Summit Summer Ale - Summit Brewing Company

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

355ml bottle poured into a 16oz pint glass. My first Kölsch.

A - Clean golden look with a touch of haze in it. Ample carbonation feeding a bubbly white head on top. Head retains as a thick, dense cap of white foam that leaves patches of sticky lacing.

S - Simple and clean, and very summery. Crisp wheat malt, light grassy hops, with some bready notes and a subtle kick of citrus.

T - Opens up with wheat and bready malt, but as it finishes a herbal hop presence makes itself known. Very grassy, and a bit oily. Buttery malt balances the hops. Balanced, simple, and very drinkable.

M - Medium bodied with assertive but crisp carbonation and a dry, slightly bittering finish.

D - Didn't really know what to expect form this brew, as I've never had a Kölsch before. I figured I'd get more yeast and less hops; something akin to a hefeweizen. This reminded me more of an APWA, but with both more hops and malt. All in all, a tasty and drinkable summer brew from Summit.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 22:47:23 | More by Converge

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into pint glass

Appearance – Pours a pale golden color with a big billowy white head. The head has a pretty decent retention lasting for a few minutes eventually fading to leave a moderate amount of lacing

Smell – The aroma is of a bready wheat malt and some lemon citrus and a light herbal aroma.

Taste – The taste begins crisp with a nice blend of wheat malt as well as some light citrus fruit notes. Some floral flavors come to the tongue, and with an increase in the lemon citrus, end up lightly bittering the taste. Toward the end a very light grassy flavor mixes with the others and leaves a clean taste on the tongue at the end.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is very light with a higher level of carbonation. A refreshing effervescent brew that is very easy to drink.

Overall – A good summer session beer. It is very easy to drink with its smooth body, light abv and more simple but flavorful crisp taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 00:40:16 | More by Darkmagus82

Scotchboy

Idaho

3.7/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle from laymansbeerfan (gracias) poured into a standard pint glass from the Ram.

A: Hazy light gold with a fizzy white head that leaves minimal lace.

S: Tangy wheat...sweetness and breadyness of pale malt...yeast esters...slight fruitiness as well, hops lending some lemon peel/citrus notes with undertones of banana and apricot (probably not from the hops)...touch of grassyness.

T: Good initial kick of flavor and carbonation, again there are some substantial wheat notes and a very light impression of banana, sweet bread and malt are the backbone of the flavors...notes of lemon again with grassy and floral notes. Refreshing.

MF: Light and drinkable, thin and watery body with just enough carbonation. Pretty refreshing here too.

O: Coulda sworn this was an APWA as I was sipping, maybe I was imagining all of the wheaty notes...its definitely not very heavy at all, and its not a heff, but its a light malty drinkable summer beer.

Thanks Aaron!

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 17:18:02 | More by Scotchboy

Jason

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz brown bottle with no freshness date

LOOK: Clear yellow hue, decent lacing

SMELL: Herbal, green peppercorn, fresh crackers, faint mint, very clean

TASTE: Very crisp, wet, dry pull, oily hop resin, herbal, leafy, fresh grass, slightly biscuity, clean, long dry finish

Immensely drinkable, fresh malt flavors from start to finish. Hoppiness balances and shows off a little. Summit has certainly brightened up my summer a bit more with this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 02:27:28 | More by Jason

57md

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy light straw color with about a finger of white head that dissipated rather quickly but left some lacing. The nose is wheat-like. The taste is light but pleasantly dry. There was a touch of tingling bitterness on the finish which is the highlight of this offering.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 13:27:56 | More by 57md

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A thank you goes out to cpolking form sending this beer. Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a cloudy yellow color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of grains, malts. Taste is bready malts, some grains, a touch of hops. Feels full bodied in the mouth and overall is a good easy drinking summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 22:14:08 | More by tone77

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Summit Summer Ale. No information at all on the 12 ounce bottle's label, just a picture of Minnehaha Falls and the promise of an ale for summer. So, let's check it out.

Clear and yellow, with a small white head.

Floral aromas, light citric nose, without a twang, bright, wide open and pretty.

Taste: Clean entry on the palate, very light in body, with a short finish. Whispers of wheat below the surface, but not much. Smoothness personified, but at what price?
Expertly consumable, and tasty, too. Before too long, along comes a hit of sour, and just the merest kiss of hops.
Next time it's in the 90's, this will go down great, but, so does water. I'm not trying to knock Summer Ale, because it's not aimed at me, but I will miss the Hefe Weizen considerably, if this is it's replacement.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 09:24:20 | More by feloniousmonk

KarlHungus

Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

This beer pours a semi-clear golden color. The head is half an inch in height, and recedes rather quickly into a thin cap of lacing. The aroma is of herbal, spicy hops with an underlying breadiness. It is rather weak though, and I have to try really hard to detect it. The taste is similar to the aroma with a nice balance of bready malt, and spicy, herbal hops. Again, like the aroma, it is weak even for the style. The mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium bodied with lively carbonation, and a smooth texture. Overall, I really don't think highly of this beer. I'm a big fan of the Kolsch style. However, this is a weaker example of the style, I can't see myself drinking again.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 22:26:53 | More by KarlHungus

bashiba

Iowa

3.2/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a nice bright golden yellow with a thin white head, light lacing.

The smell was a touch of grain with a bit of coppery and light grassy hops.

The flavor is very balanced with light crackery malts mixing in with a bit of lemon peel and a touch of metallic tinny flavor in the finish. Has just a bit of lingering bitterness.

The mouthfeel is dry and crisp.

A decent summer beer, fairly clean and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 20:48:24 | More by bashiba

chilidog

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this one up in the summer pack. Poured a clear golden yellow. Nice soft white head.

Aroma of grass and stail bread.

Taste of a grassy start then malts kick in and a nice citric hop finish.

Mouth is left a bit dry. A earthy feel follows.

Overall a good summer brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 01:29:50 | More by chilidog

Mdog

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Yellow-gold, ok head.

Smell: Bready at first, then more grassy.

Taste: Nice grassy, crisp flavor. Dry cracker malt flavor and grassy.

Mouthfeel: Tingly and light.

Overall: I like this one, tastes like a light bodied pilsner with an emphasis on the hops. I should get the summer sampler to compare this side by side with their pilsner, reminds me a lot of it right now.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 23:01:56 | More by Mdog

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured a slightly hazy blond in my pint glass with a two-finger head that leaves intermittent lacing.

Mmm. Reminds me a bit of Summit's Kolsch from a couple summers back. The slight earthy mineral note is subdued, but there's still a wonderfully subtle character of bready malts, mellow citrus hops, and light fruit esters. Complex, yet drinkable, what a fine beer. It opens with fresh-baked bread and finishes with a dry grassy bitterness. I'll have another.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 01:16:04 | More by tempest

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a finger of beige head. Good retention and lace. Color is a clear golden yellow.

Aroma: Very earthy and green. Citrus fruits with some bready malts. Almost smells like a hopped up pils.

Taste: Lemon citrus and bready malts. Also has a pale malt flavor. Earthy and green. Fairly floral.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and clean. Light bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Ends clean.

Overall, this is a great offering from Summit and something I will be having in the fridge this summer. Very easy to drink, yet provides a nice flavor.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 23:26:40 | More by mothman

steveh

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Been a Summit fan for a long time, never tried the Summer. Opted for a well-priced 12 pack after I took note that there were no "extras" added to this brew -- imagine my delight when I see BA is calling this a Kölsch (though Summit refrains from a label).

A -- Slightly hazy golden color with a delicate, persistent white head.

S -- Bright balance of citrus and spiciness in the nose.

T -- Light graininess up front with a light, mildly tart fruitiness following, finishing with a crisp bitterness. The aftertaste is a good balance of hop bitterness, light citrus fruitiness, and a dry graininess -- though after a couple there is a distinct tart vegetal character in the aftertaste that I find prevalent in many midwestern micros.

M -- Light smooth body, crisp and dry mouthfeel.

O -- A great addition to light and refreshing summer beers with a nicely bitter hoppiness when the craving hits. I was looking for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on sale and this beer filled my craving for something light and hoppy at the same time. I just wish that tart vegetal character wasn't so prominent.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 21:25:24 | More by steveh

budgood1

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

pours out a pale straw yellow colour with a frothy egg shell white head at least an inch high and not showing any signs of receding. plenty of chunky lace. pale malt aroma...some herbalness with lemongrss accents and hints of herbal hopppiness. the taste is frontal with the spiciness and herbal and lemongrass notes. a sturdy wheat and barley malt presence provides the impetus for all the impending flavours to take hold and lay down a foundation. it's a bit dry, and definitley has a quenching aspect to it, and i enjoy that after a hot day in the sun at work. well received body with a bit "rough around the edges" mouthfeel make this a unique kolsch. drinkability is quite nice...i like takes on a summertime style that exudes character.

overall i would say that summit has hit upon something good here, after messing around with the hefe and scandia. not sure where this rates compared to those two, but the ultimate comparison will be to see how this stands up to the schell zommerfest as go to summer slammers for my drinking pleasure. stay tuned...

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 22:16:54 | More by budgood1

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle with no date.

Pours a golden yellow with a sudsy 1-finger head. Smell is wheat, lemongrass, and pine. Light smelling. Taste is light grains/wheat, coriander, sage, lemon, and clove. Very drinkable and refreshing.

Perfect summertime brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 07:02:55 | More by jimmah120

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a bright and clear golden yellowish orange with lots of rising bubbles. Huge five finger white foam head with good retention. Leaves lots of lacing around the glass.

Smell: A crisp and malt forward aroma. Bready pale malts and wheat grains with good hints of biscuit and crackers. Hints of lemongrass. Also some floral German hops in the mix along with some grassy aromas. Smells pretty refreshing and crisp.

Taste: Like its smells, a nicely bready and crisp beer. Sweet pale malts and wheat grains. Pretty bready taste with notes of cracker and biscuit. Good notes of lemon and some light hints of other citrus fruit. Nice backing of floral and grassy German hops. Well balanced and tasty.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation. Very crisp and somewhat creamy. Nice body for a lighter style. Very smooth, refreshing, and drinkable.

Overall: A pretty solid take on a Kolsch. Its everything you would expect from the style. Very good summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 06:58:11 | More by MattyG85

augustgarage

California

3.6/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best before 9/25/2012. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a generic kolsch glass.

Perfectly clear, very pale straw/maize liquid with a lasting finger of active ghost white foam. Delicate creamy lacing; superior retention.

Aromatics are subtle to the point of abstraction. Perhaps a hint of winter fruit or wheat, but it's difficult to discern.

Gentle malt flavor is accompanied by a low bitterness and faint (noble?) hop taste. Some wheat peaks through towards the finish which is mineral-rich and medium-dry with hints of biscuit dough.

Soft bodied, pillow-y, and refreshing.

A bit lacking in character, but clean, and a reasonable approximation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 04:29:37 | More by augustgarage

gatornation

Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle BB 09/25/12

A- pours a light clear yellow color with a brilliant white head

S- malt floral hops bread and lemongrass

T- light floral hops with grain and bread light sweet malts

M- light on the palate low/medium carbonation

O- a session thirst quencher with mid Kolsch flavors, not my first choice for a kolsch or a summer beer for the matter

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 20:22:47 | More by gatornation

ZAP

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Excellent summer offering from Summit. 4.9% makes it a great drinker..tastes pretty similar to the unchained Kolsch from a few years back although perhaps just a little less malt forward and definitely has more of a puckering dry finish.

This has a nice gentle grainy maltiness...some light yeasty fruitiness and a pretty substantial dry finish. Body is light to medium...crisp....

Overall this is not as good as the Unchained Kolsch that came out a few years back but that was a truly elite offering. This is definitely solid and will be a nice summer beer. I plan on doing a blind taster with this and four other Kolschs to see how it stands... Schells Zommerfest,Alaskan Summer, and Goose Island Summer. Right now I would say that matchup is a toss up with perhaps a slight edge to GI...we'll see...may update this when I do that.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 19:44:24 | More by ZAP

garymuchow

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Cheese Cave.
Mild aroma that is mostly malt.
Clear yellow/gold body with white head.
Soft malt flavors with a smooth bitterness that doesn't overpower. Yeast character is in background.
Moderately light body with a soft carbonation.
This is a nice summer ale. Soft and well blended flavors. Should work for the masses, and could make a nice lawnmower beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2012 18:54:52 | More by garymuchow

morimech

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear straw color with just over one finger of head that had good retention before settling to a thin cap. A lot of lacing is left down the glass.

Semi-sweet pale malt that gives a bready aroma with hop compliments of grass and black pepper.

Slightly sweet bready malt base. Hints of green apple, grass, and pepper. Finishes slightly spicy. More bitter than just about any other Kolsch on the market.

Light to medium body with some nice carbonation. Lively without being harsh.

Enjoyable summer brew that is different from boring hot weather beers. I did not enjoy it as much as the Unchained Kolsch from a couple years ago, but being produced on a larger scale, I understand that compromises had to be made.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 18:28:30 | More by morimech

bsp77

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into new Summit glass.

Appearance: Bright, burnished gold with moderate head and nice lacing.

Smell: Semi-sweet malts with notes of apple and grass. Floral, spicy hops make this quite dry and bitter smelling. Aroma becomes too muted after a couple minutes.

Taste: Just slightly sweet apple, pear and fresh cut grass, countered by a nice level of spiciness. Ends primarily with a spicy hop bite and is more bitter than most Kolsch I have had. Really fresh tasting (at least when it IS fresh).

Feel: Moderately high carbonation, clean & crisp body, dry finish.

Overall: Very refreshing but with a nice amount of flavor. As far as I can remember from two years ago, this is very similar to the Summit Kolsch Unchained beer, and that is a great thing. I know they used some slightly less authentic ingredients for this one than the Unchained one (to save money and/or increase production), but I can't really tell.

Much better than their Hefe Weizen (which this replaced), but I still miss the old Scandia Ale summer seasonal.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 21:55:28 | More by bsp77

WYVYRN527

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a cylinder glass.

A: Golden in color with a fluffy white head that slowly settles. Great lacing and decent head retention.

S: Slightly fruity on the nose at first, with floral hops and plenty of fresh grainy malt.

T: Cracker-like malt lends a hint of sweetness up front, with some fruity notes as well. Mid-palate is dry, with grassy, floral hop undertones. The finish is very clean, and quite dry.

Notes: Light in body, with subtle flavor and great balance. Glad they decided to try something different this Summer. Quite tasty, and very easy to drink. A textbook example of the style. Well done!

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 04:35:18 | More by WYVYRN527

Greggy

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- pours a 1.5 finger white head over a straw yellow body with extremely fine sediment. After about a minute, the head recedes to a thin cap with thicker lacing ringing the glass.

S- Fresh and floral notes pop from this brew. Lemon pastry comes through as well as fresh hop notes.

T- Starts off with a light floral grainy flavor and then quickly transitions into dry, almost astringent notes. The finish extends this out a long way.

M- Medium carbonation works well per style.

O- Overall, a nice kolsch. Very reminiscent of the german kolsch's I've had in the past in the mineral taste. I look forward to having more of this during the summer.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 03:45:37 | More by Greggy