Summit Horizon Red Ale - Summit Brewing Company

MikeAAL

Wisconsin

3.14/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

It's a pretty bland beer.

It's red/amber colored with a nice head. Nice lacing.

It smells like toasted malts and hops.

I can taste hops with a hint of malts.

Thick mouthfeel. Heavy carbonation.

It's alright but, nothing to write home about. Very bland and heavy.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 17:48:16 | More by MikeAAL

frankiepop

Pennsylvania

1.93/5  rDev -49.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Why this red dye beer gets a plus 3 is beyond me. I love the summit brews, but this red 'ale' just tastes like an American low class lager to me. Slap a Bud label on this puppy and this tasteless bottle of piss will be right at home. Good beer for drunks when this fizzy shit goes on sale.

This beer should be paired with watching American Idol singers. What a waste. Tune in next week when I update my review, and tell you what I really think.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 21:00:14 | More by frankiepop

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

3.84/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “ENJOY BY” date is “02/19/13.”

Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is mahogany. Two fingers of fairly dense foam dissipated slowly and unevenly, leaving a spotted lacing, thick ring around the edge, and trails of foam on the glass.

Smell: An enticing mélange of citrus and malts. Scents of toasted malts, candy caramel, and toffee are tinged with pine, grapefruit, and orange.

Taste: The hop citrus is able to muscle the malts for prominence. The grapefruit, pine, and orange outshine the toasted malts, caramel, and toffee. There is also a spicy edge with a hint of pepper, and the aftertaste betrays some mellow, earthy hops.

Drinkability: Pretty good stuff. It is not overly hoppy or malty. The citrus adds a welcome element to a beer I would otherwise think was malt dominant.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 05:03:01 | More by TheQuietMan22

KTCamm

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Winter sampler. Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a pint glass.

Pours mahogany brown with 1/4 inch white foam. Nutty smell. Malty, Taste is a lightly sweet caramel with a subtle hint of hops threaded throughout. Some bitter resides, so the finish is more bitter than sweet, but not too much of either. Firmly carbonated. Pretty good red.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 00:48:35 | More by KTCamm

Jparker37

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into an Imperial pint glass. 100th beer review, this is special for me.

A - Tight bubbles hold a big rocky tan head. Nice red tint on a brilliant deep amber beer. Left me with a few streaks of lacing.

S - Layers of toasty malt all over. Undertone of mild chocolate malt. Piney hops in the background. I can recognize more hops as it warms.

T - Little bits of that toasty malt last for a short while. Hops pick up the brunt of the flavor mid-pallete. I get more of spicy, earthier hop flavor. Has a bit of bitterness to it that puts this beer a little on the hoppy side. Finishes dry, crisp and refreshing.

M - Medium to medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry.

O - Great looks to this beer, great complexity to the smell. I seen a bit more malt coming in the taste but being a hop head I enjoyed the hop emphasis. Actually, the beer was balanced well for the style.This beer would be great for the patio on an early fall afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 00:43:48 | More by Jparker37

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.38/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into pint glass

Appearance – Pours a nice garnet color with a big off-white colored thick head. The head has fantastic retention but eventually fades to give great level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is light but consists of a toasted malt aroma with some lighter caramel notes.

Taste –The taste begins with a roasted malt flavor with an ever so light sweetness. As the taste goes on, hop flavors begins slowly coming into the taste. They start out of a pine nature and are relatively light in the beginning and the middle. As the taste advanced further however a stronger hop bitterness of a earthy and pine nature comes to taste and brings the flavor profile to an end.

Mouthfeel – The thickness is on the average side as well as the carbonation. The carbonation level is very fitting although a little more creaminess may have helped with the somewhat harsh flavor left on the tongue at the end of the taste.

Overall – Relatively hoppy and flavorful amber-red beer, but nothing that is worth going out of the way for.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 01:09:00 | More by Darkmagus82

JamesMN

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark amber, almost brown.

Aroma: Fruity/piney hop presence with a nice roasty backbone. Some plum or apricot in there.

Taste: Big hop bite up front and then a nice roasty quality of the malt peeking through before a final bitterness in the end. The roasted malt comes back in the aftertaste and settles nicely on the tongue. Really robust.

Mouthfeel: Good level of carbonation. Great medium/full body on this beer and still very drinkable.

Final Thoughts: This is one of the better offerings from Summit. Definitely a great choice for any season. It has a good level of complexity and flavor.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 03:48:58 | More by JamesMN

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

355ml bottle poured into a 16oz pint glass.

A - Pours a deep, clean reddish-amber color with a frothy off-white head. Nice frothy head retention the whole way down, with some nice, sticky lacing. Nice looking brew.

S - A nice balance of hops and malts, with a little extra complexity in there. Piney and earthy hops upfront with lots of toasty caramel malt, toffee, and light butterscotch. Some light festive spices, reminds me of Christmas, as well as a generous helping of vanilla and a bit of maple. There's another painfully distinct and familiar aroma in here, but I just can't put my finger on it. Overall, a surprisingly nice aroma off this brew.

T - A nice follow up to the nose. Opens up with lots of toasty caramel malt with toffee and earthy spice. Sweet butterscotch, maple, vanilla, and a faint touch of honey in the middle. Finishes with earthy hops, light spice, and a rather tasty malty sweetness that I really enjoy. So well balanced, but definitely leaning towards the sweeter, maltier side. However, for the style, this is to be expected. This is really good stuff.

M - Surprisingly weighty. A nice big body complimented with low carbonation and a creamy smooth mouthfeel all around. Melds together with the malty flavor profile very well. Light bitterness lingers from the hops.

D - Amber ales definitely aren't my go-to style, but this one rises above most that I've tried. Nice, sweet malty notes balanced out by the earthy, bittering hops, with a touch of complexity, all rolled into one very drinkable profile. Odd that this is a Spring release, as this has 'Holiday Beer' written all over it for me. Either way, this is a solid brew from Summit that takes an otherwise usually hum-drum style of beer and really gives it some character.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 22:29:48 | More by Converge

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle no date

Look is a dark red/amber, slightly cloudy. Rough pour yields 2 finger tan head. It smells like liquid pine tree, with a little alcohol and stale bread thrown in. The first sensation is a wall of bitter pine that gives way to tart fruit and oak. There is a malt sweetness to the finish, but it's mostly dry and bitter. The feel is abrasive enough that I wouldn't want to have more than a few.

Summit beers are extremely consistent, and by that I mean they're extremely enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 05:23:16 | More by jimmah120

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a crystal clear dark amber in color with light to moderate amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a dense 1/8 finger tall beige head that reduces to a thick film covering the entire surface of the beer with a couple of thicker patches and a thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to heavy lacing is observed.

S: The beer has moderate aromas of caramel malts and toasted malts upfront. There is also a light presence of pine/resin hops with very subtle hints of earthy and citrus hops.

T: The pine/resin hops are present upfront, closely followed by the caramel and toasted malts which give the beer a light amount of sweetness. There is a good balance to this beer with some light amounts of lingering bitterness which taste like it comes from citrus hops in the finish.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Creamy and crisp.

O: This beer has a great balance between the sweetness of the malts and the bitterness of the hops making it very easy to drink. I found the beer to be quite enjoyable and it seemed to be a hybrid type of style (amber ale and IPA). I could easily have a couple of these and enjoyed this one enough to grab it some other time.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 17:34:09 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is crystal clear dark amber in color and has a light to moderate amount of carbonation. It poured with a thin but dense beige head that has good retention properties and consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There light aromas of pine resin hops in the nose. Some citrus becomes evident as the beer warms up.
T: The taste has flavors of caramel and toasted malts along pine resin hops. There is a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a bit creamy and crisp on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very balanced and has a nice blend of malty and hoppy flavors—neither of these seems to stand out in particular.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 18:15:38 | More by metter98

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I picked up a bottle of Summit's Horizon Red Ale last week for $1.49 at The Lager Mill. Summit just entered our market recently and their stuff just started showing up at stores, I have never had any beers from Summit before so I decided to get a couple different ones and give them a try, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date. Poured from a shorter brown 12oz bottle into a imperial pint glass.

A- The label is pretty simple and looks a little plain, it looks ok, but it's not that eye catching. It poured a darker looking muddy amber/brown color that took on a nice bright ruby red color when held to the light and it had two and a half fingers worth of fluffy off white head that died down to a thick ring that stayed till the end and it left lots of nice lacing. The color is a little different at first, but I find it to be an ok looking beer.

S- I can already tell that this red is going to be on the hoppy side. It starts off with a good amount of hops that are earthy, piney, and citrusy, the pine and citrus seem to stick out the most. Next comes a nice biscuity aroma followed by a good amount of caramel malts that impart some nice caramel and bready aromas that help balance out all those hops up front. I like the aroma of this beer, it's nice and well balanced, just how a proper American Red Ale should be.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma, it starts off with some piney and citrusy hops that show up just as much as they did in the aroma. Next comes the malts which have a lower amount of sweetness and impart some nice biscuit, bread, caramel, and lightly toasted grainy flavor that showed up nicely and was strong enough to balance out all those hops. It had a lighter amount of medium bitterness with a malty and slightly hoppy aftertaste. This is a good tasting beer, it has just enough hops and malt flavors that make this a tasty and balanced American Red Ale, I like it.

M- Smooth, crisp, medium bodied, and it had a higher amount of medium carbonation that was a little prickly. The mouthfeel was ok, but the carbonation needed to be toned down a little and not so prickly.

Overall I liked this beer and I thought that it was a good and proper example of an American Red Ale, it had the extra hoppyness that I often find in this style, but this beer had just enough malt to provided a nice and balanced taste. This beer had good drinkability, it went down pretty smooth and a little faster then expected, while the flavors did a good job at holding my attention, I could go for another one if I had it. What I liked the most about this beer was the aroma and taste they were both pretty damn good and had all the balance that I would want. What I liked least about this beer was the slightly muddy color and the prickly carbonation, if those were fixed this beer would be pretty close to perfect. I would for sure buy this beer again when looking for a good American Red Ale, it fit the style well and isn't too expensive, I for sure recommend giving this beer a try, it's very true to style. This beer made for a pretty good first impression from Summit, it had almost everything that I look for in a good American Red Ale, and there is no doubt that this is one solid beer, good job guys, you can be sure I will be trying more of your beers.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 03:44:38 | More by StoutHunter

ommegangpbr

New York

3.95/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I tend not to like red ales very much at all, in fact I tend to avoid them completely but something told me try this one on for size.
This beer, I like. The use of hops in here smooths over all the characteristics and flavors that I tend to find offensive in most red ales. The overall effect reminds me of a black IPA. Grapefruit is heavy in here. Hops resins finish as almost smokey. Reminders of an ESB given the particular sizzle on the palate. Some dark currant flavors.
I'm glad I ignored my bias and picked this up.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 02:42:17 | More by ommegangpbr

JWU

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

10oz straight from a firkin

A- a dark ruby amber with a bubbly but thin white head

S-sweet biscuity malts with earthy hops

T- follows the smell. A little Carmel on the taste as well.

M- medium bodied and dry on the finish.

O- good, and striving to be great.

Serving type: cask

04-14-2012 01:57:49 | More by JWU

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass

Appearance - Like its namesake, this is a dark red/crimson colored ale that has a very clean, unfiltered look to it. Excellent head retention with some nice lacing.

Smell - Fairly strong citrusy & piney hops complimented a good biscuit/yeast scent The malts are also here too, providing a mild malty scent.

Taste - Piney & Citrusy Hops, which actually are stronger than they were in the nose. Same goes for the malts, which give it a very malt forward flavor. This seems more like an IPA than a Red Ale, which is a good thing in this case. Definitely the hoppiest beer from Summit I have tried yet!

Mouthfeel -Body feels a little bit on the heavier side. Carbonation is fairly average and doesn't interfere with the overall experience. Fairly easy to drink overall.

Overall - This is a pretty damn good beer. It balances out the hops and malt flavors quite well. Summit may have their own branded IPA, but Horizon Red (Despite it's Red Ale classification) is Summit's true IPA and worth trying out instead.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 06:51:48 | More by NuclearDolphin

Samp01

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep clear ruby red with lasting off-white head and good lacing. Aroma of sweet caramel malt, yeast and earthy piney hops fill the nose. Taste is sweet caramel malt, yeast followed by some good earthy piney hops. Palate is a medium body, slightly sticky mouth feel with carbonation. Finish is sweet caramel malt, yeast ending with a sweet bitterness with some lingering nutty flavor. Quite a hoppy wallop but overall a good drinkable ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 18:30:06 | More by Samp01

TwinButte

South Dakota

3.78/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Reviewing from memory::

Glass came out a beautiful reddish/brown with a 1/4 head that dropped back to an 1/8 and maintained for a long time. Great lacing too! I'm a big fan of Odells Red Ale and I'd say this is just as good as theirs. The hop aroma on this is strong and inviting. Nice and malty in the month and the hop presence is still dominate. Leaves the usual Summit bitter aftertaste which I feel is kind of their thing. It is however a lovely lingering hop after glow.

Overall this is a great offering from Summit. Will order again!

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 01:12:35 | More by TwinButte

depechemode1983

Texas

4.05/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours out a clear mahogany color. The head is tan and like a thick foam leaving lots of lacing around the tulip.

S - Malty and with plenty piny bitter hops. Also picking up a good amount of grains. Wheat, oat and sort or a grassy feel through the whole nose.

T - Bitter. Piny. There's a malty sweetness to it as well. Maple, caramel and toast give it excellent character and finish.

M - Medium bodied. Carbonation sits nice and the over all feel is smooth. Well done.

O - I generally am not into red ales. This one is excellent. It has a bready/grainy quality well implemented in there that works very well with the piny hops. Best Red Ale Ive had thus far.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 00:03:10 | More by depechemode1983

beagle75

Iowa

3.48/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip pint glass.

A: Slightly hazy, medium amber color with one finger of off-white foam head. Heavy lacing remains on the glass--impressive in that it is simultaneously stepwise and continuous.

S: Mild rustic grain is transposed against a sharp and earthy mineral edge. Hops yield a minor citrusy contribution.

T: Begins almost dry, with crystal malt that features a whiff of spicy rye. Acidity becomes aggressive into the middle, more carbonic than citric, before earthy herbaceous and dark citrus hop aromatics manage to break through. The finish retains rye's drying graininess, a bit of savory spice, and mild bitterness.

M: Medium viscosity, slightly astringent on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: This red ale compares favorably to most American-brewed amber ales, but struggles to distinguish itself among the peers of its sub-category. More balanced than hop-focused, it is just interesting enough to hold the drinker's attention yet promises to serve well enough in the presence of savory food.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 00:50:42 | More by beagle75

bnes09

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dark amber to ruby in color. Fairly weak ivory colored head. Does have well-defined, sticky lace patches.

Rich a spicy hop aroma of pine trees and citrus fruits.

Hops are very lively in the flavor. Robust lemon, grapefruit and pine-like hop. Mild honey sweetness. Smooth biscuit character.

Dry feel overall. Medium body and well carbonated. Crisp.

Really good stuff. A lot more hops than expected but blending in the flavor very well.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 03:05:44 | More by bnes09

drumrboy22

Colorado

3.43/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a nonic pint glass. Beer was a copper penny color, with a two-finger, light brown head. Very minimal carbonation and thick lacing around the glass.

Aroma was hops, caramel, biscuit and fresh grains.

Taste was caramel, spicy bitter hops and fruit.

Little to no carbonation present, making the beer appear and taste pretty thin. Not sure if I got a bad bottle, but it's taking away from the overall score a bit.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 03:20:41 | More by drumrboy22

dhannes

Wisconsin

4.68/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Served in a Perfect Pint.

A=Rich amber color with 3 finger cream colored head.

S=Hops...cinnaomon?

T=Strong, yet smooth hop presence; spice (cinnamon? nutmeg?).

M=Extremely drinkable.

O=Best red I can recall. Not overpowering, but robust and very flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 13:41:25 | More by dhannes

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Drinking a bottle of Summit Horizon Red Ale and it is good. The beer poured a clear ruby red with slightly off-white head that is lacing on my pint glass. The smell includes a sweet malt with hop character. The taste is a decent blend of malt and hop that is quite nice. The hops used leave the pallet a bit bitter. The mouthfeel is good, medium body with good carbonation. Overall the beer is very good....I like hopped up reds. The bitter after taste may make the to two to three limit....but it is decent nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 03:03:01 | More by WoodBrew

edwardhopper

Ontario (Canada)

3.1/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle from a Summit variety 12 pack. Taste is a little bitter for a red ale in my opinion. The color is a nice deeper red color. Not much head, but it seemed to coat the sides of the glass. The smell was hoppy with a hint of sweetness. It has a decent amount of hops and a solid complex flavor. Mouthfeel is heavy and not so easy drinking. Not bad, but not my favorite red ale. To me its a heavier version of Bell's Amber.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 01:10:44 | More by edwardhopper

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Pours a crystal clear ruby in the glass, with 2 fingers of off-white head. This maintains a rich ½ finger of froth when swirled, throwing up a robust cascade that rings the sides with sticky lacing. This has a pretty nice look to it. The aroma is floral, with a lot of fresh pine present and some lesser peppery spice. This is undercut by green citrus character that mingles sweet caramel malt and some darker roast across the back. The piney and flowery feel of this really drives the nose here for the most part.

The taste is more pine and fresh green grapefruit flavor, with a zesty bright bitterness that lays dry resins and spice deep into the finish. This assertiveness is well balanced by a sticky caramel sweetness and then more of a burnt character along the back, however it isn’t overly strong. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a smooth creaminess that surrounds more of a sharpness that tends to gather on the tongue and helps bring out all of that pine and bitterness. This definitely has some oiliness to it though and this is generally pretty easy and slick in the mouth despite the strength of the hops.

If you like hoppy Red Ales, you’re probably going to like this one. There’s a lot of aggressive character here but it’s all well balanced by the sweetness and light roasted malt flavors that you would expect from the style. That 5-6% on this really hits the sweet spot for the feel here as well. This was a nice beer that really got it right and I’d have no problem picking up more in the future, as I really like this style.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 18:07:38 | More by Kegatron