Summit Brewing Company

Microbrewery in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States 🇺🇸
Associated Venue: Summit Brewing Company

Established in 1986

Contact
910 Montreal Circle, St. Paul, MN, 55102, United States
Description
Way back in 1986, before craft brewing was even cool, Summit Brewing Company Founder and President Mark Stutrud set out in St. Paul, Minnesota, to make craft beers inspired by old-world brewing traditions and ingredients. More than 30 years have passed since he first brewed our flagship Summit Extra Pale Ale, and it’s safe to say he freaking nailed it.

Today, Summit Brewing continues to infuse traditional recipes with modern ingredients from around the world, crafting high-quality and consistent craft beer out of respect for the hardworking folks who enjoy our beer.

And because we’re independently owned and operated, we get to make craft beer our way. That means relying on natural carbonation, protecting the foam, and celebrating the true dance between malts, hops, water, and yeast. It means protecting the environment, supporting the community and the arts, being kind to animals, and always having one more beer with our friends and family even if we’re already late for rotary club. It means drinking our beer fresh and cold, because warm storage turns good beer to shit. And it means never settling for “good enough,” always pulling the goalie when we’ve got a chance to win, swinging for the fences, and never, ever forgetting where we come from. Grain country represent.

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8.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

Got in a trade with The-Adjunct-Hippie. 12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 11/29/2017. Pours dense pitch black color with a 1 finger dense and rocky tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, wood, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of huge dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, wood, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery hops; and roast/charred bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, light licorice/dark fruit, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, wood, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a fantastic roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, fairly sticky/chalky, and lightly slick mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 10.5%. Overall this is an amazing Russian imperial stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for big ABV, with the mellowly bitter/charred/drying finish. Amazingly soft feel for the style. Amazing huge/rich stout malt complexity; with balancing earthy hops, and restrained fruity yeast. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly amazing offering, and top tier style example. Reminds me of a less bitter Old Raspy a lot. Aged amazingly.

Tried from Bottle on 31 May 2019 at 20:32


8.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Got in a trade with The-Adjunct-Hippie. 12 ounce can into pint glass, best before 12/14/2018. Pours fairly hazy/cloudy pale golden yellow color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big lemon, orange peel, coriander, peach, pear, melon, red apple, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, wood, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, spices, moderate pale/wheat malts, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big lemon, orange peel, coriander, peach, pear, melon, red apple, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, wood, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, floral, woody, grassy bitterness; and peppery yeast/coriander spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, orange peel, coriander, peach, pear, melon, red apple, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, wood, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, spices, moderate pale/wheat malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a fantastic malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and no astringent flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness and carbonation. Medium-plus carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth and moderately creamy/bready/grainy/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 4.5%. Overall this is an incredible witbier. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, spices, moderate pale/wheat malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth, refreshing, and fairly crisp/clean to drink with the mellowly bitter/spicy/drying finish. Very flavorful and not watery for the ABV. Perfectly balanced between classic wit yeast, spices, and clean pale/wheat malts; with nice noble hop presence/balance. Minimal residual sweetness from crisp dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example. One of the best I have had.

Tried from Can on 30 May 2019 at 03:55


7
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Sampled from the cask at Happy Gnome. Pours a near clear yellow gold with a white head that lasts throughout the beer. Aroma has notes of grass, light blood orange, grain and straw. Flavor has notes of grains and bread with a growing blood orange note.

Tried from Cask on 11 May 2019 at 00:07


6.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6.5

Can. Pours a hazy amber gold with a white head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has earthy citrus and musty tropical fruit with a bit of a sweet bread underlying. Flavor has earthy citrus throughout, a bit of rind and some sweet bread backing.

Tried from Can on 29 Apr 2019 at 16:35


5

Tried on 13 Apr 2019 at 14:42


7.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

12oz bottle. Quite a solid, sublime beer. Caramel, medium dark malt tones. Pleasant, light hop balance. Quite clean, doesn't have the sticky tone a lot of rye beers end up having. Almost comes off Alt-like. Well balanced, not a rye bomb by any means.

Tried from Bottle on 09 Apr 2019 at 06:13


7
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

12oz bottle. Filtered orange-tan body. Thin, foamy, white head. Clean, bright, modern Pale Ale. Strawberry-guava tinged tropical hops, some pleasant mild rind as well. Very clean, easy drinking. Good Pale Ale.

Tried from Bottle on 06 Apr 2019 at 01:23


6.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

12oz bottle. Classical US IPA. Sort of filtered looking body, but has some micro-floaties happening too. Piney, resinous, full bodied. Drinkable, but kind of soapy. Overall not that impressive, a little heavy handed, approaching IIPA.

Tried from Bottle on 05 Apr 2019 at 02:40


7

Tried from Draft on 02 Apr 2019 at 18:20


7.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Draft at Hopcat. Black with cap of soft beige head. Roasty aroma and tadte, chocolate, burnt toast. Taste brings a bit of sweet as well, hint of smoke. Dry.

Tried from Draft on 02 Apr 2019 at 00:35