Beer of the Weekend #453: 100% Organic Ale
The beer of the weekend is a brew that Sweets bought to the campsite last week: 100% Organic Ale, brewed by the Summit Brewing Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Organic Ale is part of Summit’s Unchained series. It is batch number twelve. Needless to say, I have been a bad boy and missed quite a few of the other editions in the series.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “ENJOY BY” date printed on the shoulder is “08/16/13.”
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is medium copper. A finger of dense, buttery head slowly settled, leaving trails of foam on the glass and a dense but uneven froth. That eventually dissolved to leave a thin ring around the edge and a bubbly skim in the center.
Smell: Mostly floral hops and a pretty solid malt backbone, but there are underlying scents of orange and lemon citrus. There is a little bit of chocolate and toffee, too.
Taste: It has a nice, crisp floral hop bitterness that is not over the top. It is like a British pale ale with an American accent. Relatively light citrus makes an appearance but is only a bit player. Pale malts, sweet caramel, toffee, and a hint of chocolate. A little pine spice and lemon zest mingles with everything. Each sip leaves a lasting bitterness that coats the mouth. The aftertaste seems more citrusy than the actual beer.
Drinkability: Tasty and organic to boot. This is good stuff.
Fun facts about 100% Organic Ale:
-Style: The brewer considers it a “session IPA” (see video below) because he says it is too hoppy to be a pale ale and not alcoholic enough to be an IPA.
-Price: $8.99/sixer at the New Pioneer Co-op in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: The beer’s webpage says, “Let beer warm a bit, try to drink around 40° F.”
-Alcohol content: 4.5 percent ABV.
-IBU: 60.
-Regarding glassware, here’s an interesting tip from the webpage:
Any glass? I find that kind of strange, but I’ll go with it.
-Yet another informative and interesting edition to the Unchained video collection, this one being all “a-boot” 100% Organic Ale with brewer Gabe Smoley:
Damn! I want one of those Unchained Series glasses. One of these days I will make it to Summit.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
Organic Ale is part of Summit’s Unchained series. It is batch number twelve. Needless to say, I have been a bad boy and missed quite a few of the other editions in the series.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “ENJOY BY” date printed on the shoulder is “08/16/13.”
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is medium copper. A finger of dense, buttery head slowly settled, leaving trails of foam on the glass and a dense but uneven froth. That eventually dissolved to leave a thin ring around the edge and a bubbly skim in the center.
Smell: Mostly floral hops and a pretty solid malt backbone, but there are underlying scents of orange and lemon citrus. There is a little bit of chocolate and toffee, too.
Taste: It has a nice, crisp floral hop bitterness that is not over the top. It is like a British pale ale with an American accent. Relatively light citrus makes an appearance but is only a bit player. Pale malts, sweet caramel, toffee, and a hint of chocolate. A little pine spice and lemon zest mingles with everything. Each sip leaves a lasting bitterness that coats the mouth. The aftertaste seems more citrusy than the actual beer.
Drinkability: Tasty and organic to boot. This is good stuff.
Fun facts about 100% Organic Ale:
-Style: The brewer considers it a “session IPA” (see video below) because he says it is too hoppy to be a pale ale and not alcoholic enough to be an IPA.
-Price: $8.99/sixer at the New Pioneer Co-op in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: The beer’s webpage says, “Let beer warm a bit, try to drink around 40° F.”
-Alcohol content: 4.5 percent ABV.
-IBU: 60.
-Regarding glassware, here’s an interesting tip from the webpage:
Glassware: Go into your cellar or lagering cave and grab your favorite pewter or stoneware stein. If, by chance, you don't have a cellar, any glass in your kitchen will do.
Any glass? I find that kind of strange, but I’ll go with it.
-Yet another informative and interesting edition to the Unchained video collection, this one being all “a-boot” 100% Organic Ale with brewer Gabe Smoley:
Damn! I want one of those Unchained Series glasses. One of these days I will make it to Summit.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
