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Summit Brewing Co. Announces 2021 Brand Calendar

We’ve all been saying it since last March – what a year 2020 was. An unprecedented year, you might even say.

With the rocky start to the new decade behind us, we’re excited to look ahead to what 2021 has in store.

While we may be a bit gun-shy right out of the gate (can you blame us after last year?!), we’re bringing the big guns just a few months into the new year with retro-packaging, throwback beers and a brand-new beer series.

Read on to see what we’re brewing up in 2021!

Tried and True

Fans of Summit know that we build our brand on consistency. We pride ourselves in our ability to regularly brew beer that tastes the same as the last one you enjoyed whether it was on tap or in a bottle or can.

With that as our guidepost, we’re keeping our year-round line-up consistent as well. That’s right, we’re not changing a damn thing in 2021.

Expect the same great flavors from Summit Extra Pale Ale, Summit Sága IPA, Summit Dakota Soul Craft Lager, Summit Slugfest Juicy IPA, Summit Triumphant Session IPA, Summit Keller Pils and Summit Oatmeal Stout on Nitro draught all throughout 2021.

If It Ain’t Broke…

Before we knew 2020 would be a year characterized by constant adaptation, we decided to make a big change to our seasonal line-up.

Our team made the difficult decision to say good-bye to not one, but two long-term Summit seasonal brands in 2020 – Summit Maibock and Summit Summer Ale.

Summit Maibock, our spring seasonal, took a hiatus after 30 years on the shelves. It was replaced by a new IPA, Summit Twenty-One IPA. Summit Summer Ale, our summer seasonal, said good-bye after eight years. We swapped this out for Summit Cabin Crusher Kölsch-style Ale with Lime.

While it wasn’t easy to move on from these beloved brands, our new seasonals were accepted with open, eager arms. You loved them! And while the latter part of the year stayed the same with Summit Oktoberfest and Summit Winter Ale taking the fall and winter seasonal spots respectively, these continued to hold their popularity. So much so, that we sold out of both very early on!

So, as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

In 2021, expect the same great seasonal line-up with Twenty-One IPA returning in February, Cabin Crusher Kölsch-Style Ale with Lime coming in April, Oktoberfest resurfacing in August and finally Winter Ale rounding out the year in November.

Are You Sensing a Theme Yet?

Also returning in 2021 will be our Mixed Pack Variety Boxes! Specifically speaking, our Mixed Pack IPA Edition, complete with Summit Elderflower IPA.

The first iteration of our Mixed Pack IPA Edition was released in January 2020. We got the sense that IPAs were a popular style, so we thought we’d throw together a box of ’em. Needless to say, it went like gangbusters.

Our variety pack of four distinct IPAs – Sága IPA, Elderflower IPA, Twenty-One IPA and Slugfest Juicy IPA – was so popular we thought we’d give it a second showing.

Expect to start seeing this on shelves in mid-January.

 

Now, On To the New Stuff!

Sure, it’s great to know the flavors you’ve come to love will be returning, but we know what you really want to see is everything new we’ve been brewing up for 2021.

Welcome Back!

In case you didn’t catch it above, our Mixed Pack Variety Boxes are returning!

That’s right, in addition to our Mixed Pack IPA Edition in mid-January, we’ll be releasing a second IPA pack in May and a third variety pack in September. Plus, each of these variety packs will include a formerly retired Summit beer.

In May, our Mixed Pack IPA Edition gets a new look. While still filled with four distinct IPAs, this time it’ll have three 12oz cans each of Sága IPA, Slugfest Juicy IPA, Triumphant Session IPA (our latest year-round IPA) and fan favorite Horizon Red IPA! That’s right, the IPA-Amber Ale hybrid brew that boasts notes of citrus and pine will be returning for a limited time inside the variety box.

For the third Mixed Pack Variety Box, we’re taking a step back from IPAs. In September, we turn 35-years-old. While all of our beers are great, to commemorate our birthday we’re putting together a variety pack that highlights our award-winning brews! Mixed Pack Best Of Edition will featured medal winners EPA, Keller Pils, Great Northern Porter and True Brit IPA! One of our very first, and very beloved, IPAs returns to shelves in this limited-edition variety pack available September through December.

Happy Birthday to Us

As we mentioned, we’re turning 35 in 2021!

Since we’re already throwing it back this year by bringing Horizon Red IPA and True Brit IPA back on the scene, we thought we’d continue with that and celebrate with some retro packaging from 1986. Of course, while choices were a bit limited in which beers could sport this ’80s theme (we only brewed a few back then), we had to go with our classic – Extra Pale Ale. The original beer in its original packaging.

Our official birthday may not be until September, but we plan to start celebrating much earlier in the year. Look for this retro packaging hitting shelves in May!

Cabin Crusher Expands… To Its Own Series

Our last big announcement for 2021 is the new CRUSHER Soulmates Combo Pack!

From its first appearance in our Block Party Variety Box in 2019, Cabin Crusher Kölsch-Style Ale with Lime has been an instant hit. So much so, we not only made it our summer seasonal as mentioned above but also created an extension for the 2020 Block Party Variety Box. When Cabin Crusher Kölsch-Style Ale with Lemon also became a fast favorite, we knew we needed to brew up more flavors.

This year, we’re introducing two new faces to the CRUSHER family: Lake Crusher Tangerine and Oasis Crusher Passion Fruit.

Like Cabin Crusher before them, both beers are Kölsch-style ales brewed with purees of their respective fruit. Sweet, tangy and beautifully effervescent these beers are perfect for chilling.

Lake Crusher Tangerine will be available in the first CRUSHER Soulmates Combo Pack in April, alongside Cabin Crusher Kölsch-Style Ale with Lemon. Then, we’ll switch it up and place Oasis Crusher Passion Fruit with Cabin Crusher Kölsch-Style Ale with Lime come August. 

That’s All…For Now

While the calendar may have turned to 2021, we know that many of the unique challenges we faced in 2020 continue to be part of our current business.

If 2020 taught us anything it’s to expect the unexpected!

So, while we’ve shared all we planned to have in store for this year, we can’t plan everything. We know we may always need to switch gears or be creative as situations arise.

And you never know what we’ll have up our sleeve then!

Cheers!

(credit: Summit Brewing Co.)
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