Summit - Horizon Red Ale

Summit Brewing is based out of St. Paul, MN.  I've toured their brewery, and I have to say, that tour was quite a strange experience.  The brewery itself was awesome...much larger than expected, filled with that humid brewing aroma, and generally a lot of fun to walk through.  But the tour guide, unfortunately, was.....well let's just say he wasn't on his game.  He looked like he had just woken up from a binger, and had a difficult time stringing together words in any real coherent fashion.  So we didn't really learn much.  Tour guide fail!  But other than that circumstance, the tour was great and I have a deep appreciation for this brewery.

Summit Horizon Red Ale is a year-round offering with 5.7%ABV, 60 IBUs, and a big mix of Summit, Horizon, Amarillo, and Cascade (dry-hopped).  This beer is clear, light brown with a creamy off-white head that leaves a nice lace.  The aroma brings a blend of pine, citrus, and a touch of caramel malt.  The flavor starts off with a sharp bitter citrus zest, paired with a herbal, floral side.  The malts sit comfortably behind the initial hoppiness with a toasty, biscuity note that holds everything up.  Towards the end, some pine makes it's way through, probably the dry-hopped Cascades coming out to play.  The body is medium with a heavier amount of carbonation.

Overall Rating:  3.5 out of 6.0  This is one of the better brews Summit offers in their year-round line up.  I will pick this up when I'm looking for a smooth, hoppy, inexpensive 6-pack.