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Summer Lightning Ale

Contribute your own beer reviews and ratings of beers that are made or available in Ontario.

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gongu
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2004 7:00 pm
Location: S.E. Mississauga

Summer Lightning Ale

Post by gongu »

Summer Ligthning from the Hop Back Brewery in Wiltshire England
has been spotted at the LCBO and is full of flavor. Check it out.
Applewood plaza LCBO just west of Dixie on the North Service Rd.
has some. It has won numerous CAMRA awards. My Apologies if this
is old news. :D

antirealist
Posts: 128
Joined: Sat May 22, 2004 6:26 pm
Location: Yorkville

Post by antirealist »

Have you tried any yet? I had a couple from the Summerhill LCBO, and I was pretty underwhelmed. It tasted bland and underhopped to me. I know I've had better in the past, so I'm not sure what's happened with this batch.

Also, I believe the label claims that Summer Lightning is bottle conditioned, but I couldn't see any evidence of sediment, and the bottom of the bottle was clean as a whistle.

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GregClow
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Location: Parkdale
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Post by GregClow »

I tried a couple of bottles and had the same experience as antirealist. I was expecting something more unique with a better hop profile. It wasn't awful, but it certainly didn't knock my socks off.

mustang3
Posts: 79
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2004 7:00 pm

Post by mustang3 »

If it won CAMRA awards wouldn't that be for a cask version? I saw no evidence of bottle conditioning. I agree it was solid, but nothing really exciting.

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Jon Walker
Seasoned Drinker
Posts: 1899
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2001 8:00 pm
Location: Wherever you go there you are

Post by Jon Walker »

I've actually enjoyed it quite a bit. The sediment is most certainly in the bottles I've had so far. As for the availability gongu, there's still a lot of it around at various stores but thanks for the update anyway.

the_mad_brewer
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Feb 26, 2003 7:00 pm
Location: Whitby

Post by the_mad_brewer »

I also tried this one. There was quite a bit of yeast in the bottom but the LCBO I purchased it from had not bothered to store it correctly. It had been sitting under the lights and at room temperature. So not very suprisingly it was sour. I was MUCH more impressed with the Haymaker. It was fresh and a great session ale (IMHO). 8)

borderline_alcoholic
Posts: 378
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2003 8:00 pm

Post by borderline_alcoholic »

Having now purchased Summer Lightning from a couple of LCBOs there does seem to be some variation. The first 3 cases I bought from Summerhill. All of those had (quite a bit of) sediment and were in excellent condition, so I will be returning there for future ones. (The only one I had that exhibited any problems was one which gushed when I opened it and that seemed to be an isolated probably wild yeast infection, I guess).

I have also bought quite a few from the Manulife centre and from Davisville. Davisville's seemed fine too, but the Manulifre batch seemed to be sediment free - though I do not really see how the LCBO can be at fault there - and seemed slightly off (which I probably can fault them for).

I have also bought a couple from a few other LCBOs - though not in quantities big enough to make any sort of general statement. But again, I have found ones which were not in good condition and ones with and without sediement.

I am not sure why there are some bottles without sediment. That is odd.

And yes, it is the cask Summer Lightning which won the CAMRA awards. It is noticably hoppier in its cask incarnation, though the bottled version (when good) is still by far my favourite of the current promotion.

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