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.
Draft Nice frisky weizen flavor. Not as much banana or spice flavor as expected for this style, but that just lets the fizzy wheat taste take the stage. A good cloudy body, thought its yellow is a tad darker than expected. Thin head, grainy lacing. I couldn't resist squeezing in the lemon slice, but that ain't no crime with this beer. Highly carbonated as expected; in fact, almost "seltzer water" gassy. Another surprise to be found at the bar in Marshall Field's basement.
The best thing about this beer is the color; black with some red. Mild aroma of hops. Uninteresting flavor of a standard bitter with a poorly done sweet malt in the finish. There is no way this should be called an English Strong Ale.----Rerate April 2011. This beer has improved considerably. Still a black beer, but now there are good aromas of roasted malt and a fair amount of hops. I would probably call it a porter, but the palate, aroma, and flavor are now much better than they were a few years ago. score increased.
I was ready to write about how much this beer sucked and how over-rated Summitt is, but this beer has helped to redeem this brewer. The aroma is great with lots of wheat, citrus, and some apricot. Not much to write about the somewhat cloudy appearance, and there is no head on this beer. Flavor is not quite up to standard, but there is nothing wrong with it. Lots of wheat in the flavor.
Draft, Minneapolis. Nice to see a larger craft brewer whose flagship brand is not the usual pale pilsner. And nice to see that it's readily available on tap in the Twin Cities (it's even on a few taps here in Chicago). A pleasing amber/copper color, toasty malty sweetness and a refined hop spiciness... definitely not IPA level, but enough to tell the novice beer drinker there's another world out there. Great with those Matt's hamburgers with the cheese fried inside the patty (a Minneapolis tradition my brother introduced me to)!
Light golden color. Aroma is mild with hops and malt, but not much of either. This one has the flavor of a full bodied pilsner. The heavy palate is the best quality in this beer.
Not bad, not bad! Summit Maibock is not the most complex beer, but it does have a nice, sweet malty flavor typical of the style. A pleasant brew on all accounts, and one I'd be willing to purchase.
Dark orange. Head is off white, small, and thin. Stringent hops aroma. Surprisingly bitter with a roasted flavor. It went well with my Padron maduro, but I won't buy this again.