Appearance

The Dandy Bright Young Things English Summer Ale has a clean, white, tall can with a man and woman on the front drawn in red. Pouring the beer, it has the color of a hazy IPA or a Hefeweizen and has a thick, very foamy white head.

Aroma

Nosing the beer, I’m greeted with big notes of bright citrus grapefruit, orange and mango. It smells like fresh, tropical juice punch on an island vacation some place warm.

Flavor

My first few sips bring a dry, citrus start. That develops into added sweetness in the middle, with some ale quality. Overall, I found the flavor to be underwhelming when compared to the complexity from the aroma.

Balance

The citrus hops, sweetness and tannins are all fairly well balanced. So often I find tannins over power a beer so I’m pleasantly surprised.

Finish

Each sip finishes with a tannic citrus that has a medium length finish. Occasionally there is some sweetness, which fades quickly.

Overall

The Dandy Bright Young Things English Summer Ale has a lot going for it on the aroma, style, finish and balance. It’s possible the age of the beer influenced the flavor and it is best enjoyed fresh. Overall, the flavor wasn’t bad, I just found it to be uncomplicated compared to other beer offerings from Dandy. This is one I’ll have to revisit in the warmer climate as fresh as possible to see how it compares.

John McTavish

SCORE

6.08

Cost/Point

$0.58

Scoring System

Personal Beer Review: Dandy Bright Young Things English Summer Ale