Summit Brewing Summer Ale

The Summit Brewing Company is in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Last year was their 25th anniversary, they are a grand daddy of the craft beer movement, and a Midwestern craft stalwart.  I think of them as the Sierra Nevada Brewing of the Midwest.

This 4.9% ABV summer seasonal is a Kolsch-style ale.  It features the Minnehaha Falls of Minneapolis on the label.  The beer pours a touch hazy, pale golden yellow, with a tall head of pure white foam.  The aroma is clean, golden malty grain, floral and grassy, with a touch of honey and herbal hoppiness.  The taste is lightly sweet golden grain, grassy, followed by a bitter and dry finish.  The aftertaste is lightly fruity hops.  It is well carbonated, drinking very crisp and refreshing.  This succeeds where so many American Kolsch-style ales fail.  It is a perfect beer for summer.

2017: The beer pours a lightly hazed pure golden. There is an inch of white, foamy head. The aroma is grain, bread dough, french bread crust, light floral and hay. The taste follows the aromas, but the taste is a bit brighter, with a touch of citrus. The finish is fairly bitter, grassy. The beer drinks easy. This is a flavorful drinker built for summer.