A wise man once said it is important to know your audience. Wabasha Brewing Company has their audience in mind when they brew Hail Summer Ale, a summer seasonal that is back by popular demand. This beer is not aggressively hopped, it does not use a crazy obscure yeast that produces esters of barnyards or Turkish rodeos. It is a straight-forward summer beer. What does that mean? I guess that in fairness to the democracy of palate differential, a straight-forward summer beer can mean different things to different people. If you are being raised in the Scottish Highlands, a summer beer is probably malty and a tad smokey. If you are not yet on board with the craft beer movement, your summer beer is probably a macro beer from one of the huge national conglomerates. In Minnesota, a summer beer has to go well with a boat or a patio because summer lasts about as long as my sanity during a 50 Shades of Gray book club discussion. Whatever your definition of summer beer is, a hallmark of that style of beer is that it should be refreshing.

The Hail Summer Ale hits the mark of refreshing with almost a perfect bullseye. It has a 5.3% ABV and 12 IBU. It has a subtle citrus and melon aroma that is pleasant and refreshing. The appearance is a bright goldenrod color with a bit of haze to it that brightly bursts with illumination as the happy hour sunlight passes through the glass.

Flavorwise, it has a rejuvenating sweetness that is almost straddling the fence of what a shandy might taste like. There are hints of orange in the taste along with some honey. If you really like Bell’s Oberon, this is similar in the citrus flavor profile, but with more sweetness. It is smooth and not hoppy at all. Wabasha gets a lot of feedback from their loyal brewery fans and they listen.

I think that this beer is quite refreshing and would be a fantastic accompaniment with some tacos from the Boca Chica Taco House right down the street from Wabasha Brewing Co.’s taproom. Wabasha is smart to give their drinkers what they want for a season of the year that is often way too short. As mentioned in an earlier article, Wabasha is careful to craft beers that are approachable to a wide array of palates. The Hail Summer Ale accomplishes that and since Memorial Day is often the unofficial start of summer, get into their taproom and try a pint or two.

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Prost!