Behind the Scenes
Thursday, December 22, 2011 , By Betsy Faber
It is so darn hard to think about writing for the holidays when, at least here in Saint Paul, we are in for a brownish greenish Christmas. So instead of writing about outdoor fun or the magic of the season, I am going to write about what we all think about around the holidays – the amazing people and engineering behind our bottling line. Seriously, I could watch those beautiful machines whirr in harmony for the better part of a winter‘s day. Probably the best part about it is that the end result is cold, delicious fresh beer waiting to be opened and enjoyed. I recall loving the portion of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood where Mr. Rogers guided us gently through the production of saxophones, pianos - and the greatest of all - crayons. Recently one of our bottlers, Ben Mena, made a video that allows you to see our bottling line in action. Now, it won’t have the soothing voice of Mr. Rodgers explaining what happens step-by-step, but it does feature two tunes from our 25th Anniversary Party performers The Prizefighters. 
A little background of course; our bottling line can bottle around 500 bottles of fine Summit beer per minute or about 1,200 cases per hour. It was purchased from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in 2007 - our old line now bottles beer for the New Holland Brewery (Yes, craft beer is one big “hoppy” family). During the video you are going to see everything from the bottles being unloaded, to filling, labeling and finally being boxed and sent off to you for your holiday enjoyment. So relax, find a spot in the house without your family, crack a Winter Ale and enjoy watching the craft of bottling Summit Beer.
Watch video now.
Cheers,
Betsy Faber
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Summit Extra Pale Ale
Brewed year-round
The brew that launched a brewery.
A pioneer in craft beer (hey, that rhymes), Summit EPA has been gracing the pint glasses of serious brew lovers since 1986. Bronze color. Gold medal-winning flavor. With caramel, biscuity malts superbly balanced with an earthy hop bite and juicy citrus.
ORIGINAL GRAVITY
12.0º P
BITTERING UNITS
45
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
5.2%
MALTS UTILIZED
2-Row Pale, Caramel
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Light bronze, 12.5° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Horizon, Fuggle, Cascade
YEAST
Ale
ESTABLISHED
1986
Summit Pilsener
Brewed year-round
Czech, please.
Authentic Saaz hops from the Czech Republic give our Pilsener just the right amount of spicy floral aroma. With a crisp, refreshing malt backbone and lightly spiced hops, it’s a taste of the Bohemian life.
ORIGINAL GRAVITY
11.0º P
BITTERING UNITS
25
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
4.8%
MALTS UTILIZED
Moravian 37, Caramel
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Golden, 5° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Vanguard, Saaz
YEAST
Bohemian Lager
ESTABLISHED
2001
Summit India Pale Ale
Brewed year-round
Nirvana. Now available in 12 packs.
This traditional English style was originally brewed with extra hops to help it survive the voyage to India. Our IPA is enlightened by spicy herbal hops with a hint of caramel malt sweetness.
ORIGINAL GRAVITY
14.0º P
BITTERING UNITS
65
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
6.4%
MALTS UTILIZED
2-Row Pale, Caramel, Special B
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Bronze, 16° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Northern Brewer, East Kent Golding, Target, (dry-hopped: East Kent Golding)
YEAST
Ale
ESTABLISHED
1993
Summit Great Northern Porter
Brewed year-round
Next stop…Malt City.
Originally named after London market workers who popularized this brew, we dubbed our Porter with a nod to the majestic railway stretching from St. Paul to Seattle. Roasted malts offer up coffee notes leading to a slightly sweet, chocolatey finish. All aboard!
ORIGINAL GRAVITY
13.2º P
BITTERING UNITS
45
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
5.6%
MALTS UTILIZED
2-Row Pale, Caramel, Chocolate
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Black, 60° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Northdown, Fuggle, Cascade
YEAST
Ale
ESTABLISHED
1986
Summit Horizon Red Ale
Brewed year-round
A richer shade of Red.
An inspired hybrid that blurs the boundaries between IPA and Amber styles. The exceptional blend of American hops (including the harder-to-find Horizon variety) gives it an intense pine, citrus and earthy character in the nose and on the tongue.
ORIGINAL GRAVITY
13.3º P
BITTERING UNITS
60
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
5.7%
MALTS UTILIZED
2-Row Pale, Caramel, Wheat, Cara Red, Black
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Amber, 22° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Summit, Horizon, Amarillo, Cascade (dry-hopped: Cascade)
YEAST
Ale
ESTABLISHED
2009
Summit Maibock
Brewed in the Spring
Pronounced “My bock.” As in “Keep your hands off my bock.”
This traditional German style earned the nickname “liquid bread” because it was brewed by monks to help them get through Lenten fasting. Moravian 37 malts and Czech Saaz hops give it a toasted sweetness with a little spice in the finish.
ORIGINAL GRAVITY
15.0º P
BITTERING UNITS
40
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
6.5%
MALTS UTILIZED
Moravian 37, Munich
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Dark Blonde, 9° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Saaz, Mt. Hood
YEAST
German Lager
ESTABLISHED
1989
Summit Hefe Weizen
Brewed in the Summer
A cloudy beer for sunny afternoons.
The quintessential summer seasonal beer. The wheat gives it a light, zesty taste with notes of banana and clove in the finish. Some yeast is intentionally left behind after partially filtering the beer to give the brew its characteristically cloudy appearance.
ORIGINAL GRAVITY
11.2º P
BITTERING UNITS
20
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
4.8%
MALTS UTILIZED
2-Row Pale, Wheat (55%), Caramel
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Blonde, 6° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Tettnanger
YEAST
German Hefe Weizen
ESTABLISHED
1993
Summit Oktoberfest
Brewed in the fall
Hold the bottle up to your ear. You can almost hear the polka.
Brewed in the classic Märzen style with Northern Brewer hops from Germany. Rich, toffee malt flavors up front with a clean hop finish as crisp as the autumn air. Unfortunately, like the fall colors, this seasonal beer is gone before you know it.
ORIGINAL GRAVITY
16.2º P
BITTERING UNITS
29
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
7.3%
MALTS UTILIZED
Moravian 37, Caramel, Munich
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Bronze, 15° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Northern Brewer, Tettnanger, Saaz
YEAST
German Lager
ESTABLISHED
2001
Summit Winter Ale
Brewed in the Winter
Comforting as a down blanket. And way better tasting.
One taste and it’s easy to see why the Brits call this style Winter Warmer. Nutty, roasted malt flavor with hints of coffee, caramel, cocoa and a dash of hop spice. It’ll warm your cockles. Whatever those are.
ORIGINAL GRAVITY
14.5º P
BITTERING UNITS
36
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
6.1%
MALTS UTILIZED
2-Row Pale, Caramel, Carafa II
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Brown, 42° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Willamette, Fuggle, Tettnanger
YEAST
Ale
ESTABLISHED
1987
-
Summit Unchained Series
Released Periodically
Venture off the beaten beer aisle.
The Summit Unchained Series gives our brewers free rein to create any beer style they want. To reinvent obscure traditional brews. To choose the finest, rarest and (gulp) spendiest ingredients. The result? Small batches. Huge flavor.
Summit Oatmeal Stout
Brewed year-round
A taste you won’t find everywhere.
While its cascading rich black color will be familiar to Stout enthusiasts, ours is decidedly different. It's made with naked oats from the UK, for one. Smooth and slightly sweek, with hints of coffee, caramel and chocolate. Sold only on draught in select places.
ORIGINAL GRAVITY
13.3º P
BITTERING UNITS
36
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
5.1%
MALTS UTILIZED
2-Row Pale, Caramel, Oats, Crystal, Roasted Barley, Chocolate
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Pitch black, 92° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Northern Brewer, East Kent Golding, Fuggle
YEAST
Ale
ESTABLISHED
2004
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