Summit Belgian Style Abbey Ale - Summit Brewing Company

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Really nice honey brown with off-white head. Ruby red hues when held up to the light.

Aroma: Sweet. Some spices. Pear and banana.

Taste: Very close to other Trappist/Abbey ales. Lots of malt balanced with spices and fruity notes. A little bready. Sweetens as it warms leaving you with a caramel essence from the fruit.

Mouthfeel: Pretty good level of carbonation. Very smooth especially as it warms up.

Final Thoughts: Yet another interesting beer from the Unchained Series. I'm not a huge fan of this style but Summit's version is great. If you like Abbey Ales and live in MN, this is one to check out!

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 22:58:00 | More by JamesMN

MNBeer1017

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

03-27-2013 01:27:31 | More by MNBeer1017

four91

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +2.6%

03-14-2013 18:37:59 | More by four91

Ristaccia

Nebraska

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

03-01-2013 04:30:26 | More by Ristaccia

sacrelicio

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

02-26-2013 07:52:14 | More by sacrelicio

Herky21

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%

01-29-2013 16:38:47 | More by Herky21

smogfood

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

01-25-2013 22:39:23 | More by smogfood

Hawkharvs

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

01-07-2013 17:03:36 | More by Hawkharvs

CWhite

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +9%

12-28-2012 02:58:43 | More by CWhite

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The bottles keep getting in the way of the all-important CANs, but I really want to divest myself of these gerfrugging glass-contained beers while I have the chance. Merry Christmas!

Right from the outset, I could tell that "Nate Siats[,]Brewer (oversigned "Nathaniel Siats") had hit the mark. I got a brief finger of foamy, tawny head that quickly fell, leaving some nice lacing in its wake. Color was a slightly-hazy orangish-amber. Nose had a boozy sweetness to it, with the alcohol heat tickling my nasal passages. I let it warm up a bit, but it still came across as sharply as before. Mouthfeel was medium with an initial wash of heat on the tongue, followed by a toffee-like caramel sweetness. Finish was semi-dry with the yeast having converted a fair share of the fermentable sugars, but leaving just enough behind not to completely dry it out. Phew! I may need to dry out at some point. This was nice, but still not to my hophead taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 23:06:51 | More by woodychandler

budgood1

Minnesota

3.33/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

pours out a slightly clouded deep amber colour accompanied by a thin off white head redcucing to some sparse lace. faint caramel candy aroma paired by some subtle peppery spice aroma. the taste profile has the belgian peppery spiciness first off, then dissolves into a bit of phenolic maltiness. there are hints of rum cake and yeast but it's incredibly hard to pin point any concrete discernible flavours that stand out. in fact it has an empty spot on the tongue, like a hole in the flavour profile that just slides right on to the boozy belly warming burn. sort of strange. anyway...it's medium to light bodied for the style with a semi slick and smooth mouthfeel that is in need of more carbonation to liven up the overall experience. drinkability is ok....but so far i'm not really digging it.

overall i'm a bit let down....belgian style abbey ales should shake things up on the tongue...this offering from summit only lightly tap dances in my mouth and then quickly gets tired. a nice try...but falls short for me. try it for yourself!

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 23:27:48 | More by budgood1

barnzy78

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Unchained #10. Pours amber/light brown with a thin, beige head, minimal lacing is left one the glass. Aromas are sweet & malty with caramel, toffee, brown sugar, honey, raisin, rum, faintly fruity phenols. Tastes are sweet and fairly rich with caramel, toffee, brown sugar, ripened fruit, plum, raisin, vanilla, buttery, white peppery hop for balance. Thin-to-medium bodied, could use a bit more carbonation. Overall, not a bad example of the style. Nice complexity, but a bit different than most Belgian brewed dubbels.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 22:59:26 | More by barnzy78

klaybie

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This Summit brewed Belgian style Dubbel really surprised me.

A: Standard red/amber appearance. Minimal head (purposefully on the part of the bartender so no points deducted there). No lacing.

N: Caramel, slight alcohol, yeast. Fitting for a Dubbel.

T: Caramel, yeast, biscuity malts. I am searching for a flaw and cannot find one. I am wholly surprised.

M: Moderate to light carbonation, medium bodied, wonderful.

O: The best beer I have had from Summit. I would say it blew me away, honestly.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2012 18:54:32 | More by klaybie

Cramerican

North Dakota

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%

11-30-2012 04:42:15 | More by Cramerican

tuckerlikesbeer

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +9%

11-29-2012 05:22:32 | More by tuckerlikesbeer

Hellpop65

Kansas

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%

11-23-2012 00:04:44 | More by Hellpop65

djschnabel

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +2.6%

11-17-2012 14:21:09 | More by djschnabel

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Unchain my heart (and my mason jar)! This stuff pours a mostly clear amber-russet topped by a finger of lightly glowing off-white foam. The nose comprises banana, toasted biscuit, light clove, light toffee, and a slight kiss of fig. The taste brings in more of the same, with a stronger sense of spice (now including mace as well), more fig, an addition of mild dark fruits, and a kiss of ruby red grapefruit peel. There isn't as much caramel in there as normally found in dubbels, but it all works out in the end. The body is a light-leaning medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a lightly grainy feel. Overall, this may not be the best dubbel out there, but for the price, especially, it's pretty good. It's tasty and drinkable, something that can't be said for many Belgian counterparts.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 22:00:38 | More by TMoney2591

sweemzander

Illinois

3/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz. bottle poured into a tulip.

(A)- Pours a hazy reddish sienna, almost orange hue. Some white froth that dissipated quickly. Minimal lacing.

(S)- A deep raisin and prune aromas. Bits of yeasty biscuit with really subtle banana esters.

(T)- Similar to the smell. Some deep prune, almost fig-like fruits. Mildly yeasty like the smell with tiny bits of banana.

(M)- A good carbonation level. A decent balance to it. Surprisingly kind of bitter somehow. The yeast really starts to dry this out and probably creates that bitter component as it warms.

(O)- Overall, its not too bad. A fairly basic run of the mill beer for the style, but it is by no means bad either. The larger bitterness kind of bothers me that is kind of off-putting unfortunately.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 20:28:47 | More by sweemzander

BierVogel

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

11-09-2012 03:25:11 | More by BierVogel

jklecko2

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

10-30-2012 19:32:51 | More by jklecko2

bnes09

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beautiful amber, orange, ruby color that continually changes with the lighting. Foamy off white head holds itself well and even adds a few lace patches.

Aroma is a complex balance of sweet caramel malt, dark fruits, yeast, spices, hops and alcohol. Love the complexity. Each component is competing for my attention.

Flavor follows the nose beginning with a caramel malt backbone and fig sweetness. Spicy herbal, leafy hops complimented by mild nutmeg and ground pepper. Clove-like yeast, fairly fresh. Mild alcohol burn adds a dry chardonnay like quality. Exceptional balance.

Medium bodied. Yeasty texture. Good carbonation. Slightly dry, tart finish.

Exceptional dubbel. Just as good as examples that come from Belgium and considerably more fresh.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 03:42:57 | More by bnes09

Stevie_Janowski

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2.6%

10-20-2012 03:13:28 | More by Stevie_Janowski

mbank27

4/5  rDev +2.6%

10-20-2012 03:12:59 | More by mbank27

Ejayz

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%

10-13-2012 03:16:22 | More by Ejayz