Summit - Black Ale

Tonight I'm drinking #8 in the Unchained Series of brews from Summit.  This brew is just hitting store shelves this week and has been on tap for only a few weeks prior to today.  I'm actually very happy to see that Summit is continuing the Unchained Series after all seven brewers were finished their individual creations.

Mike Lundell, the brewer for #8, also brewed the #3 India Style Rye Ale.  Unfortunately our blog wasn't in existence when this brew was released.  But I do remember drinking it and thinking that the rye was very prominent and the hops paired nicely with the spice.  Mike's Black Ale is another unique twist on the base Black IPA style.  Instead of cascade hops he uses New Zealand Pacific Jade and Australian Galaxy Hops.  I have no idea what these hops are going to taste like.  My guess is Fosters and kangaroos.

The appearance of Summit's first crack at a Black Ale is a good one.  The color is dark with red hues of light poking through.  A huge fluffy head almost flows over the side of my pint.  Those Aussie hops really shine through right away.  Very woody with some pepper and citrus mingled in there as well.  A nice roasty character is also noticeable.  The flavors are surprisingly complex.  The hops provide a peppery bite that blends nicely with the roasted malt.  Citrus and heavily caramelized malt (or is it dark fruit?) is present as well.  There seems to be a constant tug-o-war between the hop and malt flavors here.  I'm having a hard time discerning the two!  A medium body with mild carbonation and dry finish round out this very interesting brew.

Overall - I was very surprised with Summit's Black Ale.  I know I keep mentioning those Australian hops but they are a huge player here.  They bring a very unique flavor profile to this Black IPA style that you won't find in any other beer that I've recently come across.  The roast and hops are balanced to perfection.  Unchained #8 is a great and kinda fun brew to drink and dissect.  Grab some when you can.  I can't imagine this one will be available for long.

Summit - Honeymoon Saison

Tonight I'm reviewing another saison brew. Its that time of the year where this style really flourishes.  With its light, refreshing characteristics and floral, sometimes fruity aroma the saison style is an easy choice on a hot, humid day.

Summit just released this brew as part of their Unchained series of craft beers.  We reviewed the Imperial Pumpkin Porter which was number 5 in the series earlier this year.  This series of brews give the brewers at Summit a chance to craft their own, unique beer and produce it on a small scale for all to enjoy.  Generally its the brewmasters that create the recipes and hand them over to the brewers.  This time, its the brewer who's in the drivers seat.

I tried this saison for the first time last night on tap and it was fantastic.  This was a great alternative to the bud I was drinking on the golf course earlier in the day.  Those golf cart drink girls need to start stocking some of the delicious stuff as opposed to bud light lime and other pseudo-piss water.

Summits website has a great overview on the background of this creation straight from the brewer himself.

Batch #07 has a very clear, pale yellow color with an unsettling lack of head retention.  As I described in my review of St. Feuillien's Saison I was rather impressed with the amount of foam that lingered around throughout the brew.  So to see the exact opposite leaves me a little taken back.  The aroma, while not very prominent, is still inviting.  Sweet malt and honey are the front runners here with a subtle orange and citrus dancing in the background.  The taste is where this saison puts on its fancy pants.  That saison spice of candied sugar and black pepper come forward with a sweet honey malt and grapefruit citrus.  Not a lot of carbonation here but that's ok.  There isn't enough sweetness here to make overly cloying.  In fact, its nicely balanced between the saisons spice, the honey and 5.3% ABV.

Overall - Summits Unchained #07 definitely lives up to the hype surrounding its release.  Its an easy drinker that will go over well with the MN craft beer market.  With its slant towards accentuating the honey this brew wont fall nicely into the saison category.  But thats not a big deal for me.  It has the characteristics I like in a saison and its refreshing and easy to drink.  Its difficult for me to complain about that.

Summit - Imperial Pumpkin Porter

Recently Dunz and I have started to share the word of our beer blog with our friends, colleagues and acquaintances who love beer.  We have received some great feedback and are looking forward to sharing more of our beer tasting experiences with everybody.  One of the comments we received was directed towards our lack of reviewing any Summit beers.  To me, Summit is a staple beer at any bar you go to in the metro area.  Their pale ale recently received a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival.  Its one of those breweries that us here in MN just take for granted.  They brew great beer, are friendly people, and actively participate in the community and promote their new creations.  So tonight I will take the time to write our first review of a Summit beer.

Summit started their Unchained series about a year and a half ago with Batch #01 Kolsch.  This series is designed to give the brewers at Summit a chance to flaunt their creative side when it comes to brewing beer.  Since the release of their Kolsch style brew they have released four other styles; Scottish 90/-, India Style Rye Ale, Belgian Style Golden Ale, and tonights beer of choice the Imperial Pumpkin Porter.  This was released back in November but I have been keeping a bottle in my fridge to review for about three months now.  I dont know why I havent cracked this one open since then but I figured now was as good a time as any.

This beer pours... no wait... beers dont pour, I pour them.... let me rephrase that.  As I pour this beer into my Summit branded pint glass a light tan head forms atop a very deep black beer.  The aromas are immediately noticeable.  A little coffee, sweet caramel malt and some pumpkin spice combine to form the backbone of the aroma.  The flavor is nicely balanced between the spices and the porter itself.  A roasty, coffee, malty are the flavors you will notice first.  As this brew finishes you find those pumpkin spices sneaking up on you to remind you this isnt your typical porter.  The finish is slightly bitter from the hops and roasted malts with hardly any hint of alcohol present.

Overall 5.0/6.0 - This is my kind of pumpkin beer.  One that is not so overpowering with the spices and pumpkin that you cant even discern the underlying beer.  This one does a good job keeping the base porter prominent while bringing in a nice cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg (I'm shooting from the hip here since I'm assuming those are your standard pumpkin spices) flavor to finish off your overall experience.  Its unfortunate that this is a limited release.  I hope Summit brews this one again in the fall.