Summit Summer Ale - Summit Brewing Company

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

herman77

Minnesota

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

A: Pale yellow with a small bright white head. Some haze to it when held up to a light. Good lacing.

S: Sweet cereal malts, a bit of fruity esters. A bit of lemon zest coming through.

T: Some light, slightly sweet grains up front. Then a bit of lemon and some very mild spicy hops punch through. Nice crisp and clean finish.

M: Light body. Moderate carbonation that is feels pretty soft.

O: Great drinkability. Nice and refreshing. Another great seasonal brew from Summit, glad it replaced the Hefe.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 01:11:33 | More by herman77

mjryan

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Clear, pale gold colour. Lasting, sticky head. Fresh bread, honey, hay and flowers in the nose, very gentle. Crisp flavour. A bit of soft, grainy malt up front is followed by an intising, floral/haylike hop character. Noticeable hop bitterness for a dry, curt finish. Carbonation is prickly, but not overdone. Sub 5% abv makes this a beer you can reasonabley consume in quantity. Well done. A perfect summer beer that really seems to capture the essence of the season.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 22:34:11 | More by mjryan

jjanega08

Minnesota

4.7/5  rDev +26.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

No freshness dating on the bottle but I think this is a pre-release bottle.

A= Pours a beautiful golden yellow color with a finger of head on it thats a nice white color and despite the "loose" look to it it holds some solid retention and lacing on the glass.

S= The smell is of nice lemon zest and a bit of a flowery summer smell. Little sweet malt character and a small amount of hop spice to it. Really just smells like summer.

T= A totally summer taste to it. Excellent lemon zest and a slight hop spice to it that gives it a little extra brightness. This my friend is summer in a glass.

M= Nicely carbonated with a good amount of carbonation and zest.

O= This is a home run from Summit. A well made "summer" beer. I don't care the style or the flavor this is an all around awesome summer beer. I'll be drinking a ton of this over the summer and enjoying every last drop. Seek this beer out and enjoy the hell out of it. I know I will be.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 02:01:40 | More by jjanega08

jera1350

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Crystal clear straw yellow color with a clean white head of fluffy foam. Nice lacing.

The smell is very clean and fruity with some bread dough. A little bit of green grass from the hops.

Light honey sweetness, the hops are lightly grassy and spicy, but the key is light. Crackery finish on the palate.

Lots of pillowy carbonation in a body that feels somewhere between light and medium. Dry finishing. Very nice feel.

This would be extremely easy to put back several. Very clean and refreshing, yet has enough depth as to not get boring. This makes a great summer drinker.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 20:35:09 | More by jera1350

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