Yazoo's Summer Ale contributes to a good cause, but is not a great beer

I first learned Yazoo’s Summer Ale was coming back in April, when I guest blogged a post about local springtime beers for OnNashville.com.  According to Yazoo, this was going to be an organic Eng­lish mild made with just one par­tic­u­lar hop and one par­tic­u­lar malt.  I have since found out that the beer is made using “pilsner malt and lots of Saaz hops.”

The Pour
This pours a completely clear golden straw color, with a one finger thick, decently pillowy off-white head.  It doesn’t seem to be an overly effervescent beer.

The Nose
The nose develops greater personality after the first couple of short sniffs.  At first, it smells mildly hoppy and fruity, and quite clean.  As the nose develops, though, a deeper fruit profile develops.  I definitely picked up peaches in the nose, along with some other varieties of fruits…possibly hints of cherry and citrus?

The Taste
This starts dry and fruity and finishes dry and fruity.  There is definitely a unique hoppiness to it, distinctive from other hoppy profiles I’ve experienced before.  It’s not an obviously fruity or floral hop flavor to me, but more a spicy, bitter hop.  It’s not a mouth puckering hoppiness but a distinctive hoppiness., that starts small at the front of the palate and quickly grows and spreads at the back of the throat.  It almost has a powdery character to it as well.  This beer is light-bodied and has flavors that linger well after the beer is gone.

Overall
I like the fruitiness the beer has…it’s a deep fruitiness that really keeps you drinking and smelling as you try to deconstruct the flavors.  This is my first experience with a Saaz hops that I am aware of (and probably safe to say it’s my first all Saaz hops beer) and I can’t say I’m a big fan.  When I read about Saaz hops I see it described as earthy and spicy.  I get the spicy, but not at all the earthy.

Recommended
You’d be hard pressed to find a bad Yazoo beer, so I definitely recommend them, but if asked to recommend specific Yazoo beers, this would probably be last on my list.  But 20% goes to a good cause….so at least give it a shot.  You may like it more than I do, plus you’ll be drinking for a good cause.

Price: $1.99/12 oz. bottle

ABV: ???