It is that time of year again when the weather starts to get nicer and with the impending change of the season a plethora of spring and summer seasonal beers are released. Some of the great things about beers released this time of year is that they are typically lighter, refreshing and often have floral or citrus notes to them. One of the new releases this spring that caught my eye is a beer by Bridgeport Brewing that was released on May 16th. This is a pleasant surprise since Bridgeport, until recently, has not made a great deal of beers outside of their traditional English style ales.

The new Bridgeport beer is called Summer Squeeze Bright Ale. What caught my eye is that this beer is infused with lemongrass and pure yuzu juice, which comes from a sour Japanese citrus fruit.

From the press release:

The new brew has a pale ale base with a twist of lemongrass and the East Asian citrus fruit, yuzu and is currently on tap at the Ale House and Brewpub in Portland. BridgePort brewmaster, Jeff Edgerton, starts with Austrian Aurora hops in the kettle and NW Sterling whole hops in the hop jack for aroma, along with dried lemongrass for a lemon-flavored background. Then, pure yuzu fruit juice is added in the conditioning process to give Summer Squeeze a very unique, yet subtle Mandarin orange-like flavor. The result is a beer blending the citrus flavors from the hops, lemongrass and yuzu fruit, to complement the light, warm malt background.

“This is the lightest of any brew we’ve ever produced at BridgePort and the first time we’ve used citrus in any of our beers,” explains Brewmaster Edgerton. “The yuzu is a unique flavor, tasting much like a Mandarin orange with a hint of grapefruit.”

BridgePort’s Summer Squeeze Bright Ale Stats:

IBU’s: 19.0 ABV: 4.5% Color: Light Golden OG: 10.50

Ingredients: Barley malt, Austrian Aurora and NW Sterling hops, lemongrass and pure yuzu juice.

Description: A bright ale infused with lemongrass and pure yuzu juice. A crisp summer beer with a subtle citrus tang.

Although, I have not tried this beer yet I will definitely pick up a few bottles when it is released on May 16th. Also mark your calendars for BridgePort’s Summer Squeeze Bright Ale release party Thursday, June 2 at 5:30pm at the BridgePort BrewPub in the Pearl to coincide with the release of its other summer seasonal, Stumptown Tart. This event is free and open to the public, attendees can try the free samples of these new brews while supplies last.

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