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.
Bottle from Archer Liquors. Reddish copper color with an ephemeral whiteish head. Light caramel aroma. Medium body with frothy carbonation. Flavor is caramel with a very light hop component. Finishes sort of sweetish, though there is a little bitter. Good for a lager.
Bottle. Pours a deep brown with minimal tan head that looks a little sudsy. Aromas are roasty with little complexity. A little bit of cardboard chocolate mix and roasted malt is about all I’m picking up. Flavor is much more interesting and there are some pretty good undercurrents that compliment the roasted malt and chocolate overtones. While this certainly isn’t a heavy palate type of beer, there is a nice bitter side to the darkness and a little bit of prune fruitiness that works well here. Palate is a little thin, but fairly smooth. This is nice enough for a cold winter day session.
Bottle. Pours a clear copper amber with a medium frothy off white head that diminishes quickly. The aroma is a dark fruit with a spicy malt. Decent spotty lacing on the glass. The taste is a rich malt with raisin and caramel. A good ESB from Summit.
Bottle as shown. Pours a clear copper orange with a small frothy off white head. The aroma is grapefruit, pine hops and raisin. Decent spotty lacing on the glass. The taste is very hoppy with a nice bitter finish. A good IPA from Summit.
Bottle as shown. Pours a dark ruby color with a large frothy light tan head. The aroma is a roasted malt with chocolate, toffee and smoke. Good sticky lacing on the glass. The taste is roasted malt, with licorice and a nice dry finish. A good english strong ale from Summit.
Bottle as shown. Pours a clear copper orange with a small frothy white head. The aroma is floral hops and honey caramel. Decent spotty lacing on the glass. The taste is a crisp citrus hops with a clean dry finish. Easy to drink, a good american pale ale from Summit.
Reddish copper color with a decent beige head. Aromas of florality and caramel. Near medium body with frothy carbonation. Flavors of roasted caramel and floral/citric hop. Kind of like a harsh ESB. Finishes mildly bitter. Tasty.
Bottle from Beer Geek. Hazy golden color with an emphemeral white head. Aroma is a bit menthol. Near medium body with spritzy carbonation. Flavor is a bit mentholic, quickly reducing to more regular spice. Whatever they used, it is really flavorful. Finish is a bit vegy, but that’s not so bad. Quite an interesting experience.
Nitro at barcade - I agree with andy - this beer was very good - very creamy, and quite full in the mouth for the style - a ton of vanilla, chocolate, cookie dough, and a slight nuttiness - some espresso bitterness on the back end to temper the sweetness - I plowed through my pint of this.
12 ounce bottle courtesy of Skyview... the LAST of the local tis the season swap. Too bad. Pours a clear copper color with a medium head. Average head retention and lacing. I find the aroma very odd with sweetish and slightly toasted malts and lots of overcooked corn. Some nuttiness. Taste is toasted malts, caramel, corn and bitter hops. Medium bodied. Odd one.