Summit Cabin Crusher Review

Name: Summit Cabin Crusher
Style: Kolsch
ABV: 4.8%
IBUs: 30

As the temperatures continue to crawl their ways upwards, I figure I’d do my best to get feature some lighter beers and as luck would have it, I have just the one for this spring weather. I give to you Summit’s Cabin Crusher, a Kolsch-style ale made with lime peel and puree along with Lemon Drop & Loral hops. First released in 2019 as part of their variety packs, it’s since gained a large enough following to where it’s now available for people to purchase in standalone 4-packs, 6-packs and 12-packs

Appearance – Hazy yellow color with a good amount of visible carbonation. The head itself is fairly foamy and there’s a good amount of lacing left behind along the sides of the glass.

Aroma – Right away, I’m hit with a nice pale/pilsner maltiness and lime scent, along with just a touch of those citra-lemon hops and barley.

Taste – On the front of the palate, I’m getting some solid pale maltiness and those lemon-citra hops, while the back end of the palate opens up to that lime sweetness with a touch of biscuits. The aftertaste is, for the most part, fairly dry save for a light hop bitterness.

For a beer that is intended for drinking in “Cabin Country,” there’s quite a bit going on here if you really pay attention. Yet at the same time, you don’t necessarily need to turn your brain on to appreciate what this beer has to offer. Whether you’re sitting around a bonfire, fishing on your favorite lake, or having it in the comfort of your home in Suburbia like yours truly; I have no doubt that you’ll enjoy drinking this.

Summit Cabin Crusher – 8.5/10

A visit to Summit Brewing

I’ve covered Summit Brewing extensively since I started this blog up. From their classic Extra Pale Ale to their more limited releases, it has been a constant staple on this website for quite a while. I mean, they are one of the biggest and oldest craft breweries in Minnesota after all. And yet, I’ve never really covered the brewery itself. Like where it all comes from and the story behind it. Sure I’ve touched upon few tidbits in the various Summit reviews but never anything that I would consider to be in-depth.

Since I had a few days off after Christmas, I came to the conclusion that it was time to change that. I decided to make myself useful and take a deeper look into this seasoned brewery. I mean, after all, you can’t go into any bar or liquor store in Minnesota swinging a stick without hitting at least a bottle, can or tap handle that doesn’t brandish the “Summit” name on it. (Note: Please don’t actually try this.)

Summit Brewing is located off of West 7th Street, just a couple blocks east of Interstate 35-E in St. Paul in an office park. When they first opened their doors in 1986, they were located off of University Ave, which is on the other side of St. Paul. It wasn’t until 1995 that they moved from their old location to their current one, which was once home to a Texaco Oil Refinery and they got the land at a fairly good price since St. Paul was looking to expand its business appeal. Since then, it has continuously grown into the behemoth-sized building that it has become today.

The Ratskeller of Summit is one that I have visited a few times since it first opened a couple years ago and it has undergone some fairly changes. Gone are the wooden benches and tables, which I actually didn’t mind since they actually looked like the tables you’d see in an authentic German bierhall. In place of that are some rather fancy chairs and tables, which fit the overall feel of the Ratskeller. The other thing that is gon-…er……changed is that now there’s a jumbo screen over the entrance displaying pretty much the entire history of Summit. Also, the pictures on walls do an awesome job of improving the atmosphere. Oh and that beautiful oak bar that was tucked away is now front-and-center. Because, let’s be real here, no one puts baby in the corner.

Now I learned quite a bit about the history of Summit during my tour, so I’ll do my best to tell you, the reader, what I found out. So let’s begin with the name. Originally the founder, Mark Stutrud wanted to name the brewery Stutrud Brewing, but it slowly became apparent that, from a naming perspective, the word “Stutrud” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue (At least, according to our brave tour guide, Phil). So they decided on the name Summit Brewing for a couple different reasons. The first being that it represents the pinnacle, the apex, the…..you get the idea. The other reason being that Summit Avenue is a prominent street in St. Paul.

The other thing you’ll notice too are the copper kettles that flank the right side of the Ratskeller as well as a sign above it that says “Hürnerbräu Ansbach.” This is because those kettles were purchased from the Hürnerbräu Brewery in Bavaria, Germany. Copper Kettles are somewhat or a rarity now as a lot of new brewing equipment is now stainless steel. The copper kettles that I’ve seen in my travels are used for display purposes but not Summit’s. They still utilize them for brewing purposes in all of their batches.

Earlier, I mentioned that the building itself is absolutely ginormous. It looks big on the outside but seeing all of the equipment from the inside makes you feel even smaller in comparison. The pictures themselves do not do this view justice, which is why I strongly suggest seeing this in person. Up until the tour, the biggest fermentation tanks I had seen were at the Yuengling Brewery in Tampa, FL; The views in here give them a run for their money.

The scale of how big Summit is isn’t just limited to their fermentation tanks, the bottling and canning line is also a sight to behold; Which makes sense seeing as how it once belonged to Sierra Nevada. Hearing the story as to how it was shipped halfway across the country (in pieces, mind you) and how it was assembled is a story in and of itself.

Then there’s the storage room, where all the beer is kept before being sent out this includes kegs, bottles and cans. At one point, I saw there was a few cases of the Warpigs Foggy Geezer standing out amongst the crowd. Curious, I asked brave leader Phil what that was doing amongst all the Summit. He pointed out that since Warpigs doesn’t have a physical brewery, they use Summit’s brewing equipment as one of their facilities. In fact, if you look on any Warpigs can (at least in Minnesota) you’ll see in tiny letters on the back that it was indeed brewed at the Summit Facility. After all these delightful sights, we went back to the taproom for some beers.

Brave Leader Phil showing us one of the tools used by professional brewers

One of the key highlights for myself personally was the topic of distribution. Right now they are currently in five states and at one point they were in seventeen before having to pull back, and that was something I knew of prior to coming on this tour. The reason for this? Growth. It turns out that since the country has been undergoing a craft brewing growth these past few years, the demand for more local beer has increased ten-fold. Many breweries have felt this and Summit is no exception to that rule. Basically the demand for Summit in their former areas was either not sufficient or the demand for more local beer became too great to keep up with.

Still, with all that in mind, Summit still plays a pivotal role in providing the Midwest with their offerings and libations. Being on this tour makes one (or at least myself) appreciate all they have done for craft brewing in Minnesota and the role they will continue to play going forward. Whether you’re there for a tour or just to chill out in their Ratskeller, you really get the sense that you’re standing in a place of great significance. If you’re a seasoned Summit drinker, it goes without saying that you owe it to yourself to check this place out.

For tours, you can either book a tour online, like yours truly. Or you can buy a ticket in the gift shop.

However, if you just want to sit back in the Ratskeller and have a few beers, that’s alright too. Either way, they can be found at:



910 Montreal Circle
St. Paul, MN 55102

Summit Great Northern Porter Review

Name: Summit Great Northern Porter
Style: Porter
ABV: 5.6%

Summit Brewing Great Northern Porter: a beer that I feel is often overlooked when it comes to the their offerings. Sure they have 6 packs of this beer and it's often a staple of Summit's Seasonal Sampler packs but I feel this beer doesn't get enough love. After all, between their EPA, Unchained and Union series, there's alot going on at the brewery.

That's too bad because I feel that it is unique in that it's one of the few porters from any Minnesota brewery that is exclusively brewed year-round. In fact, I've only seen this beer on-tap in particular maybe 2-3 times at the very most whenever I go out, with the Minnesota State Fair being one instance.

Appearance - Pitch black with no visible carbonation. The head is thin and khaki colored with some pretty good lacing; Both the head and lacing retention are prolonged and quite nice

Aroma - Strong Chocolate Malts and roasted barley are prominent at the top of the nose. This is followed by some light toffee sweetness & mild but noticeable floral hops.

Taste - Strong chocolate malts and toffee sweetness upfront with some moderate roastiness in the middle with some bitter and floral hops on the back end of the palate. The aftertaste is a mix of bitter hops and roasted barley.

I have always felt Great Northern Porter is an underappreciated offering from one of the most well-known breweries in the Midwest. If you find it in your heart, give this beer a little love and you will be surprised with just how good it is.

Summit Great Northern Porter - 9/10

Summit Mild 3X Ale Review

Name: Summit Mild 3X Ale

Style: English Mild Pale Ale

ABV: 7.2%

I've got an interesting concoction from Summit Brewing's Union Series. It's a beer called Mild 3X Ale, which according to Beer Advocate, is an English Pale Mild Ale and usually has an ABV from 3-5%. However since everything is being Imperialized nowadays, you could consider this to be an Imperial English Mild Pale Ale, which is sort of an oxymoron if you think about it. I guess even session ales aren't safe from the Imperial Monster.

I'm also going to say this before starting the review: I'm not at all familiar with the style. In fact the only other English Mild I recall ever having is the Pub Ale from Tallgrass. With all that said, I'm not quite sure what to expect but let's find out!

Mild 3X pours a hazy dark amber color with no visible carbonation to speak of. The head is nice and foamy and the lacing retention is quite good.

The nose has some very strong toffee and chocolate malts upfront. This is followed up by a bit of roastiness and some coffee grounds. I'm also picking up on some mild hoppiness but it's tucked away in the back of the aroma

The flavor is very chocolate malt & roasted barley forward. I'm picking up on some smoky notes and a bit toffee sweetness as well. The bitter hops make an notable appearance at the end and lingers on in the aftertaste for a few moments along with some mild roastiness.

I have to say this is unlike any other beer I've had in a while...and I love it! In fact, I'd even go as far to say that this is probably the best Union Series entry yet. It's got a nice robust flavor and yet it's very easy to drink. Flavor-wise, it straddles the line between Amber Ale & Stout perfectly, though I'm not sure if that was the intent. Either way, it works for me!

Summit Mild 3X Ale - 9/10

Summit Southern Cape Sparkling Ale Review

Name: Summit Southern Cape Sparkling Ale
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 4.4%

Since it's launch last year, Summit Brewing's Union Series has been utilizing new hop, malt, and yeast types to create new and interesting takes on what are otherwise traditional beer styles.

For their newest entry, Southern Cape Sparkling Ale, they have taken it upon themselves to use ingredients that all originate from the Southern Hemisphere, which seems to be the big trend in craft brewing as of late. Most "Southern Hemisphere" beers I have seen use Australian and New Zealand-based ingredients. What sets this apart is that it also uses ingredients from Chile and South Africa, which don't strike me as big craft beer players.....at least not yet.

Like the Meridian Session Ale, the first entry in the Union Series, this ventures back into "Sessionable" territory with an ABV of 4.4%, which makes it the lowest ABV content beer release to date from Summit.

Southern Cape pours a fairly clear yellow straw color with just a slight bit of haze to it. The amount of visible carbonation is pretty high and there isn't anything in terms of lacing.

The nose starts out with some lemon zest, pale maltiness, some moderate hoppiness, and what I can only describe as a pseudo grassy/adjunct/pilsner malt scent.

The flavor starts off with some pale and grassy pilsner malts and a very strong bitter hop aftertaste. There is also a lingering resin bitterness that hangs around long after you've taken a sip.

The palate, interestingly enough, is surprisingly heavy for what it is. As for the carbonation, despite it's bubbly appearance, is actually very mild and tame. It does have a nice crisp feel to it though and it's fairly easy to drink.

Southern Cape is an interesting specimen. It starts out with some almost Pilsner/Lager-like qualities but on the inside, it's actually very hoppy. It is quite flavorful but in-your-face bitter hoppy finish is a bit too much for my liking, it's like they took all the hoppiness and compressed it at the very end of the palate, instead of spreading it out evenly. Nonetheless, it's still a solid effort by Summit and I would say that it's worth a look at the very least.

Summit Southern Cape Sparkling Ale - 7.5/10

Summit Frost Line Rye Review

Name: Summit Frost Line Rye
Style: Rye Beer
ABV: 5.8%

Even though the cold unforgiving months of winter are (mostly) behind us, I've been meaning to review the latest seasonal addition to the Summit Brewing lineup. Announced earlier this year, Frost Line Rye is Summit's newest winter seasonal beer, which is a rye beer; Not too surprising since it's given away in the name.

I do think, however, that it's an interesting style of beer to go along with since I consider rye beers as whole to be somewhat of a niché style of beer. However, let's take a look before I decide to pass judgement.

Frost Line Rye pours a dark red color with a thin khaki colored head. The visible carbonation is relatively mild and the lacing left behind is actually quite good

The aroma has a fairly solid spicy rye and roasted barley profile upfront. Backing that up are some yeasty notes and some surprisingly strong citrus hops which linger on in the nose throughout.

Initially the taste comes off as a bit too heavily focused on the rye profile. However, if you let it warm up just a bit, you're going to find that the citrus hops, yeasts, spiciness and roasted barley flavors really start to shine through and it really gives some much needed balance to the overall flavor; Particularly the citra-hop profile.

The palate is very light bodied and the carbonation comes off as fairly moderate. Depending on what temperature you have the beer, it can be a blessing or a curse.

At first, I found this to be a very imbalanced beer due to the colder temperature. However if you let it warm up for a little bit, you're going to find yourself with a surprisingly well-balanced and flavorful ale. Since this is a rye beer, not everyone is going to fall in love with this, but for what it is, I found this to be quite enjoyable.

Summit Frost Line Rye - 8.5/10

Summit True Brit IPA Review

Name: Summit True Brit IPA
Style: English IPA
ABV: 6.4%

Tonight I'm going to review what I consider to be a timeless classic from Summit Brewing's line-up: their True Brit IPA, an English Style IPA as you may have guessed from the name. Now it wasn't always called "True Brit"; In fact, prior to their image and label overhaul, it was simply called Summit India Pale Ale.

Then much like the rest of the beers in Summit's lineup, each one received a facelift, a couple got a name change, and one beer (Horizon Red) even received a different recipe change. However, True Brit just changed in it's name only.

True Brit pours a clear orange color with a foamy head that eventually becomes filmy while still maintaining retention. The visible carbonation is pretty mild carbonation and the lacing left behind is quite good.

In the nose, I'm picking up on some fairly strong caramel malts which are back up by citrus hops, grapefruit notes, and some light toffee notes.

Flavor-wise, it’s very caramel malt forward, which is to be expected out of an English IPA. Luckily the citrus & piney hops help bring balance to the overall flavor. The palate is pretty light overall and the carbonation is also very mild. It's a pretty easy easy-to-drink IPA overall.

True Brit is a good example as to how to do an English IPA correctly. It doesn't do anything exciting necessarily but it tastes great and it's easy to drink and honestly, that's what having a good beer is all about.

Summit True Brit IPA - 8.5/10

Summit Maibock Review

Name: Summit Maibock
Style: Maibock/Helles Bock
ABV: 6.7%

Even though we had about a foot of snowfall yesterday (which has miraculously melted away by now), Spring is very much here....for the most part. So in honor of spring technically here, I've got myself a Summit Brewing Spring Sampler pack for us to look at.

Since I've already reviewed Summit Extra Pale Ale, I've decided I'm going to first take a look at their Maibock beer. Now I'm just going to give you a heads up, I consider this to be my favorite seasonal offering from Summit. It goes without saying that this is my first time actually giving this beer a proper review.

Summit Maibock pours a bright hazy yellow color with a nice, white, soapy head. The lacing left behind on the sides of the glass is pretty good and the visible carbonation teeters between mild and moderate.

The aroma starts things off with some strong pale malts, yeasts, light honey, mild floral hop notes and just a hint of toffee. To me, it smells like spring in the form of a beer.

The flavor,  much like the nose, starts out with some strong sweet malt notes, followed up by some yeasts, light honey, floral hops and a very slight earthiness. The aftertaste is a light but pleasant honey and floral hoppiness.

The palate is quite light in terms of body weight body with mild carbonation. Combined with the flavor, this makes it a very easy-to-drink and refreshing beer.

Every spring, I look forward to having this beer time and time again and for good reason. It's got a great flavor, it smells awesome, and it's extremely refreshing and easy to drink. I wish Summit would make this a year round offering but as the old Rolling Stones song goes: You can't always get what you want. Seriously though, if you haven't had this yet, you owe it to yourself to try it out.

Summit Maibock - 9/10

Summit Rebellion Stout Review

Name: Summit Rebellion Stout
Style: Foreign Stout
ABV: 8.5%

Last year, Summit Brewing announced they were giving their brand and lineup a redesign overhaul. Amongst those changes aside from the label changes was the introduction of the Union Series, a new lineup of beers that features hops, malts and other ingredients that are new to the craft beer industry.

Their first effort in the Union Series was a Belgian Style Session Ale, which I thought was pretty good all things considered. For their newest entry, they have shifted their focus from light to dark and heavy with their Rebellion Stout, which is classified as a Foreign Stout. The most popular Foreign Stout I know of is Guinness Stout and pretty much every beer drinker knows of Guinness. Another thing to point out is that this is Summit's strongest beer to date in terms of ABV, which clocks in at 8.5%.

Rebellion Stout pours a pitch black color with a brown thin filmy head. There is a mild amount of carbonation visible on the edge of the glass and it leaves behind some decent lacing.

I'm getting a strong aroma of chocolate malts mixed in with some hops. On the back of the nose is also some roasted barley, hints of caramel and light coffee.

The flavor is pretty roasty upfront thanks in part to the chocolate barley but I'm also getting caramel notes and a rather strong resin-hoppy taste in here too. The aftertaste is mainly coffee and hints of dark chocolate, so it's a rather roasty stout.

As expected, the body has some considerable weight behind it and also some moderate carbonation as well. Normally this wouldn't be a big sticking point but I can't help but feel the carbonation should be more subdued than it is when you consider the flavor and style. Call me picky but I found this to be a lot smoother on tap than in a bottle.

Despite my criticisms, this is an excellent beer that you should try out especially if you can get it on draft. Even if you get it in a bottle, I would still highly recommend checking this out.

Summit Rebellion Stout - 8.5/10

Summit Biere de Garde Review

Name: Summit Biere de Garde
Style: Biére De Garde
ABV: 7.3%

In my previous Unchained Review for Another IPA, I mentioned that Summit Brewing would be releasing their next Unchained with a fancy new label as part of their redesign campaign which kicked off earlier this year. Well true to their word, they have indeed changed the design of their label to reflect

The latest release in Summit's Unchained Series is a Biere de Garde, a Farmhouse-Style Ale that originates from France; In case the name wasn't already a big enough giveaway as it is. I've only had a couple of Biere de Garde style ales, namely from Flying Dog & Schell's so it'll be interesting to see how this turns out.

Summit Biere de Garde pours an almost black color which becomes a dark crimson red when held up to a light. The head is rather fizzy and fades away fast and the carbonation, while harder to see, is moderate in appearance.

The aroma has some cloves & toffee notes with some Belgian yeasts, caramel and a mild but noticable sweet cherry tartness. Overall a very interesting mixture in the nose.

The flavor is starts out with a toffee and caramel sweetness. This is followed by some floral hops, cherries, Belgian yeasts and cloves. The aftertaste consists of roasted barley & mild cherry tartness. The body is thick and heavy. The mild carbonation is a welcome compliment to the overall flavor so extra points for that.

There's a chance I may be alone in saying this but I think this is the best Unchained offering yet. I really admire the taste, particularly with the cherries and how well it blends in with the Farmhouse-style flavor. There's still a couple of months left until the next Unchained beer comes out so grab this while you still can!

Summit Biere de Garde - 9/10

Summit Winter Ale Review

Name: Summit Winter Ale
Style: Winter Warmer
ABV: 5.9%

Winter has come to Minnesota and that could mean only one thing: Winter Seasonals! And since we had a terrible blizzard annihilate us this week, what better way to commemorate the arrival of winter than with a Summit Brewing's Winter Ale!

Summit Winter Ale pours a dark clear brown color with a semi-fluffy head, sparse lacing and some light visible carbonation.

The nose starts things off with some spice and caramel malts and in the back are toffee, vanilla and some mild hoppiness. Reminds me a bit of vanilla porter....almost!

The flavor has more of a chocolate taste along with roasted barley, toffee, yeasts and mild hoppiness. For a winter warmer, it's somewhat complex and quite vibrant for what it is.

The body is pretty lightweight and it's mildly carbonation so it's quite easy on the palate.

In terms of Winter Seasonals (that aren't of limited release), this is one is pretty good. Mind you I'm more inclined to their regular year-round line-up but this one is quite solid.

Summit Winter Ale - 8/10

Summit Another IPA Review

Name: Summit Another IPA
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 5.6%


I'm beginning to suspect that Summit Brewing has an IPA fetish and for a good reason. You see, they already have 3 IPAs in their lineup: Horizon Red, Sága, and their aptly named India Pale Ale. That was until one day earlier this year when this gem popped up in my Twitter feed. Due to Blogger's lackluster support for embedded videos which I need, I've had no choice but to link it.

For the lazy or those not interested in watching a movie, it's a video to promote the newest beer in the Unchained series: Another IPA. No, that's not a typo, that's the actual name; Very Ironic/Tongue-In-Cheek/etc. name. This'll be the last Unchained release that uses the the label you see above as they are changing the design to reflect Summit's new design.

Well, let's give Summit's usual label a good old fashioned Irish Wake and take a look at this, shall we?

Another IPA pours a hazy yellow color with a foamy/filmy/chunky looking head. You know when the head on the beer starts to go away and what you are left with is a filmy head with some chunky balls of foam on the surface? It's like that. The lacing it leaves behind is decent.

For an IPA, it's rather fruity smelling with some citrus hops, tangerines, caramel, light mango, piney hops and some pale malts.

The taste is alot more piney hop forward with some mild citrus hops, pale malts, barley and some pils-grassiness. For an IPA, it's quite earthy.

It's very heavy both in terms of body weight and carbonation. Not really quite ideal considering the style of beer.

It's got a decent taste and the earthiness actually is quite nice but the body is mismatched compared to overall flavor. It's a good IPA but I'll stick with Summit's existing IPAs as I think they are much better.

Summit Another IPA - 7.5/10

Summit Extra Pale Ale Review

Name: Summit Extra Pale Ale
Style: English Pale Ale
ABV: 5.2%

When Summit Brewing Company first opened it's doors, no one would've imagined that they would've grown into one of the largest craft breweries in America (Ranked 23rd as of 2012) and 2nd largest brewery in Minnesota behind August Schell Brewing Company. In fact, when the local NBC affiliate KARE11 did a piece on the brewery's grand opening back in 1986, they featured a very familiar beer that Minnesota holds dear to it's heart as you will see in the video here.

The first beer that Summit ever released, Extra Pale Ale (EPA), has continuously been their best selling beer and like Spotted Cow in Wisconsin, you can find it literally anywhere in Minnesota, whether it's in a bottle or on tap. Like Sierra Nevada, it's also one of the first craft beers I ever took note of thanks to my Dad's company picnics when I was younger; It was the beer of choice amongst my dad's co-workers, beating out Budweiser & Miller Lite as they sat submerged in ice.

Since I've already reviewed quite a few of Summit's offerings, I figured now would be a good time to look at Minnesota's own flagship craft beer.

Summit EPA pours a mildly hazy dark orange color with a foamy head and good lacing along the sides of the glass. There's also some light carbonation visible as well.

The aroma gives off a strong baked bread & yeasty scent. In the back are some floral hop, pale malts & barley notes which add a nice touch to the aroma.

The flavor is a bit more well rounded with yeasts, floral & dry hops, pale malts and barley. Aftertaste is a mild floral hoppiness with just a teensy bit of resin.

As far as the body goes, it's fairly moderate in weight and while the carbonation starts out in the middle, it does mellow out the more you drink it.

It's a staple of the Minnesota beer scene and it isn't hard to see why that after 27 years, it still holds up nicely. You've got a nice flavor that aims to please and it's a beer that's perfect for any occasion. Sure, it's not going to knock your socks off with it's flavor but at the same time you definitely aren't making a mistake by drinking this either.

Summit Extra Pale Ale - 8.25/10

Summit Horizon Red Ale Review

Summit Brewing Company already has a couple IPAs on the market, their aptly named "India Pale Ale" and their "Sága IPA". So it should come as a surprise to no one that their next "Unchained" series beer called is called "Another IPA."

However, I'm not here to focus on those beers but rather their Horizon Red Ale, which is classified as an Amber Ale with an ABV of 5.7%. Though I would be pressed to call it an Amber Ale because while it is a Red Ale in appearance, the rest of the beer tells a completely different story.

The beer pours a dark hazy red color with a very foamy head with a bit of carbonation along the sides of the glass.. The lacing is spotty and it finishes rather clean.

The nose has an unusually strong piney hop and caramel malt scent upfront. Along with that are some grapefruit and citrus hop notes. The flavor is a bit more hop-forward with Piney and Citrusy Hops on the front of the palette with some caramel, malts and yeast notes in the back. It has a bittersweet caramel-hop aftertaste. The body is a bit of the hefty side with some mild carbonation so it's reasonably easy to drink.

I would characterize this more as an IPA then say.....an Amber Ale. This doesn't mean it's a bad beer, in fact, it's a very good beer! My expectations were set to more of a maltier beer but instead I got a nice hoppy surprise that comes off as smooth and well balanced. Try it out if you get the chance!

Summit Horizon Red Ale - 8.5/10

**UPDATE**

After I posted this review on Twitter, Summit posted their new redesigned labels on Twitter to coincide with their updated logo. Amongst them was their redesigned for Horizon Red Ale and....well see for yourselves!

Well played Summit, well played....

Summit Meridian Session Ale Review

Summit Brewing recently updated their label to give it more of a modern look, though their Summer Sampler and other beers still use the old label so I'm going to guess it's a more gradual process. To celebrate, they've launched their Union Series: Beers that will use new types of hops & yeast strains; They of course could also be combined with already existing ones. The first release in the Union Series is called Meridian Session Ale, a Belgian Ale with an ABV of 4.5%.

Meridian pours a hazy yellow color with a soapy head. Carbonation appears to be abundant in the glass and it finishes clean, leaving behind almost no lacing.

The nose mainly consists of lemon zest, peppers, yeast and pale malts. It has bit of a Pilsener and a slight Hefeweizen peppery aroma to it. The flavor is pretty much the same as the nose. It is surprisingly vibrant for what it is, but not what I would consider to be outstanding.

Body is fairly lightweight and the carbonation is mild but it feels very crisp upon drinking. Overall, it's an easy drinker.

Summit's aim was to make a sessionable, yet flavorful beer and they did a good job in succeeding in that mission. There's quite a bit of flavor packed into Meridian, impressive considering the lower end ABV. The only major drawback to Meridian is that it's fairly pricey for what it is, so it's a bit harder to recommend. Otherwise what you have here is a sessionable beer with a good flavor.

Summit Meridian Session Ale - 8/10

Summit 100% Organic Ale Review

I liken Summit Brewing here in Minnesota to New Glarus Brewing in Wisconsin. No matter where you go in Minnesota, you can find it in pretty much every nook-and-cranny here. The only difference is that Summit distributes out of state..... Oh and that whole "Unchained-Unplugged" controversy.  They have a pretty good year round selection and their "Unchained" Series usually comes up with something pretty cool and unique, like their Old 152, a Kentucky Common beer which uses Sour Mash in the fermentation process.

Today I will be turning my attention their latest Unchained beer, 100% Organic Ale, so organic that the USDA has slapped their sticker of approval on the label, which you can see on the bottom left corner. I can honestly say that I've never seen that before.

Organic pours a dark hazy copper color with a small but foamy head and excellent lacing. There's also a good amount of carbonation visible when held up to the light.

The smell offers up a sweet citrus scent with hints of caramel, yeasts and malts. The flavor however is more balanced & milder with orange, citrus hops, caramel, malts and yeasts. Aftertaste is a bitter citrus finish. The body is moderate in weight and the carbonation is a couple notches above mild.

I would label this beer as a "Light IPA." It has all the components necessary for an IPA but it comes off as somewhat muted, which accomplishes the goal of making a Session IPA as described in the beer's dossier. It's a good beer that's easy to drink and a great way to introduce someone to the IPA style but if you're used to your IPAs with tons of flavor, you'll be disappointed. On that note, if you want an organic IPA with a robust flavor, try out Flat Earth Angry Planet.

Summit 100% Organic Ale - 7.5/10