# Monteith's Summer Ale?



## braufrau (26/3/07)

I got a request to make a monteiths summer ale clone.
Can't find a recipe on the web 

According to the blurb its made with 4 malts, 1 citrusy hop,
spices (including ginger and maybe cloves), rata honey. Its 5% and 12IBU. 

Not much to go on.

Thanks for any hints.
If anyone has an idea of a nice recipe that might not be exactly this, but
lightly spiced and low IBUs that would be good too.

-braufrau


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## ozpowell (26/3/07)

braufrau said:


> I got a request to make a monteiths summer ale clone.
> Can't find a recipe on the web
> 
> According to the blurb its made with 4 malts, 1 citrusy hop,
> ...



As far as citrusy hops go, you can't go past Amarillo, though I haven't had the pleasure of tasking Monteith's Summer Ale, so I can't confirm that is the hop....

Cheers,
Michael.


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## bconnery (26/3/07)

braufrau said:


> Thanks for any hints.
> If anyone has an idea of a nice recipe that might not be exactly this, but
> lightly spiced and low IBUs that would be good too.
> 
> -braufrau



I have my recipe for a golden christmas ale on the site here

It has a little more spices, just adjust them down I'd say, but it is a pale ale type base, honey in the recipe, and wasn't highly hopped. 

It was a great beer but it did take a while for the spices to blend in, 4-5 months. With less spices that time will be reduced. 

It's an extract with grains, and I've just looked and it suggests it was 40IBU, which of course isn't that low, but I don't think I entered the AA% of the hops correctly. I used hallertau which isn't citrusy either...

Still, it's a start!


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## ham2k (5/1/08)

braufrau, did you have a stab at a summer ale? how did it turn out?

Anyone else have any ideas?


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## TomB (15/11/08)

I have a Monteith's in hand, which is how I came across this forum, and I am struggling to discern any flavour other than mild ginger beer. Certainly can't taste any honey or spices.


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## Adamt (15/11/08)

Well, the last post was in January, quite likely you've either got an old one, or a new batch with a different recipe.


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## TomB (15/11/08)

The label quite clearly states "honey-spiced" however it also states "seasonal release".


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## kevo (15/11/08)

Just buy a bottle of ginger ale and insist on paying a bit extra for it.


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## Katherine (26/11/08)

I tried this a couple of days ago... were is the beer in it??? I so got sucked in my advertisment!


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## wyatt_girth (26/11/08)

Dry ginger ale. Maybe it just needs scotch.


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## Snow (27/11/08)

I had it last night. Worst beer I've had in a loooong while. No hops, no malt, no honey. Just watery ginger. If you want to replicate it just mix some powdered malt with vodka and ginger ale and that should get you pretty close.


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## Katherine (27/11/08)

> I had it last night. Worst beer I've had in a loooong while. No hops, no malt, no honey. Just watery ginger. If you want to replicate it just mix some powdered malt with vodka and ginger ale and that should get you pretty close.



I cant believe it got past there quality control... Not quite sure what market they are aiming at... The most bland WHAT EVER it is I have EVER had.

Im sure what ever Braufrau decides to make will not reseamble this...

sorry bad spelling


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## white.grant (27/11/08)

Snow said:


> I had it last night. Worst beer I've had in a loooong while. No hops, no malt, no honey. Just watery ginger. If you want to replicate it just mix some powdered malt with vodka and ginger ale and that should get you pretty close.



Worst beer?, you must never have tried the Monteith Radler :icon_vomit: 

cheers

Grant


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## afromaiko (27/11/08)

Grantw said:


> Worst beer?, you must never have tried the Monteith Radler :icon_vomit:



+1 :icon_vomit:


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## reviled (29/11/08)

afromaiko said:


> +1 :icon_vomit:



+ a million  

Both the Radler and Summer ale are shite, theyre aimed at people who drink Corona and crap like that, very popular in the Monteiths bars unfortunately... I even had someone try to convince me to go to a bar purely because they had that shit on tap :unsure: 

IMO, the only good Monteiths beers are the celtic red and the black... The rest is swill!

Do you guys get Macs over there yet? its still swillish, but Macs Hop Rocker, and Macs Sassy Red are pretty damn good, nice hops and not as swill like as other mega swills.. At a guess ( I havnt tried JS) id say it would be our equivilant to your James Squire beers... But dont try the Golden Lager, I dont like it much... 

My $0.02


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## Fatgodzilla (29/11/08)

reviled said:


> + a million
> 
> Both the Radler and Summer ale are shite, theyre aimed at people who drink Corona and crap like that, very popular in the Monteiths bars unfortunately... I even had someone try to convince me to go to a bar purely because they had that shit on tap :unsure:
> 
> ...



Reviled - wouldn't you know it, I bought three Monteith stubbies last week and planned on drinking them tonight - the Summer Ale, the Golden Lager and the Pilsner. I'll get back to you with my comments. 

It sounds like I may enjoy them as much as I enjoy the All Blacks - not much !


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## reviled (29/11/08)

Fatgodzilla said:


> Reviled - wouldn't you know it, I bought three Monteith stubbies last week and planned on drinking them tonight - the Summer Ale, the Golden Lager and the Pilsner. I'll get back to you with my comments.
> 
> It sounds like I may enjoy them as much as I enjoy the All Blacks - not much !



 Not the Pilsner??? That was like sugar water to me... Sorry... 

Out of those three, the Golden Lager will be the best, make sure youre out in the blistering sun when you try it and it may just sneak by as being acceptable


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## Fatgodzilla (29/11/08)

reviled said:


> Not the Pilsner??? That was like sugar water to me... Sorry...
> 
> Out of those three, the Golden Lager will be the best, make sure youre out in the blistering sun when you try it and it may just sneak by as being acceptable




I'll break out some lamb chops and have a general anti Kiwi night ! :icon_chickcheers:


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## reviled (29/11/08)

Fatgodzilla said:


> I'll break out some lamb chops and have a general anti Kiwi night ! :icon_chickcheers:



:lol: Reminds me of when I spent Australia day in melbourne a few years back, my mate (an aussie) was going on about how we HAD to have lamb chops for dinner, I was like WTF is with this lamb chop obsession??

Apparantly its just the Australian thing to do? I dont think we have a particular meat as such, as long as its cooked on the bbq and has tomato sauce its kiwi enough for me


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## Fatgodzilla (29/11/08)

reviled said:


> :lol: Reminds me of when I spent Australia day in melbourne a few years back, my mate (an aussie) was going on about how we HAD to have lamb chops for dinner, I was like WTF is with this lamb chop obsession??
> 
> Apparantly its just the Australian thing to do? I dont think we have a particular meat as such, as long as its cooked on the bbq and has tomato sauce its kiwi enough for me




The Lamb Marketing Board had a promotion over the past few years promoting the eating of lamb chops on Australia Day that has been so successful, everyone seems to think we've been doing it for years. Yesterday's news had the story NZ will export 48 million fat lambs to the world's markets next year - I guess that means there's probably none left for domestic consumption !

I'm like you, if its meat, bbq'd and you put sauce on it, it must be good ! And I hope the beer is better than you guys have made it out to be ... for my sake ! :icon_cheers:


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## reviled (29/11/08)

Fatgodzilla said:


> The Lamb Marketing Board had a promotion over the past few years promoting the eating of lamb chops on Australia Day that has been so successful, everyone seems to think we've been doing it for years. Yesterday's news had the story NZ will export 48 million fat lambs to the world's markets next year - I guess that means there's probably none left for domestic consumption !
> 
> I'm like you, if its meat, bbq'd and you put sauce on it, it must be good ! And I hope the beer is better than you guys have made it out to be ... for my sake ! :icon_cheers:



Mate, NZ running out of Sheep will never happen, so dont you guys worry about that  

Hilarious tho, how marketing can sucessfully convince an entire country of what theyve been doing for years :lol: Even if they havnt.. I wondered why id never heard about it before.. lol 

I propose, you drink the beer, starting with the Pilsner, move onto the summer ale, and have the golden lager last, hopefully by then the GL will taste ok? h34r:


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## Fatgodzilla (30/11/08)

reviled said:


> Mate, NZ running out of Sheep will never happen, so dont you guys worry about that
> 
> Hilarious tho, how marketing can sucessfully convince an entire country of what theyve been doing for years :lol: Even if they havnt.. I wondered why id never heard about it before.. lol
> 
> I propose, you drink the beer, starting with the Pilsner, move onto the summer ale, and have the golden lager last, hopefully by then the GL will taste ok? h34r:




Won't comment on the only sheep you export to Australia - two legged ones B) 

Lamb/mutton was the dominant meat eaten in Australia until 1980s, when chicken took over. Ol' Col. Sanders has a lot to answer for. That's why the Aussie Day thing was a big deal- to restore national pride ? Nah, sell more red meat !!

Back to beer, drunk the beers before I found this post. The Summer Ale - very inoffensive, very ordinary. Copped some ginger aromas, no honey - tasted more like a lemonade shandy. Drink it when you are hot and thirsty, its just okay, but it aint what we would call a beer. For the $4.50 it cost me, not worth wasting your money. Then came the Pilsner. Again, inoffensive. I reckon if I'd brewed this, I would be thinking - no real hop profile, needs more Saaz etc. I call this a "just good enough" beer - any worse you won't drink it, any better, no one would offer it to you - just good enough. Again, don't waste your money on it.

The Golden Lager is still in the fridge - two Monteiths was enough for one session !


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## Frank (30/11/08)

Grantw said:


> Worst beer?, you must never have tried the Monteith Radler :icon_vomit:
> cheers
> Grant


I wish I read this this morning. Ordered one across the bar at lunchtime today, without reading the description etc. It tasted like someone gave me a shandy made with Lemon, Lime and Bitters. Afer I read the label it stated fresh lemon in the brew, but it just tasted like the fake lemon essence you can buy at the Supermarket. 
This will deffenately go down as one of the worst.


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## Yorg (1/12/08)

Well, I had one of these on the weekend. Ginger was over the top, but it also had a subltle honey flavour like manuka honey, and an again subtle crystal note. Malt flavour was moderate, certainly a beer rather than shandy. Can't see where 4 malts went, but could buy 2. Couldn't really notice the hop over the ginger.
I think everone's being a bit harsh, based on the example I had.


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## Frank (1/12/08)

Yorg said:


> Well, I had one of these on the weekend. Ginger was over the top, but it also had a subltle honey flavour like manuka honey, and an again subtle crystal note. Malt flavour was moderate, certainly a beer rather than shandy. Can't see where 4 malts went, but could buy 2. Couldn't really notice the hop over the ginger.
> I think everone's being a bit harsh, based on the example I had.


By your description, you actually tried the Summer Ale. We had got OT and started talking about the Radler.


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## GMK (1/12/08)

Try the Dopplebock that is nice.


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## Fatgodzilla (2/12/08)

Yorg said:


> Well, I had one of these on the weekend. Ginger was over the top, but it also had a subltle honey flavour like manuka honey, and an again subtle crystal note. Malt flavour was moderate, certainly a beer rather than shandy. Can't see where 4 malts went, but could buy 2. Couldn't really notice the hop over the ginger.
> I think everone's being a bit harsh, based on the example I had.



I'm imagining the possibility that your bottle was fresher than mine and better stored before serving. However I'll stick by my original assessment and add that this is a brew for those who like this type of brew. It's not a bad drink - it's just not a great one. And when I pay a premium price for a 330ml bottle of imported beer, I'm expecting value for money. I didn't get it with this brew and based on the other Monteiths I tried, I may be harsh but I frankly won't buy another one !



> Try the Dopplebock that is nice


 ... if nothing else jumps out and inspires me.


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## reviled (2/12/08)

$4.50 a stubbie :blink: Christ allmighty thats expensive!!!

$9.99 a 6 pack here on special (which is common) and I wont even pay that, ill have one for free..... maybe


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## Fatgodzilla (2/12/08)

reviled said:


> $4.50 a stubbie :blink: Christ allmighty thats expensive!!!



with the current exchange rate, AUS $4.50 is like NZ $12,879 so, yes, it was poor value. :icon_chickcheers:


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## troublebrewing (15/2/09)

I had a Summer Ale today and really enjoyed it, found this thread searching for a recipe! It was very inoffensive, but I think it'd make a great session beer. Nice unusual flavour though, but I've never had ginger ale, so... Sounds like I won't have any luck finding a recipe here though, AHB has spoken and decreed that it is bad!

Totally agree on the Radler though. That thing's a crime against beer.

The original is quite nice. The black is amazing!


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## Jakechan (16/2/09)

Yeah, the black and the red are both top drops.


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## Blazo (12/11/09)

Yeah, the Radler is a shocker, but I still think the Summer Ale isnt all that bad on a Summers day. 

Over the weekend I was at a bar in Sydney which must see a few of us Kiwi's. 
Well they had Tooheys New, VB, I think Becks or something just as boring , on Tap. They also had Summer Ale.

Well I would rather a Summer Ale on a hot muggy day over any of that other swill any day of the week. 

Also , as with other aromatic beers, served ice cold in a bottle, you get absolutly Nada out of it. Needs to be served in a proper beer glass, so you can let it breath a little bit ( kinda like a good wine....)

If only they started to concentrate on bringing out a bit more of a beer profile and reduce the residual sweetnesss, it would be a Cracker over Summer.


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## phinnsfotos (12/11/09)

Worst "beer" I"ve ever had. If I ever felt like what they're trying to do with this I'll get some Cooper's Pale Ale and Stones Green Ginger wine.


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## Nick JD (15/1/10)

Sorry to drag this old thread up, but yes ... SWMBO has decreed that Monteiths Summer Ale is a drop she likes. IMO, breaking into a market that consists of "the other half of the population" is probably worth offending a few hairy blokes with their cast iron tongues. 

But - I'm going to "improve" on it whilst throwing modesty into the wind.

What about...

12.5L batch.

2kg Ale Malt
1kg Wheat Malt
15g Pacific Jade for 60 minutes
10g Riwaka for 20 minutes
10g Cascade 0 minutes
250g Honey 
15g Ginger root (with dry hop)
1tsp Nutmeg
1tsp Corriander
1tsp Black pepper
US05 @ 20C


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## aaronpetersen (31/3/10)

Nick JD said:


> Sorry to drag this old thread up, but yes ... SWMBO has decreed that Monteiths Summer Ale is a drop she likes. IMO, breaking into a market that consists of "the other half of the population" is probably worth offending a few hairy blokes with their cast iron tongues.
> 
> But - I'm going to "improve" on it whilst throwing modesty into the wind.
> 
> ...




How did this turn out? Like you, my other half also likes the Summer Ale. I don't do AG so I was hoping you could tell me how much malt extract I would need to replace the grains you have listed. Also, did everything go in the boil or did you do something else with the spices and ginger?


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## Nick JD (31/3/10)

AaronP said:


> How did this turn out? Like you, my other half also likes the Summer Ale. I don't do AG so I was hoping you could tell me how much malt extract I would need to replace the grains you have listed. Also, did everything go in the boil or did you do something else with the spices and ginger?



Check the reply in "recipes and ingredients". I reckon 600g of LDME = 1kg of AG base malt. Other's may chime in with a more accurate number.

The ginger and nutmeg were in the boil. :icon_cheers:


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## bear09 (4/1/11)

Snow said:


> I had it last night. Worst beer I've had in a loooong while. No hops, no malt, no honey. Just watery ginger. If you want to replicate it just mix some powdered malt with vodka and ginger ale and that should get you pretty close.



What the heck is wrong with you people? Cant you just take a beer for what it is and what it proclaims to be?

I read the label and then had a mouthful only to be very pleasantly surprised. I certainly noticed the ginger but all of the other mentioned flavours were there though very subtle which is what I thought was the point of those beers.

Dont get me wrong Im not having a serious dig at anyone here everyone is entitled to their opinion even if its wrong .

I just dont know how this could be classified as a bad beer. I think it is incredibly well made and true to its description.

Ah well different strokes for different folks.

Cheers all.


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