Summit Unchained No. 26: Westie 7th

Summit Brewing Company hasn't done a lot of Belgian-style beers. There were some witbiers in their past and a recent Belgian pale, but their other attempts at the Belgian styles have all been in the Unchained series. They've done a dubbel, and a strong golden, and a few saisons, but never anything quite like this. The name nods once to the nickname for the most famous trappist beer of all, Westveleteren, and the chummy nickname that some apply, and also to the West 7th St. neighborhood so near to the Summit brewery. It's clever, and fun, and how is the beer?

Summit Unchained Series Batch no. 26: Westie 7th Belgian-style Dark Ale.  Nick Hempfer, brewer. 7.5% ABV, 25 IBU. Brewed and canned by Summit Brewing, St. Paul, Minnesota.

To the eye: dark, deep, burgundy-hued, with crimson highlights, and a slim, brownish head.

In the nose: Belgian funk, sweet and fruity, stone fruit, dark fruit, pitted fruit, plums and raisins and figs. We've got the general tenor of the Belgian quad, the Trappist high orders, the wild and the wonderfulness. It's beautiful.

In the mouth: So tasty. Delicious. Nails it. All the flavor of a dubbel or a quad, but below 8% ABV, and just a straight-up tasty treat. All that detected in the nose settles onto the palate. Not too big, not too heavy, but still loaded with flavors. Hangs hard on the sweet side, with just enough bitterness to keep it nice and balanced.

I like this one, and can see myself taking down a pint when I see it, but I only have one quibble. This brewery is canning their beers more and more, but seem to switch off when it comes to the Unchained Series. Of all the beers I'd like to see not in a can, it would have been this one. It just doesn't feel right.

With rich notes of dark fruit, dark caramel, and — lucky us — rum, Summit Unchained 26: Westie 7th features a complex blend of specialty malts, subtle, noble-type hops, and dark Belgian candi syrup. Finished with a Trappist-Style Ale yeast, expect traces of fig and raisin to round out the beer.

Summit Unchained 25: Vienna Lager

Summit Unchained Series Batch No. 25: Vienna-style Lager. Tom Mondor, brewer. Summit Brewing, St. Paul, Minnesota. 5.1% ABV, 23 IBU.

Clear, dark amber/copper color, milky white, slim head.

In the nose: There's that classic vienna lager malty nose, grain,  cereal, toasty, with a touch of caramel.

In the mouth: crisp, clean, snappy, smooth and malty. Just about perfect rendition of a Vienna Lager. Nice, warm malt flavors caress the palate, coating with well-balanced sweetness. Just enough hop bitterness to keep malt cool.

I have to admit a slight disappointment by this entry in the Unchained Series, in that it isn't an innovation or experiment or any new benchmark in brewing. But the point of the series is to set the Summit brewers free and let them do what they want, and if Tom Mondor wants more than anything to make a Vienna Lager, then who am I to judge him?

I kid. Vienna lagers are good, easy-drinkers, just right for summertime. And there ain't nothing wrong with that.

Summit Unchained 25: Vienna-Style Lager features balanced bitterness and spicy and herbal aromas from Hallertau Mittlefruh and German Perle hops. Additionally, Weyermann Barke Vienna and CaraFoam malts provide notes of toast, biscuit, and caramel, plus very little residual sweetness. Available on draft and in 6 packs of 12 oz cans for a limited time.

Summit Unchained No. 24: Spring Saison

Summit Unchained No. 24: Spring Saison. 4.7% ABV. 30 IBU.

Hazed, pale yellow/orange hue, slim white head.

In the nose: there's the sweetness, the Belgian yeast, the fruit, and the bubblegum, all in one. Stone fruit and slightly tropical. Little side of spice.

In the mouth: All of the above, popping on the palate. Nice wheat-y texture. Spicy hops (Saaz, Cascade), spicy yeast, malt (rye, wheat, etc), and yet exceedingly smooth and expertly drinkable. Medium bodied, long finish, fits the style exactly. Tasty one, for sure, and certainly sessionable.

From the website: Unchained 24: Spring Saison represents the transition from winter to spring. Let the beer's tart, refreshing profile draw you outside and help you usher in the new season!

Not sure where they get the "tart" part. It's a bit of a stretch. It is refreshing, authentic, and a very nice  saison. Good work, Summit!

Summit Unchained No. 23: Dark Infusion Coffee Stout

Summit Unchained Series No. 23: Dark Infusion, A Coffee Milk Stout.

Dark black coloring, rich roasted tan head, setting us up for excitement.

Aroma: bold, rich coffee flavors boarding the nose and setting up camp in the senses. Intense. Wondrous. Gorgeous.

In the mouth: Starts out sweet, smooth, scrumptious. Creamy, delightful, delicious. Just right. Mmm. I mean, MMM! Whoa! An infusion of a blend of Brazilian and Columbian bean cold press coffee from St. Paul's Blackeye Roasting Company.

I'm going to learn a little more about this one. What's the label tell us? Created by brewer Pete Stacy. 8.5% Alc. by Vol. Brewed and canned by Summit Brewing Company, St. Paul, MN. That's it on the can, and the can is all I got. Have to go to the website, I guess....there's this, and that is surely informational. Go read it. Then there's the official gobbledygook, so read that, too.

I'm kind of floored by this one. It's just so much better than any other coffee stout or milk stout, because it combines the best of both. Milk stouts are alright, but they just don't do it for me, and some coffee stouts are too much. This puts them together and gives the best of them both.

I think this is the best coffee beer I've ever had. And this is after a lot of them, some big ones, some rich and thick ones, and this smooth, delicious dark brew takes the cake. Oh, yes.

Summit Unchained 22: Zingiber Cream Ale

Summit Unchained No. 22: Zingiber Cream Ale, 5.3% all. by vol. Brewed by Christian Dixon, a 50/50 ale/lager hybrid, brewed identically with separate yeast strains, then blended after fermentation. Ginger added later. Huh. Now, that's different. Let's drink it.

Clear, golden hued, big, white, lace-leaving head atop.

Big ginger nose, obscures all else around it. Floral hop notes peek out around the spice.

In the mouth: light, crisp, creamy. Nicely hopped, light bodied, with a lingering spicy edge. Some fruity notes creep in, too, all adding to the refreshing complexity. It's a quenching, just right for summertime. I can see this as a picnic hit, or a perfect companion on the boat, a nice alternative to typical cabin choices. Perhaps why this one went with the can option?

I'm just going to call this one on the side of delicious.

Some technical mumbo-jumbo:

Malts: 2-Row, German Pils, C-15, German Cologne, Torrefied Wheat
▪   Hops: Sterling, Mt. Hood
▪   Kettle Additions: Fresh Organic Hawaiian Ginger
▪   ABV: 5.3%
▪   IBU: 35
▪   Color: Harvest Gold
▪   Yeast: Munich Lager II, American Ale II
▪   Pairing Suggestions: Korean barbecue, sushi, and chocolate fondue

Summit Unchained #21: Us & Them

It's time for another entry in the Summit Unchained Series, and for the 21st brewer Gabe Smolley has done something very unusual. It's called US & Them, and it's actually two beers made from the same runnings, using the parti-gyle style. They're calling the two batches "1st thread" and "2nd thread", and they're both being packaged together in the 6-packs, giving us 3 of each. I'm down to my last two, so it's review time. But, which one  do I drink first? The bigger, stronger first version, an American India Pale Ale, or it's weaker, thinner, brother from another running, the Session IPA.?
That seems backwards, so I'll do the opposite. The mash, by the way, was based on Summit Saga, according to an interview with Gabe, though the 6-pack holder copy merely refers to it as "De-constructing the mash of a classic Summit recipe."

And away we go, with Unchained 21, Second Thread. 55 IBU, 4% ABV.


Crystal-clear, bright golden hue, brilliant ivory head, leaving lace, looking great.

Aroma bursts with citrus hop notes, lemon and orange, with hints of pine.

Taste: Nice hop buzz hits the palate first, fiercely bitter and generously citric. Bitterness clings to the top of the mouth and hangs on the palate, slowly subsiding. It's lean and clean, but powerfully bitter and plentifully flavorful. Refreshingly delicious.

As for First Thread, it's 90 IBU, and 5.5% ABV.

Clear, bright golden, with a subtle amber tint, lacey white head.

Clean aromatics, some floral, some citrus, but not quite as loud and bold as in #2, oddly enough. Oddly flavors emerge, though, honey and pear, a whiff of apple.

In the mouth: full of citric hop bitterness, vibrant, not quite astringent, very lively. Long-lasting hop bitterness clinging to the palate. Emerging sweetness mixes with the bitter. Medium-bodied, long hoppy finish. Tasty, tasty. I do like this, quite a bit. My kind of IPA.

Tonight's beer & food pairing: leftovers. Just as good the second time around!

Summit Unchained Batch No. 20: Sticke Alt

Summit Unchained Series Batch No. 20: Sticke Alt, Dusseldorf Style Ale. 55 IBU, 6.3% ABV. “Best served in an alt tumbler of stange beer glass.” (I don’t think I have either of those in my collection, so the shaker pint will have to do.) Brewer: Mike Lundell.

I remember the last time Summit made an altbier, their fall seasonal before Oktoberfest. I tried to explain it it to people by translating it, telling them it means "old beer." Some customers told me flatly "I don't want any 'old' beer!" Now, I can tell them it's a 'secret' old beer.

Dark copper-y coloring, with ruby tinges, under a creamy, dull tan head.

Mostly malty aromatics, caramel-y, clean, staying just shy of sweet.

In the mouth, more of the same. Caramel, a little cocoa, and perhaps a touch of toffee coming from the malt, hops keeping the balance, but not adding much more. Wait…I take that back, here they come, they’re peeking out, popping up from the malt.

They aren’t that many examples of the altbiers of Dusseldorf  available stateside for me to compare this to any more authentic versions. In the 15 years since Summit last brewed their version, I haven’t had that many. From what I remember, though, this is right on the money.

Correction: Looking back, this blog shows five alts, all of American beers. From BeerAdvocate, there are 24 more altbiers I've had, including a mere three from Germany. Two of these, the Uerige beers are ones that I definitely need to revisit

Summit Unchained Batch 19: Make It So, Extra Special Bitter with Earl Grey Tea

Summit Unchained Batch 19: Make It So, Extra Special Bitter, with Earl Grey Tea. Alc. 5.3% ABV.

I've been sitting on this can for far too long. Finished the other 5 weeks ago. Already went through a half barrel keg at Acadia, about to tap a cask. I currently have a surplus of beers. So many beers, so little time. Enough, let's take some notes on the Summit Unchained beer inspired by Gene Roddenberry's sci-fi franchise, as well as Patrick Stewart's homeland.

Beautiful amber/bronze hue, clear, with a long-lastin, creamy-toned, lace-leaving head.

Herbal aromatics and sweet tea notes hit the nose from the start. Hops are fairly minor here. Promising floral loveliness.

In the mouth and on the palate, hop bitterness begins, but remains cool, mild and mellow. Light bodied, smooth and delicious. You can definitely taste the tea in it, and it lends a lot of flavor that blends wonderfully with the beer. There's a lot of skepticism involved in the public perception of a brew like this, but the guys at Summit, Nick Hempfer, Damian McConn, and all their helpers, they really pulled it off.

This is one that wouldn't work in the winter, and is plum perfect for summertime, when a light and tasty one goes down so easy.

This can is completely free of gobbledygook, and I wondered for a moment if it appears on the 6-pack carrier until i realized that cans aren't packaged that way. Why not, I wonder? Who's got an answer for me.

Well, I found some more information, here it is: ....

Summit Unchained Batch No. 18 Hop Silo Double IPA

I've told of this dilemma before here, and I try not to bring it up too often, but here it is, folks. Once more I'm faced with the desire to utilize correct branded glassware and the lack thereof. When it comes to the Summit Brewing Company, I have several shaker pints, and some others, like the Winter Ale dimpled pint glass I bought about 20 years ago at the original brewery on University Avenue, and the Great Northern nonic, and a Hefe Weizen (what happened to that beer?) weissbier glass.  I used to have one for India Pale Ale, and that one was merely a modified pub style pint. And I broke it long ago. And it's certainly not the perfect I.P.A. glass that we have now, this marvel of drinking design.

I keep forgetting what they're called…pooku? Pocko? Tiki? Not Teku, that's the other special one. That's easy to remember. Te. Ku. Rolls right off the tongue. What's this one, though? Gooble? Gobble? Gabba Gabba?

(Edit: It's called "spiegelau." Gabba Gabba...what was I thinking?)

I was without one until the Surly Company Store offered one with their logo, which I picked up on my second visit to the new brewery. Surely that's the most appropriate vessel for this new Double IPA, the first, I believe, from Summit. It's right there on the can. Now, if Summit comes out with one with their logo on it, should I get one? How many of these do I need? I've got too many beer glasses as it is. (Did I actually say that?) So, sorry Summit, while I pour the latest Unchained Series (Batch 18) beer, the Hop Silo Double IPA into a Surly-branded Spiegelau. Eric Harper, brewer. Brewed and Canned by Summit Brewing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota. 1 pint ale, 8% Alc./vol.

Appearance: clear, bright golden hue, with an impressive, flowering, creamy white head. Very inviting.

Aroma: lively hop presence hits the nose first. Citrus notes foremost, with pine behind. Tropical tints, too. Slight sweetness, here and there. Also inviting. So far, a likable brew.

Taste: Here come the hops in spades, with a truck load of bitterness to drop onto the tongue. Orange and lemon lead the attack, with tropical fruits also landing on the palate. This one isn't too anything, and it's ably assembled, like just about every brew out of Summit. Just the right amount of delicious hops at play in the mouth, the proper dose of booze, as well. Medium-bodied, long bitter finish, having themselves a non-stop party in the mouth. And you're invited.

Brewer Eric Harper honorably avoided the route of naming the beer after some atrocious hop pun. It was a clever twist to put it in a pint can, another first for Summit, and name it for the notion of a tall cylindrical container for hops. Here's hoping they have a hit on their hands with this one.

Summit Unchained Batch No. 17 Fresh Harvest IPA

Summit Unchained Series Batch No. 17: Harvest Fresh IPA. Tom Mondor, brewer. Best Served in a Pint Glass. What do you know, I have one. Let's put some beer in it.

Appearance: clear, bright amber hue, beautiful creamy white head, leaving lace and looking great.

Aroma: delicate floral notes and fresh fruitiness.  Nice.

Taste: First word: yum. More words? Okay…fresh stone fruit flavors, apricot and peach, now here come the tropics, pineapple and papayas…hop bitterness grows on the palate, but stays on the mild side. Flavors grow and grow and I'm left with yum. This is not an overpowering, punishing, in your face kind of fresh hop IPA.

Medium-bodied, long finish, supreme drinkability. Veers slightly on the sweet side, with a healthy malt body to match the high hops.

What kind of details can we get from the label? Not much, so I'll check the 6-pack carrier…"Profile: Pine, resin, grapefruit, citrus, strong malt backbone. Color: golden amber, malts: full pint 2 row, Munich, Caramel Munich, Best Caramel Malt Light. Fresh hops: Centennial, Cascade, Chinook, Wet Hops: Chinook, IBU: 70, ABV: 7%."

Summit Unchained #16: Herkulean Woods

Summit Unchained #16: Herkulean Woods. Lager brewed with Maple Syrup and Spruce Tips. Proudly brewed in St. Paul, Minnesota. Christian Dixon, Brewer. 8.2% Alc./Vol. 77 IBU.

Clear and copper-colored, with slim, off-white head, leaving lace, looking nice.

Aroma: hops make a bright, bittersweet appearance, but are swiftly subsumed by the maple syrup and the caramel malt. Spruce tips are hinted at, just behind. A delightful blend in the nose.

Taste: In the mouth and on the tongue, it's a tempting treat that starts highly hoppy and find itself a mixed bag of malt and woodsy trimmings. Higher than normal alcohol content starts to make it's presence known, but is kept at bay by the delicious blend of malts and hops. I'm going to take a short break to read about the recipe…."Profile: Malty, caramel backbone with a pine, resin, and citrus hop flavor and aroma….malts: Harrington, Lacey, Caramel….hops: Herkules (hence the Herkulean, then woods for the maple syrup and spruce), Northern Brewer, Experimental 05256" Anything else? "Inspired by the natural beauty and ingredients of the upper Midwest" You don't say. Well, that's different. Don'tcha know.

This is a terrific brew for the kind of season we're stumbling into, and a great choice for those who are tired of pumpkin as the compulsory choice of fall flavors. Nice dessert beer, good for 'round the fire. It's also a great representative of what makes for a good entry in the Unchained Series and why this program continues to be successful. Keep making the offbeat beers, Summit, keep stretching and inventing, and you'll always a place in my beer-y heart.

Summit Unchained #15: Fest Bier

As you may or may not recall, I had announced my intention at the start of this year to gain more ground, shall we say, in my coverage of the local scene. I have faltered a bit, here and there, and here are a few reasons. In order to review beers that are only available at the brewery/brewpub, I have to do two things: 1. write comprehensive notes and take the photo on-site, which I do not like to do, and 2. bring home a growler. Some establishments make that a chore, by limiting the amount they sell per day, no matter how many they have on hand. Also, more of them are raising their prices. Some are as high as $16 for the fill, which amounts to $4 per pint, for a serving size that has to be finished in two days, tops. If I'm watching my money, which I am, paying $16 to add one beer to this list is not worth it. This became especially clear when I began picking up those sampler 12-packs, paying $1- $1.30 for a package that would get me 2-4 new beers, if I'm lucky. Yes, I could also count off the benefits of beers in growlers, the freshness, etc., but when the cost goes up, I have to draw the line.

Also, I stumbled some last week, when I went to the beer store and did something rare. I actually made a purchase that did not result in new beers to add to this blog. You see, it was snowing again, after there was a brief promise of spring's return, a slight thaw, a small visit from the sun. My spirits were laid low, and when I visited the local store to replenish the fridge, the appearance of Summit's newest Unchained offering did not appeal to me. There was nothing else new or untasted that I could see that might suit my mood, either. With snow all around, and my heart darkened, a lager was not what I wanted. I came home with a 6-pack of Indeed's Stir Crazy Winter Ale (my first time purchasing cans of this one, although I've had many pints this winter), and a 4-pack of Sierra Nevada Narwhal. Winter Ales and Imperial Stouts were more in line with my desires

This week, it feels closer. Close enough. So, I grabbed a 6-pack and here are the notes:

Summit Unchained #15, Fest Bier, by brewer Nate Siats.

Clear, rich amber hue. Slim white head atop.

Aroma: herbal, malty nose. Minor hops. Lightly floral. I'm gonna guess they're European in origin.

Taste: crisp, clean, malty. Again, small hop presence, but they're doing their thing, adding just the right amount of bitterness for balance. They're there on the tongue, too, and last through the finish. This feels like a much less sweet version of an Oltoberfest, especially Summit's, which rings in higher on the rich & malty scale.

Top-notch lager, this one. Good one to have around to offer those who aren't into ales.

Here's some stuff from the 6-pack holder: "The first lager in the Unchained Series. Fest Bier was brewed with Czech and German malts and hops, then lagered for 8 full weeks, to provide a crisp, clean full-flavored beer.

Profile: malty and sweet, Czech-German fest lager.
Color: Golden amber
Malts: Czech Pils, Czech Munich, Cara Munich
Hops: Saphir, Sladek
IBU: 30
ABV: 5.5%"

Summit Unchained #14: Biere de Garde

Summit Unchained No. 14: Biere de Garde. Brewed by Jeff Williamson, who produced a fine version of a BdG when he was brewing at the brewery he founded, Flat Earth, also of St. Paul, MN.

I'm stuck on the subject of what glass to use. I have about 4 different Summit pint glasses, a dimpled mug made for Winter Ale, and a weizen-style glass for Hefe Weizen. They made a special glass for the Unchained Series when the Golden Ale came out, but it was not a tulip or a chalice or a snifter, more like a Willi Becher glass, the kind saisons sometimes use, similar to a pilsner glass. I no longer have mine, broke it one day. I'll blame myself, not Rollie the Cat.

So, the beautifully designed label suggests that we should use a tulip glass, or something similar. Which they've never made. Make one, Summit, and send one to me…pronto! Please. ("Best served in a tulip glass", the 6-pack carrier tells us, and I have many of those, but I want a Summit-branded one.)

I decided to go with the Winter Ale mug because I've never photographed a beer with it. Haven't even used it in years. Bought it on the occasion of my first visit to the original brewery back in the mid-90's. Used it as my tip jar when I was a bartender at the Guthrie Theater Dram Shop. Nostalgia has a strong pull.

Dark, mahogany brown coloring, big, lasting, creamy tan head. Looks great.

Malty nose, lightly spicy, bready. Absolutely inviting. Ooo, la, la.

Taste: Spices hit the palate first, followed by malty flavors, bread-y, biscuit-y. Lean bodied, with a slightly alcoholic bent. Spice and malt flavors meet with hops in the mouth, for a pleasurable menage-a-trois. Tres chic. Voulez-vous avez avec moi, c'est soiree?

Long, spicy finish, from hops and malt. Ever so tasty. Magnifique.

Would you like to hear more French words? Watch this: Summit Unchained Youtube video.

Summit Unchained #13: Another IPA

Summit Unchained Batch 13: Another IPA, British-style India Pale Ale. Summit Brewing Company, St. Paul, MN.

Appearance: Yesterday, I had a bottle that had been purchased at room temperature and chilled for only about an hour. The beer poured into the glass was clear. Today, I pour a bottle that had been in the fridge for 21 hours, and here is the haze. Dark amber coloring, nearly bronze. Creamy white head starts big, slims to a tight ring.

Aroma: Mild bitterness, softly emerging citrus notes, followed by slightly sweet caramel tones. An intriguing mix, just enough complexity to entice. Very likable.

Taste: Right away, a burst of hoppy flavors, and that mix of bright fruit flavors and darker malt complexities. Medium-bodied, with a long finish. Bitterness remains moderate but appreciable and stays long on the palate. This is what we want in an IPA. Flavor delivers throughout the length of the drink, and the lingering on the palate keeps it on the tastebuds and in the mind long enough to keep you wanting more.

When I had that bottle last night, I wasn't sure whether I like it or not. Edging towards "not". Ready to call this Unchained a wash-out, a disappointment, a failure, even. And really, it's name was not helping. This is brewer Mike Lundell's 3rd entrant in the series and his third IPA, and keeping in mind that Summit already makes both an English-style IPA and an American style IPA, it makes you really wonder why, "another IPA?"

Getting through this bottle, and enjoying it's contents more and more, I think it actually is unique enough to justify it's existence. The malt used seems considerably different from the original British IPA, and significantly lighter, lacking it's  earthy, herbal quality, and the hops shine a light of their own.

I've always had a soft spot in my beer heart for Summit, since they were the first American craft brewery I ever liked, since the first EPA I ever had. Their IPA, introduced in 1992, was the first of that variety I'd ever had, and I fell swiftly in love with it. In the intervening years, however, my taste, along with so many others, has turned to the newer American style of IPA. I'm thinking this has fallen into favor with me because it bridges the two so well.

Summit Unchained No. 12: 100% Organic Ale

Summit Organic Ale, Unchained Batch No. 12.

Why is this called 100% Organic Ale. Prior to now, Organic Ales did not include organic hops, because they were just not available, and those beers were still called organic and given a pass. No more, now there are plenty of organic hops around, and Summit brewer Gabe Smolley went to town with them. I cracked open a bottle, and here's what I had to say:

Clear, dusky bronze coloration, solid, lasting, creamy head.

Aroma: nice and hoppy. Piney, spicy, lively as heck.

Taste: Even more vibrant hoppy presence on the tongue than in the nose. Excellent bitterness, with people of malt, to boot. A touch of carmel in the malt, a sliver of sweetness, a bit of rye malt spice flavor comes through, though I'm not sure that it's there. Tasty and downable. Hey, let's look at some stats, viewable on the 6-pack box:

Style: Session IPA.

Color: Light copper

100% Organic Malt: Pale. Munich, C-120, Carafa II

100% Organic Hops: Palisade, Cascade, centennial

IBU: 60

ABV: 4.5%

Hey, I like these organic session IPAs. Thanks, Gabe Smolley!

Summit Unchained Batch 11: Old 152

Summit Unchained No. 11: Old 152

In order to do this review with a fresh perspective, I've forgotten everything I've ever known about this beer. Except that it has something to do with a pre-prohibition recipe and a sour mash technique. There's nothing else about the beer on the label except for the brewer's name, and his signature. Perhaps there's more on the six-pack holder…I'm going to look for it now…all of the technical information is there but no background stories…5.6% ABV, 55 IBUs…hops: Cluster, Northern Brewer…malt/grain: Victory/Crystal Medium, pale malt, rye malt, disteller's malt (ooo!), maize (that's corn to you and I), white wheat.

I'll skip the rest and open 'er up:

Lovely chestnut brown, full blooming off-white head, leaving loads of lace.

Complex grain bill evident in aromatics. Have to say it: I am getting some whiskey-ish notes, for certain. A little sweet, a bit sour and musty, but very likable. Intriguing to say the least.

Taste: Hop bitterness starts us off on the palate. Tasty stuff. Spicy rye malt hits next. Twice as nice. Plenty of character in this one. Continues long through the drink, with a lush, malty finish. Alcohol and hops are mellow enough to ease the drinking, leaving this a vastly pleasurable brew that tastes better with each new swallow.

Ladies and gentlemen, I might be turning into one of those fussy fuddy-duddies decrying the way things are today, and those kids, blah, blah, blah…But, really, does everything have to be 10% alcohol? There are a lot of beers out there that I could enjoy more often if there were just 8% instead of 10%, or 6 % instead of 8.

Summit Unchained #10: Abbey Ale

Time for #10 in the Unchained Series from Summit, this time tackling my favorite style (if I had to choose), Belgian Abbey Dubbel, which apparently brewer Nate Siats is not intimately familiar with. Well, I've got a preview bottle, and it's cracked and poured and I'm ready to go!

Clear and dark crimson, not quite the dusky brown I'd be looking for, under a long-lasting, cream-toned head, leaving some lace.

Aroma: soft, and gently sweet, with a good huff of the Belgian yeast funk. Yeah, this is promising. Some dark fruit, raisin, plum, but just a touch, with a little banana, ..pear?...slightly nutty. I like it, but it's not what I expected. On to drink.

Taste: Very clean. Malty. Nutty. Low hops, minor bitterness, if any. Some sweetness, here comes the fruit and here comes the funk. And now, the candi sugar, as the 8% ABV roars in, overcoming the less-than-full body. I like dubbels to be heartier than this one, but I do like the flavor. I like this well enough to want more than one in a row, and I definitely want a keg to tap, soon. I like the complexity, the richness, the smooth malt and the bewitching yeast. This will not unseat any of my all-time favorite dubbels, not by a long shot, but it's going to take up some fridge space this summer, that I can guarantee you. Not bad, as well as pretty good. Good stab at the style, although I want to see improvements, Summit. I want to wonder where my socks went.



Malts: Weyermann Pilsner, Weyermann Abbey, & Weyermann Melanoidin
Hops: German Tettnang & Czech Saaz
Special Additions: Belgian Amber Candi Sugar
Target Alcohol: 8.00% vol
Target IBU’s: 33 packaged
Color: 25 Lovibond, deep amber – rich mahogany
OG: 18 degrees plato
Yeast: Belgian Trappist Ale strain
Notable flavors: Sweet malt characteristics, raisins, prunes, pears, slight spicy notes; overall slightly sweet and fruity estery characteristics

Summit Unchained No.9: Dunkel Weizen

Summit Unchained No. 9: Dunkel Weizen. I love a good Dunkel Weizen. Will I love this one? Good question…

Clouded, burgundy hued, soft purple, I'll call it, under a vast, voluminous head of off-white, pillowy foam. Looks fantastic.

Aroma: clove and banana hit first, followed by some darker fruit, grape, berry, melon. Light spiciness, deep fruitiness, gorgeous wheat character. Ever so ever so.

Taste: Slides into the mouth assuredly, with the full wheat flavor, mixed with the classic Bavarian yeast, the fruit, the spice, the refreshment. So tasty, and so easy to drink, layers of complexity, and a heck of a lot of yum.

It takes a minute or two, but eventually it turns to dry, after a little bit of sweet. You have to get past that for a minute, but not I, I am partial to this flavor, and drink it up with all delight. Great wheat texture, smooth, silky, and, mmm. Mmm, mm, mmm.

Another good one in the Unchained Series. Haven't had much to complain about, yet. Doing good, Summit.

Summit Unchained Series Batch 8: Black Ale

I've been putting this one off for too long. Haven't yet bought any bottles, but I'm enjoying it on tap at the Nile, where I think we're on keg #7 in a row (5 gallons). I can't imagine it'll last too long, so I'd best do it now or never.

Blackness indeed, so much so that you can't make out the Summit logo on the Unchained Series pint glass. Sizeable muddy brown head, slips down to a tidy ring with quickness.

Aroma: grassy hops on top, with chocolate malt below. An odd combination at times, but this one makes it work.

Taste: Sweet dark malt dominates the flavor at first, with hops shining bright on top. Some piney-ness along with grassy hop character, holding ground in the forefront of the palate, with the rich, dark malty flavor hanging on right behind it.

Tasty stuff here. My complaints about the India Black Ale/ Black IPA/ CDA style are swiftly fading into history, as I find more and more of them that I like. Or maybe I'm just getting used to this new mix of grassy/piney/citric hops and dark malt? In any case, this latest Unchained entry works on every level. Great consumability, excellent balance, top-notch flavor delivery.

Good one, Summit. The Unchained Series keeps getting better and better.

Summit Unchained No. 7: Honeymoon Saison

Summit Honeymoon Saison, Unchained No. 7

Lightly clouded, golden colored, slim, soon gone head.

Mild aromatics, clean, sweet, malty…not much else to report.

Taste: enters the palate politely, cleanly, with a malty edge, honey sweetness slowly, but surely entering in. Grainy mouthfeel, not as much from citrus and spice.

I'm going to do something unkind. I've just poured a Saison Dupont, and will compare the two. …hmmm, …mmmm,….ha. huh. oh.

Fuller malty mouthfeel than we require...

This Unchained offering simply lacks crispness and character. There's nothing terribly wrong with it, except for everything.
What can I say, it drinks down easily, it's inoffensive, it has taste and flavor, but does not in any way deliver what a saison should, honey or no honey, beyond those already declared attributes.
It's "a beer", but any similarities to a true saison are faded in the distance. Needs to be both lighter and brighter, basically. The only thing I can really say about this is, "it's beer and you can drink it."