Beer of the Weekend #360: Summit Dunkel Weizen
Last night’s “small tasting” was interesting. I felt extremely stupid in the presence of the three others there. (I imagined there would be more people but it ended up being a four-guy sausage fest. Bummer.) The host is an accomplished homebrewer with a massive collection of empties. His freezer was filled with bags of hop pellets and his living room was littered with his brewing equipment. He and his neighbor knew the latest scoop about Iowa breweries and seemed to know the brewers personally. The other guy had spent a year in England and was well versed, too. I was astonished; these guys lived for beer — something I am not willing to do. That bottle of Ettal Curator redeemed me, I think. When I left, they returned to me the cans of Redband Stout I brought.
Onward ho to wheat beer drinking season!
The beer tonight is a little something that caught my eye at John’s today, though it has been available since March: Summit Dunkel Weizen, brewed by the Summit Brewing Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. It does not look like there is a freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a 300 ml weizen glass. The color is cloudy, dark caramel. Two fingers of light tan head dissipated to leave a thin lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: In a word: classic. Banana (very reminiscent of banana bread), cloves, apple, a little bubblegum, and an undertone of caramel and toffee. As the beer warms, hints of darker fruit emerge — mostly raisin and plum, but I could smell a little strawberry and raspberry, too.
Taste: Much like the smell, but the caramel and toffee are much more pronounced than the fruit. In the background are the usual suspects: banana, cloves, a little pepper, and apple.
Drinkability: All in all, it is pretty standard. However, off the top of my head I do not think I have had a better American dunkelweizen. The brewer mentioned it was inspired by a German version and I think he matched it to a tee.
Fun facts about SDW:
-Style: BA and Summit are in agreement, classifying the beer as “Dunkelweizen” (or “Dunkel Weizen”).
-Price: $9.49/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: the beer’s webpage says, “Serve in a Weizen glass or Unchained Series Glass around 45-50 degrees.”
-Alcohol content: 6 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends curried and German cuisine, nutty cheeses, “Digestive,” and salmon.
-IBU: 18.
-Much like Summit Black Ale (BotW #320), SDW is part of Summit’s Unchained Series of brews. It is “Batch 09.”
-Enjoy this chat with SDW brewer, Eric Blomquist:
I love how another brewer is doing the interview and they are enjoying some brews. Unfortunately, there is no giant wooden bottle cap necklace like in the Batch 08 video.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
Onward ho to wheat beer drinking season!
The beer tonight is a little something that caught my eye at John’s today, though it has been available since March: Summit Dunkel Weizen, brewed by the Summit Brewing Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. It does not look like there is a freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a 300 ml weizen glass. The color is cloudy, dark caramel. Two fingers of light tan head dissipated to leave a thin lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: In a word: classic. Banana (very reminiscent of banana bread), cloves, apple, a little bubblegum, and an undertone of caramel and toffee. As the beer warms, hints of darker fruit emerge — mostly raisin and plum, but I could smell a little strawberry and raspberry, too.
Taste: Much like the smell, but the caramel and toffee are much more pronounced than the fruit. In the background are the usual suspects: banana, cloves, a little pepper, and apple.
Drinkability: All in all, it is pretty standard. However, off the top of my head I do not think I have had a better American dunkelweizen. The brewer mentioned it was inspired by a German version and I think he matched it to a tee.
Fun facts about SDW:
-Style: BA and Summit are in agreement, classifying the beer as “Dunkelweizen” (or “Dunkel Weizen”).
-Price: $9.49/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: the beer’s webpage says, “Serve in a Weizen glass or Unchained Series Glass around 45-50 degrees.”
-Alcohol content: 6 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends curried and German cuisine, nutty cheeses, “Digestive,” and salmon.
-IBU: 18.
-Much like Summit Black Ale (BotW #320), SDW is part of Summit’s Unchained Series of brews. It is “Batch 09.”
-Enjoy this chat with SDW brewer, Eric Blomquist:
I love how another brewer is doing the interview and they are enjoying some brews. Unfortunately, there is no giant wooden bottle cap necklace like in the Batch 08 video.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
