Beer of the Weekend #424: Summit Horizon Red Ale
The plan next Friday is to head north and spend the weekend in the Twin Cities. Ah, Minnesota. Land of lakes, cute females, and a lot of excellent beer unavailable in Iowa. (I sometimes get the impression that Iowa is Minnesota’s Missouri. Does that make sense? Good.) Needless to say, I plan to nab some Surly (hopefully Abrasive and Coffee Bender) and whatever else catches my eye.
I am getting excited. So excited, in fact, that the beer of the weekend is Summit Horizon Red Ale, brewed by the Summit Brewing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “ENJOY BY” date is “02/19/13.”
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is mahogany. Two fingers of fairly dense foam dissipated slowly and unevenly, leaving a spotted lacing, thick ring around the edge, and trails of foam on the glass.
Smell: An enticing mélange of citrus and malts. Scents of toasted malts, candy caramel, and toffee are tinged with pine, grapefruit, and orange.
Taste: The hop citrus is able to muscle the malts for prominence. The grapefruit, pine, and orange outshine the toasted malts, caramel, and toffee. There is also a spicy edge with a hint of pepper, and the aftertaste betrays some mellow, earthy hops.
Drinkability: Pretty good stuff. It is not overly hoppy or malty. The citrus adds a welcome element to a beer I would otherwise think was malt dominant.
Fun facts about SHRA:
-Style: It is classified on BA as “American Amber/Red Ale.”
-Price: $7.99/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: The beer’s webpage suggests to serve at “45-50 °F, in the Signature glass or a Nonick tumbler.” Here is the “signature” glass.
-Alcohol content: 5.7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: The beer’s webpage suggests “Tangy cheeses, spicy or smoked foods, BBQ.”
-IBU: 60.
-Color: 22º Lovibond — which, if I remember right, would be the same SRM.
-A “conversation starter” on the beer’s webpage says: “Since its introduction in 2009, Horizon Red Ale quickly became our second best-selling year round brew (next to EPA, of course).”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
I am getting excited. So excited, in fact, that the beer of the weekend is Summit Horizon Red Ale, brewed by the Summit Brewing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “ENJOY BY” date is “02/19/13.”
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is mahogany. Two fingers of fairly dense foam dissipated slowly and unevenly, leaving a spotted lacing, thick ring around the edge, and trails of foam on the glass.
Smell: An enticing mélange of citrus and malts. Scents of toasted malts, candy caramel, and toffee are tinged with pine, grapefruit, and orange.
Taste: The hop citrus is able to muscle the malts for prominence. The grapefruit, pine, and orange outshine the toasted malts, caramel, and toffee. There is also a spicy edge with a hint of pepper, and the aftertaste betrays some mellow, earthy hops.
Drinkability: Pretty good stuff. It is not overly hoppy or malty. The citrus adds a welcome element to a beer I would otherwise think was malt dominant.
Fun facts about SHRA:
-Style: It is classified on BA as “American Amber/Red Ale.”
-Price: $7.99/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: The beer’s webpage suggests to serve at “45-50 °F, in the Signature glass or a Nonick tumbler.” Here is the “signature” glass.
-Alcohol content: 5.7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: The beer’s webpage suggests “Tangy cheeses, spicy or smoked foods, BBQ.”
-IBU: 60.
-Color: 22º Lovibond — which, if I remember right, would be the same SRM.
-A “conversation starter” on the beer’s webpage says: “Since its introduction in 2009, Horizon Red Ale quickly became our second best-selling year round brew (next to EPA, of course).”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
