Summit India Pale Ale - Summit Brewing Company

ToddT

Pennsylvania

3.46/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

L- Deep brown topped with a fluffy khaki head, that fades slowly to a ring and leaves a good bit of lace on the glass.

S- Mild citrus hops with a hint of caramel and toffee malts.

T- More malt forward, nice bread notes along with toffee and balance out with a grass floral hops note. Finish is dry and pretty clean, defiantly an English style IPA.

M- Medium in body and carbonation, and easy drinker.

O- Decent brew, well balance and not the hop bomb that a lot of the American IPA's have become. It still packs a punch at 6.4% ABV though.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 03:09:56 | More by ToddT

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From notes.

Appearance: Caramel/amber hue with a bubbly off-white head.

Aroma: Biscuit malt and a little sweetness.

Taste: Nice caramel malt, some hop sweetness and a touch of bitterness. Good barley flavor like every English IPA should have.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and smooth. Average drinkability.

Final Thoughts: I don't remember having liked Summit's India Pale Ale before, but it's definitely grown on me. It delivers the classic flavor you'd expect from an English IPA and an old school brewery. Would I drink it again? Yes, though the three that come in the seasonal 12 packs are plenty.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 23:55:58 | More by JamesMN

drabmuh

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Beer is almost brown with a lot of haze, a tan head, some retention, some lacing. Low carbonation.

Aroma is a little earthy a little malty.

Beer is malty and sweet with a little bit of hops, earthy or piny variety, a mildly bitter finish and a decent feel to it. It is a fine beer but probably not a repeat for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 03:03:54 | More by drabmuh

Jparker37

Wisconsin

3.93/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into an Imperial pint.

A - Another beautiful looking beer from Summit. Rocky white head is large. The beer is a shade darker than what I call golden and has perfect clarity. Left a bit of lacing to my glass.

S - Earthy/spicy hop tones are bright and foremost. I get a graininess in there also.

T - Here, malt shows up first but for a short while. Grainy base malt is early with a perceivable biscuity tone to it. Hops have a great bright flavor to them, I'm getting earthiness and a prickly pine tone as well. That flavor transitions nicely into a great backbone of bitterness. Finishes dry with spicy hoppiness that lasts for awhile into the aftertaste.

M - Medium bodied, medium to medium-high carbonation, dry.

O - Summit has a magic touch with their beers appearance. Smell-wise I was a little disappointed in that the hops never really popped, but this beer still shows a great hop profile. Overall a good beer but not my favorite EIPA I have tried.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 01:15:51 | More by Jparker37

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass. Reviewed alongside Left Hand 400 Pound Monkey.

A: Clear golden amber with three-finger, white, foamy, creamy head that lasted a long time. Great lacing.

S: Bready malt and citrus hops. Mild.

T: Light sweetness and moderate bitterness. Less toasty then I would like, but it does appear in the finish. Citrus hops up front.

M: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.

O: I was disappointed by the smell, taste, and feel of this English IPA. I liked the Left Hand better.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 02:09:54 | More by SolipsismalCat

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle with no date

look is average amber orange typical of the style. smell is sweet caramel malt, herbal hops. taste is similar to their EPA; white cracker malt, herbal hops, slight white wine alcohol flavor. feel is a light medium, perfect amount of carbonation.

good English style IPA, though I prefer their EPA in hop flavor

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 08:33:23 | More by jimmah120

blackcompg

Illinois

2.58/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from their 12oz bottle...

Appearance - Pours a finger of creamy eggshell head, color of the ale is a clear lite orange amber color, there is some nice lacing after each quaff.

Smell - Alot of bready malts, freshly baked bread, slight citrus and ripe fruit, slight floral hops.

Taste - Light minerals and slight medicinal, toasty breadcrust, grassy hops, sweet malts, pumpernickel crust, slight pepperiness, slight aspirin and chalkiness, touch of citrus pith and peel - more astringency than flavor though.

Mouthfeel - Lighter side of medium, medium carb is smooth at first but gets sharp and drying at back of the tongue. Off flavors are astringent, puckering and chalky, not very easy to drink actually, could not have more than one of these.

Overall - This seems somewhat of a mess to me. There are alot of flavors here, but they don't go very well together, very unbalanced, and this seems to get accentuated as it warms. Drinkability is pretty low due to the astringency and chalkiness. I will finish it, but I can't recommend this beer. Perhaps this is typical of an english ipa and I'm being overly critical, as others seem to enjoy this - but it is definitely not for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 03:45:36 | More by blackcompg

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.93/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A medium off white head sits above a clear reddish amber colored IPA. The head falls into a pretty nice looking lacing.

Aroma is caramel malt mixed with darker hops that has some earthiness to it.

Roasted caramel malts blend well with the hops and seems to get better with each drink.

A medium bodied beer with a quite dry aftertaste.

Although this isn't like the west coast IPA the I really crave I still pretty much enjoyed this IPA.

A nice addition to my "I've drank that" list.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 22:01:30 | More by LXIXME

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.2/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle donated form a mixed 12 by a friend stamped 20041017, poured ~6C into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint.

Beer pours a rich amber with a nice head and a ton of lacing. Crystal clear body. Very light nose with a hint of earthy hops and some sweet malt character. Strong initial bitterness, yet very little hop flavours. Earthy hops are subdued, with a sweet caramel body coming out a bit. Feels good in the mouth, with a nice bitterness, but not nearly hoppy enough for an IPA. Maybe I just don't get the english IPA, but this beer is just not doing it for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 22:44:10 | More by kjyost

jbsg02

Texas

3.95/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle at 50 degrees

Pours a golden straw color with a nice creamy head.

Don't get too much hop aroma from this. I pick up some estery notes from the likely british ale strain used in this beer.

This is a very good british IPA. I tend to like the american styles more, but this is nicely balanced. I pick up the hop bitterness followed by some toastiness from the malt then some of the estery character.

Great mouthfeel.

Very solid english style IPA, not my favorite, as I prefer the west coast styles.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 01:28:29 | More by jbsg02

t2thebro

Iowa

2.78/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- light golden copper color. Full two finger white head. Crystal clear with bubbly active carbonation.

S- slightly biscuity, some hop tones but not much going on.

T- malts dominate, english biscuit flavors, with some slight spicy bittering hop flavor. Very balanced if you like English ales with a slight hop kick this is your beer.

M- very impressive, full crisp fresh feel, not oily or thick. Resembles a German Octoberfest mouthfeel. This makes this beer very drinkable and enjoyable.

O- decent beer. If I want to back off the hop heavy ipa's, or am in the mood for something malty and fresh with an English backbone this is when I'd drink this beer, not a regular for me though.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 19:00:05 | More by t2thebro

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Tulip Glass

Appearance - Dark Orange/Amber and looking pretty clean and unfiltered. Decent amount of carbonation. Head is around 1 finger and width and leaves behind some good lacing

Smell - I can smell the hops but they're very earthy with a very mild citrus note, whereas the malts and barley used are the strongest scents above everything else.

Taste - Hops are fairly piney and stronger and the malts are slightly more balanced than they were in the nose. That's pretty much it in terms of flavor, but it all comes together fairly well

Mouthfeel - It's an average weighted beer and the carbonation is balanced out just right. Not smooth or creamy, but its easy on the palette.

Overall - It's more malty than hoppy and it has some issues in terms of balancing it's flavor, however it's still a great session beer that everyone should at least try. Good beer to have on a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 05:12:43 | More by NuclearDolphin

imasloth

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a snifter.

A- Orange-red with a one-finger white head. Head recedes rapidly leaving light lacing.

S- Very malt forward for an IPA, even if an English-style. A deeper whiff yields light fruit notes.

T- Strong, surprising bitterness with the fruity and malt notes coming in later. Light balanced aftertaste.

M- Medium-bodied, maybe a fizzy feeling- novel.

O- Fair, but I'm not in a hurry to have again.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2012 21:48:43 | More by imasloth

hopfacebrew

Colorado

3.23/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz twist off brown bottle to pint glass.

A - The beer pours a deep copper color. Clear. Pours a nice 2 finger creamy/bubbly white head. Poor retention but good lacing.

S - The aroma is somewhat weak and soapy in character. Not much hop or malt character. It really reminded me of dishwater! Clean but dishwater.

T - The beer is actually quite sweet upfront. There are hints of orange citrus though not a hoppy flavor - it's sweet and tart. Not what I was anticipating in an IPA. The beer opens up with some caramel malts and biscuit character. Hop bitterness is mild for an IPA. Remains sweet throughout.

M - Medium modied with good carbonation. Smooth. Easily the best characteristic of this beer.

D - Too sweet to put many down.

Overall, I was caught off guard with the sweetness and tart character of this beer. Not what I expected for this English IPA. Glad I tried it. Won't be back probably.

Note: This review was a re-post from my former account, jmkratt, which was hacked and I lost all my reviews...sorry for the redundancy.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-25-2011 02:26:46

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 14:38:39 | More by hopfacebrew

emerge077

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Definitely an English IPA... sweet, mellow, and tea-like.

Smells like a buttered biscuit, and has a dark copper orange body, with a thin head of white foam. Light honey sweetness in the aroma. Flavor seems driven more by the mild complexity of its specialty malt character than much hop content. Faint inkling of dried citrus peel. Some earthy grassy notes suggest hops, but its pretty muted. Overall fairly average taste and aroma, body is sturdy though. Not much here to distinguish it, an entirely average English IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 03:16:53 | More by emerge077

ncsutton

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Serving - Bottle

A - Rich amber color with a good head to start out with, head lasts throughout the beer

S - More of a weak smell, its of roasted malts and some light floral tones to it as well

T - Tastes highly of roasted malts with a lot less of a hop taste that you would expect from an IPA, they are present however, just weaker than most of the style

M - Medium bodied and medium carbonation, maybe a bit to thick for the taste of the beer

O - Overall my review might sound as if I didn't enjoy this and that is not the case, I was reviewing it in relation to other IPA's, and in my opinion I think that Summit should have gone with a different name for this beer, it is however still a very solid beer

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 02:38:38 | More by ncsutton

beagle75

Iowa

3.2/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a nonic glass.

A: Slightly hazy, light to medium amber color with one finger of rocky off-white foam head. Heavy lacing remains on the glass.

S: Mild floral hops are the single most distinctive feature, though nothing truly distinctive stands out. Bready English malt is present in trace amounts, alongside some carbon dioxide.

T: Begins off-dry, with assertive Maris Otter malt that borders on diacetyl-like qualities. Hop aromatics are understated, earthy and herbaceous perhaps, but in conflict with sharp minerality and strong carbonic acidity. Malt presence persists through the middle, while moderate bitterness defines the finish in the absence of other features.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, acidic on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: This ale is a rare, malt-focused example of an American-brewed IPA. It shares some features with its smaller sibling, Summit's Extra Pale Ale, but it struggles to be as successful in its style as that other beer. Perhaps its most defining feature is its bitter finish, but even that is noteworthy only in relative terms due to the lack of other dominant flavor qualities. It has no glaring weaknesses, but it does struggle to distinguish itself or be remembered.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 00:00:39 | More by beagle75

kojevergas

California

2.8/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Served on-draught into a pilsner glass in St. Paul, Minnesota. Reviewed from notes taken over Thanksgiving holiday. Not paired with food. Expectations were low given the style.

A: Pours a half finger head of fair cream, decent thickness, and okay retention. Colour is a transparent textbook copper.

Sm: Lightly toasted malt. A mild strength aroma.

T: Lightly toasted malt, cream, and barley. Light hops. It's surprisingly restrained for an IPA. A bit simple, but pleasant. Fairly balanced and decently built.

Mf: Smooth and wet, but a touch too thick. It suits the flavours generally.

Dr: Decently drinkable, but it's far from special. I wouldn't have it again. Even IPA fans might not like this too much as it isn't horribly hoppy.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2011 23:34:56 | More by kojevergas

bnes09

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Transparent, golden copper color. Good head with lots of lacing.

Clean aroma of mildly citrusy hops.

Taste is mild yet well balanced. Not a lot of hops for the style, some citric and soap flavor. Bready malt character. Average for the style.

Good carbonation and dry, crisp finish. Medium body.

Descent brew. Not up to standards of the top ipa's yet still tasty and highly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 03:16:43 | More by bnes09

pBRale

Iowa

3.43/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter

Appearance: Medium to deep amber pour, clear, with a 2-finger creamy off-white head that settles fairly slowly with exceptional retention and a thick, sticky web of lacing.

Smell: A nice bouquet of hop aromas--earthy, resinous, floral, and fruity--with a subtle caramel malt in the background.

Taste: A nice earthy taste to start, along with some malt presence and a hint of gruity/estery taste. The finish is very bitter and earthy.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body, medium carbonation with a crisp finish that is dry and bitter.

Overall: A very nice, drinkable english IPA with a fairly substantial malt presence. A solid choice.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 21:31:08 | More by pBRale

BedetheVenerable

Missouri

4/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12oz brown screw top, nice label. FINALLY got a hold of one of these, and it's even date-stamped. The only problem is, it's a little over 2 months out of date. However, considering that this was by far the freshest I could find in central IL (the others were 6 months plus) I'll take it, as I've been wanting to try this English-style offering for awhile now.

Appearance: Just slightly hazed burnt orange beer, capped with a large, creamy dark ivory head which shows good retentino and some nice lacing.

Smell: Even though it's a bit long in the tooth, this is still fairly hop-forward, though it's definitely an 'English' hoppiness, full of dark, herbal, and earthy notes. In support of the hops is a nice, biscuity, ever-so-slightly-toffee-like malt backbone. Straightforward, but I'm definitely digging it.

Taste: Pretty much in keeping with the aromas, though there's not much in the way of hop flavor. I'm assuming a lot of this is due to the age; all I get here is some very mild fruity hop flavor. Mild English-style fruity esters, a fairly strong, lightly tannic/tea-like bitterness (I'd guess maybe 50-60 IBUS?) and some nice light caramel notes from the malt. This tastes darn good now; I bet it'd be great fresh.

Mouthfeel: Medium; quite drinkable

Overall: I need a fresh sample (why is that so hard to get??) If I could, I'd definitely pick up an (in date) sixer of this now and again. Nice English-style IPA!

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 03:07:29 | More by BedetheVenerable

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A pint right in front of my gate at Minneapolis-St Paul's airport terminal.

This beer appears a clear medium amber hue, with one finger of creamy, foamy ecru head, which leaves some layered rings of lace around the glass as it duly settles. It smells of bready caramel malt, some faint lemon and orange citrus, and pine hops. The taste is more bready caramel, a bit of vanilla nougat, grassy, piney hops, and a mild tinge of booze. The carbonation is average, the body medium-light in weight, and a bit too prickly to be considered outright smooth. It finishes off-dry, with warm citrus creamed maltinesss.

Not too shabby an IPA, a bit too zingy, but overall easy to drink. Just don't do it at the airport for damned near a sawbuck per pint.

Serving type: on-tap

09-21-2011 22:14:32 | More by biboergosum

TheBear11D

Michigan

3.1/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass

Pours a rusty bronze color with a thick creamy head that leaves decent lacing.

Has a floral hop aroma but not much else is happening.

Floral hops and a hint of spice.

Medium to full body with light carbonation.

Overall this is a decent beer but nothing to be too excited about.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 21:47:48 | More by TheBear11D

JEdmund

Kansas

3.6/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Copper hued with a thick white head. Retention is good and it leaves proper lacing.

Smell is underwhelming, but to be fair it is English style. Aroma features berry, mint, wood, toffee, caramel notes.

Taste is pretty well balanced with a lean towards hops in the finish. Hops definitely not PacNW. They're a bit earthy and slightly minty. I like the bitter flavor. It's subtle compared to the American IPAs I'm used to. Body has good texture, and there's a fine amount of carbonation.

Overall an enjoyable beer but not particularly striking. And it doesn't hold a candle to Goose Island's English style IPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 14:05:13 | More by JEdmund

JMad

Texas

3.48/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I drank this from a pint glass...

The liquid is orange copper with a soapy off white head that left a lot of lacing. It smells of sweet malt, apricot and there is a muddled hop presence that was not pleasant. The beer is bitter up front with lemon hops and citrus peel, the taste is kind of weak but there is a nice finish with bready malt and piney hops. It's kind of thick with low carbonation and a dry finish. This is a mediocre IPA, ok, but not great.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 03:15:41 | More by JMad