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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7.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Pour is almost a red with a nice white head. Aroma is hops with some citrus. Flavor is hoppy with some caramel. Not the best IPA and not near the worst.

Tried on 29 Jan 2005 at 19:57


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

Pale amber, greenish shine, small amberish head. Chaff, grapey American hops, very subdued, some ambrée malts. Sweetish, fruity, again especially grapes, sour grapes. Hoppy bitterness gradually builds, always leaving some restsugars in the oral cavity, tasting like cane sugar. Medium bodied, medium slickness, even some refreshing properties. Nice beer, in se. It’s about as German as Weisswurst with Heinz ketchup and Freedom fries.

Tried from Can on 18 Dec 2004 at 15:50


6.3
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Fully clear red-ambr; flimsy yellowish head. Bready, malr syrup nose, rather fast gone. There’s ambrée and other malts, for sure, but the hopbite is instantly and lasting. Way more hoppy than any German Märzen, and it ain’t Hallertau Mittelfrüh neither, it seems. Bitter cookie? Medium bodied, some malt stickiness. OK, not great.

Tried on 18 Dec 2004 at 13:54


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

Deep red wine appearance, topped by a thin tan head. Dry, toasty aroma with chocolate notes. Toasty, chocolatey body with woody tannins that hint at dark fruits that never quite develop, although there is a red grapeskin characteristic to this beer. Aha! This is very, very similar to New Holland Dragon’s Milk, as a bubblegum sweetness develops as the beer warms. Me likey.

Tried on 18 Nov 2004 at 21:51


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

This is a passable Oktoberfest from Summit. Bright copper-orange color with a miniscule light tan head. Thin lacing as well. Sweet caramel aroma. Light-bodied with a sweet character, containing malt, caramel and some fruit flavors. Kind of thin on all fronts though. The finish is the only place I could detect any hops. All in all this beer doesn’t strive for much in the category but I couldn’t find too much to complain about.

Tried on 18 Nov 2004 at 17:22


5.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5.5

Clear amber/copper body, thin off-white head. Aroma of corn and corn husks, grainy and reminiscent of malt liquor. Flavor is sweet, almost over-the-top, with underlying biscuit and grassy hops. Has a rather sharp, rough mouthfeel, as if some of the grain husks were thrown in the fermenter. You know, some of these Oktoberfests are too close to malt liquors for my tastes.

Tried on 17 Sep 2004 at 22:00


6.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Clear copper-red body, thin light tan head. Floral hops aroma with hints of pine and biscuity malt. Flavor is buoyed by a toasty malt backbone with plenty of spicy, floral, bitter (piney) hops. Underlying notes of sweet caramel are revealed after the hops subside. Medium-bodied. Aftertaste is muddy and, yes, a bit astringent, detracting from the drinkability.

Tried on 27 Aug 2004 at 00:49


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

Clear amber-copper body, medium off-white head. Nose of caramel, pine, and citrus. Toasty body with caramel, light fruit, pine, and grapefruit rind (but not overdone or of IPA strength). Rather thin-bodied and easy drinking.

Tried on 24 Aug 2004 at 21:19


6.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Clear straw-colored body, big puffy off-white head dissipating rapidly. Grassy hops and cerealy malt aroma. Not bad-tasting at all, with biscuit and cereals backing the grassy, zesty, hops. Bitter finish. One of the better bohemian pilseners, a style I’m not particularly enamored with.

Tried on 24 Aug 2004 at 20:48


7.2
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

The best beer Summit has made. Maybe they are getting serious about brewing more styles and doing a good job with them. The aroma has coffee, chocolate, and wine. Black with a thick tan head that lasted until the end of the pint. Flavor was multi dimensional; coffee, chocolate, and a vinous quality with some fruit mixed in. Palate was a little on the light side for the style.

Tried on 22 Aug 2004 at 12:26