Summit 30th Anniversary Barleywine Review

Name: Summit 30th Anniversary Barleywine
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 11.5%
IBUs: 50

Summit is wrapping up it's 30th year in business by releasing the last beer in their 30th Anniversary Series and they've decided to end it on a high note with an English Barleywine. In fact, they released an English Barleywine around this time last year called Old Blaggard but this is totally different beer altogether. Plus this is also the strongest beer they've released to date, beating out Old Blaggard at 11.5% ABV.

Appearance - Mildly hazy dark orange color with a light amount of visible carbonation. The head is quite thin but it leaves behind some pretty good lacing.

Aroma - Strong caramel and toffee malts with some mild bitter & floral hops, along with some roasted barley and just a touch of dark fruit.

Taste - Strong caramel & toffee malts upfront that linger throughout. With some moderate floral and bitter hops towards the middle & I'm getting bit of rum raisin here too. The back end of the palate is more of that maltiness that was present in the front, along with some light roasted barley. The aftertaste is mostly mild bitter hops and light toffee sweetness.

With a strong malt profile and nice moderate hop profile to back it up, this marks the second time that Summit has nailed the English Barleywine-style. On top of that, even at at 11.5% ABV, there's no boozy flavors to speak of at all, which is no small feat by any means. Like many of their releases, it makes me sad that this is a one-off beer from Summit because this is one of the best beers I've had from them in quite a while. So if you so happen to see this, try it out before it goes away forever.

Summit 30th Anniversary Barleywine - 9/10

Summit Old Braggard Review

Name: Summit Old Blaggard
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 10.1%
IBUs: 50

After years of waiting on my part, Summit is finally taking off the boxing gloves and strapping on a pair a brass knuckles; That's right, they've finally released a Barleywine called Old Blaggard. The latest release as part of the Union Series, which uses brand new hop and malt varieties, this is described as an English-style Barleywine by the brewery.

Sure you have the great & interesting releases as part of their Unchained Series (Particularly the Old 152, Biere De Garde & the Hop Silo) but I have always yearned for the brewery to create something that pushes the boundaries of what they normally do. To date, this is the strongest beer the brewery has ever made, clocking in at a 10.1%. Even the web page for this beer has a warning next to the ABV that says "Careful, laddie." Personally I am quite excited to try this out because for years I have been saying that Summit needs to make a beer that they have never released before.

Appearance - Clear mahogany color with a high amount of visible carbonation. The head is white in color and on the thin side but some good filmy retention, along with the lacing which is also quite abundant as well

Aroma - Strong caramel & toffee malty sweetness upfront followed by some mild but potent floral hoppiness. As it warms up, I'm getting some light plum & dark fruit notes.

Taste - Much like the nose, the flavor is very malt forward with some caramel & toffee maltiness. This is followed by some surprisingly strong chocolate sweetness and mild-but-still potent floral hoppiness. As for the aftertaste, that's where I'm picking up on that plum dark fruitiness. There is a light boozy characteristic in here, but it does not hinder the flavor by any means. Needless to say, the flavor reflects the aroma perfectly.

It may have been a long time coming, but this beer is an exemplary example of the English Barleywine style. It's got malts & hops in all the right places and it strikes a perfect balance that is ideal for the style. It may have taken a while to perfect but Summit absolutely nailed it here. It's beers like this that make their Union Series (and Unchained Series) such delights to try out with each new release. If you see this on the store shelf, you need to try this out. Summit's first venture into the 10%+ ABV territory is a good one for sure!

Summit Old Braggard - 9.25/10