Beer of the Weekend #880: Dakota Soul
John’s Grocery has expanded its selection of single bottles and cans, so I was able to grab a couple cans of something I’ve been eyeing recently: Dakota Soul, brewed by the Summit Brewing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota.
The color is clean, clear gold. A finger of beige, bubble-spotted, buttery head dissipates slowly and mostly evenly, leaving lacing along the glass.
The aroma is light, malty, and spice tinged. It is biscuity with notes of spice, perhaps rye, and light grains.
The flavor is mostly the same. It is light and clean, but it has a spicy, bitter edge. It is not too spicy or bitter because the grain ensures that it is well balanced. It is a very easy drinking and pleasing beer.
Fun facts about Dakota Soul:
• Style: Czech-style pilsner.
• Price: $1.99 for a 12-ounce can at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 4.8 percent ABV.
• IBU: 28.
• Dakota Soul was released this year and is the latest addition to Summit’s year-round series. I’m surprised that it’s year-round, but I think it replaced Summit Pilsener in the lineup.
• Here is the description on the beer’s webpage:
Interestingly, Summit uses the spelling pilsener too. I wrote last week that it is the British spelling, but my handy Mac dictionary lists pilsener as an alternative spelling, not specifically a British-English variant. I prefer the version with the single e until someone convinces me otherwise.
• I paid a visit to Artifacts before stopping at John’s on Friday. I had never been there and wanted to talk to someone about selling some items. However, this caught my attention:
That, folks, is the official stein of Munich’s 1982 Oktoberfest. Though I am not into collecting glassware anymore, I could not pass up the official Oktoberfest stein from my birth year. I learned that Munich’s Oktoberfest has been issuing official steins, both with and without hinged lids, since 1978. I will no doubt be filling it with märzen this fall.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
The color is clean, clear gold. A finger of beige, bubble-spotted, buttery head dissipates slowly and mostly evenly, leaving lacing along the glass.
The aroma is light, malty, and spice tinged. It is biscuity with notes of spice, perhaps rye, and light grains.
The flavor is mostly the same. It is light and clean, but it has a spicy, bitter edge. It is not too spicy or bitter because the grain ensures that it is well balanced. It is a very easy drinking and pleasing beer.
Fun facts about Dakota Soul:
• Style: Czech-style pilsner.
• Price: $1.99 for a 12-ounce can at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 4.8 percent ABV.
• IBU: 28.
• Dakota Soul was released this year and is the latest addition to Summit’s year-round series. I’m surprised that it’s year-round, but I think it replaced Summit Pilsener in the lineup.
• Here is the description on the beer’s webpage:
There’d be no Summit Dakota Soul without the Moravian 37 barley grown exclusively by our founder’s cousins near Rugby, North Dakota. Crafted from farm to finish right here in Grain Country, this traditional Czech-style pilsener features notes of English biscuits, honey and graham cracker, plus a floral, spicy hop finish thanks to genuine Saaz hops and the new American hop variety Loral.
Interestingly, Summit uses the spelling pilsener too. I wrote last week that it is the British spelling, but my handy Mac dictionary lists pilsener as an alternative spelling, not specifically a British-English variant. I prefer the version with the single e until someone convinces me otherwise.
• I paid a visit to Artifacts before stopping at John’s on Friday. I had never been there and wanted to talk to someone about selling some items. However, this caught my attention:
That, folks, is the official stein of Munich’s 1982 Oktoberfest. Though I am not into collecting glassware anymore, I could not pass up the official Oktoberfest stein from my birth year. I learned that Munich’s Oktoberfest has been issuing official steins, both with and without hinged lids, since 1978. I will no doubt be filling it with märzen this fall.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
