We have another summer offering this week, especially appropriate given today’s languid weather conditions. It’s Somersault Ale from Colorado's New Belgium Brewing:
Somersault Ale was designed to be a fun roll around on the tongue while requiring only the minimum of palate gymnastics. In other words, this perfect summer lounge around beer is ridiculously fun and easy to drink. Even though the second Somersault goes down as effortlessly the first, our brewer Grady actually has quite a few remarkable notes at play in the nose, flavor and mouthfeel. There is an opening brace of citrus aroma from Centennial hops, a soft apricot fruitiness tucked into the flavor, a fresh snap from a sliver of ginger root, finished with oats in a long cool mash. Color is blonde with a suggestion of cloudiness. Somersaults all around!
Brown 12oz bottle with New Belgium’s unique look and feel. The yellow is also standard artistic New Belgium fare with hops framing a summer scene from the vantage point of someone conducting the tumbling maneuver that the beer is named after.
Alcohol by Volume: 5.2%
COLOR (0-2): Gold and very clear. 1
AROMA (0-2): Sweet malts with a whiff of citrus. 2
HEAD (0-2): Bright white color. Good volume and lacing. 2
TASTE (0-5): Smooth malts at front followed with soft, but noticeable hoppy bitterness. Citrus flavors with a hint of apricot. Light-bodied, crisp, very refreshing, and drinkable. 3
AFTERTASTE (0-2): Tangy finish. 2
OVERALL (0-6): In the glass, there isn’t much to look at. But I was pleasantly surprised by finding much more flavor than you would expect given its appearance. The tangy, somewhat fruity finish is delicious and gives Somersault a unique twist that is well-suited for summer drinking. 4
TOTAL SCORE (0-19): 14
