sunny disposition."

Here we go...

Pour - pale straw colored with a decent sized stark-white head. Clean and clear in appearance. Looks light bodied.

Aroma - some grassy and light malt aromas. A bit of a sour malt smell is evident. I also get a bit of citrus, mostly lemon as well as a faint aroma of fresh hops.  

Taste - this is where this beer shines. Okay, the look and smell may not totally grab you but the flavor profile of this summer beer hopefully will. Crisp on the tongue with some light malty sweetness followed by a nice tanginess and some lemon flavors. There is a nice hop flavor in the background and in the finish. 

Overall - Brooklyn Brewery did a great thing when they decided to put this beer in a can. It's a great candidate for bringing along on any outdoor adventure and should be easy enough on the palate for pretty much any type of beer drinker. Personally I really enjoyed this beer and as I've never had it in a bottle I'd have to say it was great out of a can.

Would I buy more of it? - absolutely. I bought a 12-pack as that was the only format available and I'm definitely glad I did as I've got a bunch of them left in the fridge. 

Note - Brooklyn Brewery releases six different seasonal beers - including three different winter seasonals. They include their Brooklyn Summer Ale (April-July), Oktoberfest (August-October), Post Road Pumpkin Ale (August-November), Brooklyn Winter Ale (Winter), Black Chocolate Stout (October-March) and Monster Ale (December-March). 

photo courtesy of Rodney McPhail