Wachusett Summer Ale

By Eric Cioffi


Wachusett Brewery was founded in 1993 by three friends who shared an appreciation for craft beer. Wachusett Country Ale, the brewery’s first offering, was introduced the next year after lots of experimentation to get it just right. Summer Wheat is produced in the Westminster, Massachusetts facility where the three partners have never strayed from their plan to brew and sell the freshest, highest quality beer. Wachusett Summer Ale is an American wheat with a hint of lemon, which makes this beer light and super refreshing. It is brewed with American two row pale malt and malted wheat and hopped with Perle, German Hallertau, and Tettnang hops.

 I sampled this beer at Laurie’s 9:09 Seafood in Wakefield. Adjacent to the MBTA train tracks, the 9:09 is an interesting little restaurant with a decent dinner menu with a very good raw bar and and excellent selection of draft and bottled beers. It was a scorching 92 degrees outside and I was dying of thirst. The Wachusett Summer Wheat was immediately appealing and soon arrived in an ice-cold, frosted pint glass. It was so cool and refreshing I almost finished it in one swallow. It really hit the spot on day four of a five-day 90-degree plus heat wave. I finished it on the second swallow and ordered another to really taste for this review.

The second pint arrived cloudy and golden yellow. Its fluffy white head perched atop the golden base reminded me of a slice of lemon meringue pie. The aroma was pleasant; citrus lemony with hints of biscuit. While there were no real hop notes to speak of, the beer was cold, refreshing and drinkable.  It is an American wheat and tastes like one.  Crisp and moderately carbonated, Summer Wheat features nice floral and lemon flavors mixed with grassy wheat. The yeast profile is subdued American style, which I prefer to the piquant Belgian strains. Overall, this is a light and brightly refreshing beer and one that certainly hits the spot on a sweltering summer evening. I recommend you give it a try.

American Wheat | 4.7% ABV
Rating: 78