Summit Imperial Pumpkin Porter - Summit Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
90
exceptional
-
148 Ratings

THE BROS
94
exceptional
-
read more »

rAvg: 4.04
pDev: 9.41%
Reviews: 122
Hads: 26

Ratings Help

Brewed by:
Summit Brewing Company

Minnesota, United States

Style | ABV
American Porter | 7.50% ABV

Availability: Limited (brewed once). bottle (109), on-tap (13).

Notes:
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.

No notes at this time.

View: Beers (21) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by nhindian:

nhindian

Pennsylvania

3.85/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Bottle generously provided as an extra by UMNbeerhunter, thanks Joe!

Unchained Batch 05

A - Pours a dark brown, bordering on black, like the darkness on the edge of town. A 2-finger, dark khaki head builds and has moderate retention, lasting several minutes. It leaves behind very nice lacing around most of the glass.

S - This is my first pumpkin porter, and unfortunately its a bit out of season now, but it offers a seductive combination of pumpkin, spice, chocolate, and coffee. Not as heavily spiced as other pumpkin beers (I'm looking at you, Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin), but the pumpkin, bittersweet chocolate, and nutmeg come together nicely to offer flashbacks of cool, Autumn days. As it warms, the malts take most of the nose as the pumpkin and spice recede.

T - The taste is interesting to say the least. At first there's a struggle between the chocolate, roasted malts, pumpkin, and spices to see who can come off the strongest, but it's a close tie. However, the malts are the most persistent, and as the others fall off rather abruptly after the initial taste, the espresso roast lasts well into the finish. The spices resurface near the end to make it a one-two punch of roast and spice, like a Halloween-themed creamer in a cup of black coffee.

M - The mouthfeel is rather thin, but has a nice hit of carbonation. Although not heavy and coating, the flavors are strong enough to linger on the mouth well after the beer is gone.

D/O - Drinkability is moderately high. While lighter on the pumpkin spice than other beers (granted, it is a few months old), I think the porter base gives it a more robust profile. I could see this being the second half of pumpkin beers of the Autumn season; lighter, heavier spiced offerings from Dogfish Head and Weyerbacher in the warmer months and earlier part of the season, with this beer coming in as a replacement during the colder months, say later November. It has that extra depth to cut through the cold!

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2011 19:51:58 | More by nhindian

More User Reviews:

doucmehu

Wisconsin

4.25/5 rDev +5.2%

03-19-2013 20:48:00 | More by doucmehu

calcnerd

Pennsylvania

4/5 rDev -1%

02-04-2013 03:07:35 | More by calcnerd

FullObs

Illinois

3.5/5 rDev -13.4%

10-11-2012 15:35:05 | More by FullObs

DQ13

4/5 rDev -1%

09-04-2012 03:19:27 | More by DQ13

GarbageMan

5/5 rDev +23.8%

08-13-2012 01:23:25 | More by GarbageMan

ryancl

Minnesota

4.25/5 rDev +5.2%

08-02-2012 21:23:40 | More by ryancl

ssjkyle

Nebraska

4.75/5 rDev +17.6%

07-14-2012 22:47:13 | More by ssjkyle

bigbeers84

Minnesota

4.25/5 rDev +5.2%

06-28-2012 05:29:44 | More by bigbeers84

smogfood

Wisconsin

4/5 rDev -1%

06-11-2012 12:43:08 | More by smogfood

deanis30

Minnesota

4.25/5 rDev +5.2%

03-19-2012 00:26:45 | More by deanis30

bespin15

Washington

3/5 rDev -25.7%

03-18-2012 03:03:19 | More by bespin15

Cramerican

North Dakota

4/5 rDev -1%

02-15-2012 04:29:15 | More by Cramerican

will1256

Minnesota

4/5 rDev -1%

01-18-2012 03:07:34 | More by will1256

aliving1

Minnesota

4.5/5 rDev +11.4%

01-03-2012 04:29:41 | More by aliving1

sprucetip

Alaska

4.18/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 5. Looks good, like a stout. A finger plus of mocha colored foam, minimal retention, and some scraps of lacing. Activity determinable by the tiny bubbles coming to the surface.

Pumpkin and spice are prominent, mild roast and malty sweetness add depth and character underneath.

Tastes like the nose with spice and pumpkin defining and even dominating, but not quite overbearing. Roasty and malty character are enough to remind you that it is beer and not pie.

Smooth, rich, moderately viscous, and only gently warming.

Really nice beer. The only one I've ever had that is reminiscent of Midnight Sun's TREAT (formerly known as Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter), which is a great beer. It is listed as retired here on BA, I hope that is not true. This is a worthy brew and you should try it if you can.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 01:48:53 | More by sprucetip