Beer of the Weekend #320: Summit Black Ale
After a long week of using my tulip glasses, I will serve this week’s proper BotW in the comfy confines of a shaker pint glass. Ahh — good old shakers.
Next Friday I will be venturing to the Twin Cities, so in honor of the upcoming trip the beer of the weekend is Summit Black Ale, brewed by the Summit Brewing Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
While at John’s today, I almost bought a four-pack of Sprecher Irish Stout. However, I have no clue how long that stuff has been sitting in the basement of good ol’ 401 East Market Street (the packs on the shelf were pretty dusty — again!), so I grabbed the sixer of SBA instead.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The faint “ENJOY BY” date printed on the shoulder of the bottle is “03/28/12.”
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is non-opaque black; light passed through with a red tint. Lots o’ thick, lightly tanned head on this one: about three fingers worth stopped me mid-pour. It settled very slowly, dissipating first in the center, and a thick ring of foam lingered around the edge.
Smell: The grapefruit citrus was noticeable as I was pouring. Up close and in the glass, it offers an enticing hybrid of citrus hops and dark malts. Grapefruit citrus is most prominent, but lurking in the background are roasted caramel, chocolate, toffee, and coffee.
Taste: The hops are dialed up a notch, providing a nice grapefruit tinge that tickles the cheeks and tonsils. As with the smell, the citrus dominates the dark malt chocolate, caramel, and coffee.
Drinkability: I thoroughly enjoy this one. It is a fairly balanced marriage between two styles, though the hops tend to overpower the “Black” aspect of the beer.
Fun facts about SBA:
-Style: Summit obviously refers to it as Black Ale, and BA classifies it as “American Black Ale.” Here is the skinny from BA:
-Price: $8.99/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF. Basically, fresh from the fridge.
-Alcohol content: 6.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Summit does not list any pairing suggestions and neither does BA, so screw it. I suggest enjoying it with another glass of SBA.
-IBU: 65.
-Enjoy a chat with SBA’s brewer, Mike Lundell:
Yes, he appears to be wearing a giant, wooden bottle cap à la Flavor Flav. Those crazy Minnesotans.
-SBA is “Batch 08” of Summit’s Unchained Series. They are one-time releases, so when they’re gone, they’re gone. I have seen earlier batches at John’s and the Co-op, but have failed take advantage. Now that I know they are limited in the strictest sense, I may review each from now on as I do Millstream’s Brewmaster’s Extreme Series.
-Summit also released a special brew to commemorate the brewery’s 25th anniversary last year. A few sixers are still hanging around IC so I may grab one while I still can.
-You know what sucks about Summit? They apparently do not have a public taproom at the brewery. I am sure tours end with Norse libations, but there is no place that serves Summit pints and pub grub. I know not every brewery can offer that, but I assumed Summit would be one of them. I do not even think there is a shop to buy Summit gear. I will need to call and ask.
-Due to my trip to the Medium White North (as Bobblehead calls it), BotW will be on hiatus next Friday. Not only do I need a vacation, I need a break from documenting my beer consumption. I will, however, try to bring back a couple choice Minnesota beers unavailable in IC, especially some from Surly.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
Next Friday I will be venturing to the Twin Cities, so in honor of the upcoming trip the beer of the weekend is Summit Black Ale, brewed by the Summit Brewing Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
While at John’s today, I almost bought a four-pack of Sprecher Irish Stout. However, I have no clue how long that stuff has been sitting in the basement of good ol’ 401 East Market Street (the packs on the shelf were pretty dusty — again!), so I grabbed the sixer of SBA instead.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The faint “ENJOY BY” date printed on the shoulder of the bottle is “03/28/12.”
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is non-opaque black; light passed through with a red tint. Lots o’ thick, lightly tanned head on this one: about three fingers worth stopped me mid-pour. It settled very slowly, dissipating first in the center, and a thick ring of foam lingered around the edge.
Smell: The grapefruit citrus was noticeable as I was pouring. Up close and in the glass, it offers an enticing hybrid of citrus hops and dark malts. Grapefruit citrus is most prominent, but lurking in the background are roasted caramel, chocolate, toffee, and coffee.
Taste: The hops are dialed up a notch, providing a nice grapefruit tinge that tickles the cheeks and tonsils. As with the smell, the citrus dominates the dark malt chocolate, caramel, and coffee.
Drinkability: I thoroughly enjoy this one. It is a fairly balanced marriage between two styles, though the hops tend to overpower the “Black” aspect of the beer.
Fun facts about SBA:
-Style: Summit obviously refers to it as Black Ale, and BA classifies it as “American Black Ale.” Here is the skinny from BA:
Also referred to as a Black IPA (India Pale Ale) or Cascadian Dark Ale, ales of this style range from dark brown to pitch black and showcase malty and light to moderate roasty notes and are often quite hoppy generally with the use of American hops. Alcohol can range from average to high depending on if the brewery is going for a "dobule / imperial" version.
-Price: $8.99/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF. Basically, fresh from the fridge.
-Alcohol content: 6.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Summit does not list any pairing suggestions and neither does BA, so screw it. I suggest enjoying it with another glass of SBA.
-IBU: 65.
-Enjoy a chat with SBA’s brewer, Mike Lundell:
Yes, he appears to be wearing a giant, wooden bottle cap à la Flavor Flav. Those crazy Minnesotans.
-SBA is “Batch 08” of Summit’s Unchained Series. They are one-time releases, so when they’re gone, they’re gone. I have seen earlier batches at John’s and the Co-op, but have failed take advantage. Now that I know they are limited in the strictest sense, I may review each from now on as I do Millstream’s Brewmaster’s Extreme Series.
-Summit also released a special brew to commemorate the brewery’s 25th anniversary last year. A few sixers are still hanging around IC so I may grab one while I still can.
-You know what sucks about Summit? They apparently do not have a public taproom at the brewery. I am sure tours end with Norse libations, but there is no place that serves Summit pints and pub grub. I know not every brewery can offer that, but I assumed Summit would be one of them. I do not even think there is a shop to buy Summit gear. I will need to call and ask.
-Due to my trip to the Medium White North (as Bobblehead calls it), BotW will be on hiatus next Friday. Not only do I need a vacation, I need a break from documenting my beer consumption. I will, however, try to bring back a couple choice Minnesota beers unavailable in IC, especially some from Surly.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
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