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

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