Summit High Sticke Altbier

Summit High Sticke Alt. Proudly brewed in St. Paul, Minnesota. 12 fl. oz. Ale. 7.5% Alc. by Vol.

St. Paul is a hockey town.  So naturally a "sticke altbier" out of that town would get a hockey pun for a name. This is not the first altbier from Summit. The style was once a fall seasonal for them, early on. In my early days of buying beer for a bar, I tried to bring on all the Summit seasonals, and had a hard time moving that one when it's turn came. I'd explain to customers that the name meant "old beer" and they'd bellow "I'd don't want any old beer! Bring me fresh!" and wave me away callously. That hurt. Maybe consumers are more receptive to beer education now,  and will stop yelling at me when I provide them with new information?

And, hey, let's just call them German brown ales, why don't we?

(It was also, I forgot for a moment, the 20th in the Unchained Series, two years, as evidenced here.) (And it slowly sinks in that this may be the very same beer, especially after my FaceBook post got a like by brewer Mike Lundell.)

Clear-ish, brown colored, slim off-white head.

In the nose: light caramel malt sweetness, low bitterness, nice. Warm and pleasant.

In the mouth: Big malt boards the palate, with more of the same character found in the nose: moderate hop bitterness, tasty malt sweetness, caramel and brown sugar, nicely toasted.

From the label: "Crisp hop spice, assertive bitterness, and notes of caramel and biscuit."

You know what? It is crisp and assertive, lasting long into the finish. Not the kind of hop presence a big-time hop-head like me is looking for, but more than you'd expect in an English- or American-style brown ale.

Quite drinkable, even at 7% +. I can't rightfully call it a session beer, but so tasty that I could go for a few at a time.

More information, and hockey puns, from the Summit website: With big aromas of stone fruit and toffee, plus a slap shot of spicy hop flavor and assertive bitterness, Summit High Sticke Alt basically runs the rink. Cross-checking, throwing elbows, talking trash — the beer just does what needs to be done. Deep copper in color, traces of toast, caramel, and biscuit come from a complex blend of German malts, while a huge hop load and a long period of cold conditioning result in crisp, refreshing drinkability. Find our newest limited beer on draft and in 12-oz. bottles, only inside the Summit Penalty Box.

Conversation Starter
Inspired by the Altbier style famous to Düsseldorf, Germany, High Sticke Alt has roots that go back centuries. “Alt” is literally German for old, referring to the beer’s method of fermentation, and “Sticke,” on the other hand, means secret — a nod to the special-occasion seasonal beers brewers would make for themselves and their favorite customers.