Our Brewing Process
What goes into Summit before it goes into you?
Intro
Ever want to know what goes into brewing Summit beer – besides hard-earned experience, a passion for the craft and many, many tastings? Join us as we follow your beer from its humble beginnings to that glorious moment when it crosses your lips.
Ingredients
It takes years to know how to properly combine the four ingredients that produce beer (malts, hops, yeast and water). But it starts with the ingredients themselves. At Summit we choose the finest available to impart the exact aroma, flavor and body we’re seeking for each style.
Milling
The next step in the brewing process is called milling. This is when we run barley malt through a mill that crushes it, preparing the crushed grain (known as grist) to be cooked.
Mashing
Next up, mashing. We cook the grist in hot water to convert the starches in the malt to fermentable sugars.
Lautering
Now your beer enters the lautering phase. Here, the sweet liquid, called wort, is separated from the grain solids in the lauter tun.
Boiling
During the boiling phase, we boil the wort and add hops to provide the right amount of bitterness and aroma.
Whirlpool
The hopped wort is then spun in a whirlpool. This separates the spent hops and unwanted proteins from the brew
Fermentation
During fermentation we add yeast, carefully choosing just the right strain to bring the beer to life. This produces alcohol and carbon dioxide (our beers are naturally carbonated with no extra CO2 added).
Separation/Filtration
During this step, the beer passes through our centrifuge, which removes solids like yeast and hop material, resulting in brighter beer. Beer styles which call for exceptional clarity, like our Pilsener, are then passed through our polishing filter for a final touch-up.
Packaging
After passing final inspection, the batch of Summit beer is placed into kegs or bottles and distributed to the beer-loving public.
Enjoyment
Ahh, our favorite step: getting to the bottom of a fine, hand-crafted Summit. Care to join us?
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
IBUs
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
IBUs
25
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
4.5%
MALTS UTILIZED
Moravian 37, Caramel
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Golden, 5° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Vanguard, Saaz
YEAST
German 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
14.2º P
IBUs
65
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
6.4%
MALTS UTILIZED
2-Row Pale, Caramel, Special B
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Bronze, 13° 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
IBUs
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
IBUs
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: Amarillo, Cascade)YEAST
Ale
ESTABLISHED
2009
Summit Sága IPA
Brewed year-round
Epic hop character.
Named after the Norse goddess Sága, drinking companion of the God Odin. With a divine tropical fruit hop aroma and clean, assertive bitterness.
ORIGINAL GRAVITY
14.0º P
IBUs
80
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
6.4%
MALTS UTILIZED
2-Row Pale, Caramel
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Rich Gold, 9° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Horizon, Centennial, Amarillo, Citra, Rakau (dry-hopped: Amarillo, Citra, Rakau)
YEAST
Ale
ESTABLISHED
2012
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
IBUs
35
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 Summer Ale
Brewed in the Summer
Break out the koozie.
This highly drinkable session beer is made for sunny days and long nights. With a crisp, clean bitterness appealing to casual and serious beer drinkers alike. The refreshing fruity and floral hop aroma is a pleasant reminder to savor the season while you can.
ORIGINAL GRAVITY
11.5º P
IBUs
36
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
4.9%
MALTS UTILIZED
Moravian 37, Cara Pils, Malted White Wheat,
2-Row PaleCOLOR, (DEG L.)
Pale Straw, 4° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Mt. Hood, New Zealand Wakatu
YEAST
German Ale
ESTABLISHED
2012
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
16.0º P
IBUs
25
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
6.6%
MALTS UTILIZED
Moravian 37, Caramel, Munich, 2-Row Pale
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
IBUs
36
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
6.1%
MALTS UTILIZED
2-Row Pale, Caramel, Carafa II
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Brown, 40° 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.
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Summit Union Series
Released every so often
The inspired union of new ingredients and time-honored brewing traditions.
Brewing has always been about discovery. For the Summit Union Series, we scour the globe for new (and sometimes rare) hops and malts. Then we add equal parts craft and creativity to bring you a whole new brew.
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 sweet, with hints of coffee, caramel and chocolate. Sold only on draught in select places.
ORIGINAL GRAVITY
13.3º P
IBUs
36
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
5.1%
MALTS UTILIZED
2-Row Pale, Caramel, Oats, Crystal, Roasted Barley, Chocolate
COLOR, (DEG L.)
Pitch black, 80° L
HOPS UTILIZED
Northern Brewer, East Kent Golding, Fuggle
YEAST
Ale
ESTABLISHED
2004