So it's time to switch over to summer brews. I don't believe I even sampled any spring seasonals this year. The transition in the weather has been so quick that the beer transition has gone just as fast.
One thing I'm noticing is how many more of the craft brews are coming to us in cans. In fact just about every summer brew I am currently sampling is in a can. Case in point is this week's beer which comes to us from Magic Hat, the erstwhile Vermont craft brewer located in South Burlington, VT.
One of the offerings in their summer seasonal sampler (try saying that three time fast!) is a wheat ale they call Stealin' Time. I suppose the intent behind the name is to capture the lazy, hazy days of summer that should be passed contentedly sipping a brew such as this one.
There is definitely the cloudy appearance one often sees in wheat ales. A quick whiff brings a somewhat sweet malty aroma.
Then you take the first sip. You get a slight prickly sensation on the tip of the tongue. But then there is the spicy snap in the flavor. That is when you read the can a little more carefully and discover that Stealin' Time is a wheat ale brewed with ginger. And the pieces fall into place. That taste sensation was akin to a ginger snap cookie, or maybe even a hint of pumpkin pie. Not as sweet of course. Just a hint, but not enough to destroy the balance or the tasting experience.
The spicy ginger snap flavor lingers a while in the aftertaste as you swallow. Not overpowering or too sweet. Just enough to remind you there is ginger in this here brew.
Stealin' Time is a simple concoction perfect for summer time. Complex enough to be interesting, not so complex as to get in its own way and destroy the light mood. At 5.5% abv it's what you would expect from Magic Hat in the summer. Interesting enough to keep you drinking it. But unpretentious as befitting the season and the warmer weather.
I give Magic Hat's Stealin' Time 6 mugs out of 10.
Will return in future weeks with more summer brews.