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7 Reasons to Love Summit Beer

Ah, February. The month of love.

Well, historically it’s the month associated with freezing rain, ice and snow (Google it). But, in the modern Western world we’ve declared it the month of chocolate, flowers and jewelry. And in case you have forgotten, whether accidentally or willingly, Valentine’s Day is Friday, Feb. 14.

So, in honor of this holiday of hearts we’re giving you 7 reasons why you should love Summit Brewing Company beer.

As if you needed any more.

 

1. Summit Extra Pale Ale

Summit Extra Pale Ale with GABF Gold MedalAh, the Summit Extra Pale Ale. It’s hard to think of the Minnesota beer scene and not think of Summit EPA. In fact, we believe it’s the most quintessential Minnesota beer out there! The first beer our founder Mark Stutrud ever brewed, Summit EPA is 34 years strong. With caramel malts and citrus hop bite, it’s one of our most awarded brews with six Great American Beer Festival (GABF)® medals. “Summit Extra Pale Ale is in a class of itself, and it continues to demonstrate its longevity and relevance,” Summit Brewing Company Founder and President Mark Stutrud said. “It goes to show that we know what we’re doing for a living.”

 

2. Summit Sága IPA

No, we’re not just going to list our entire profile of beers. (Though, they are all reason enough to love our brewery.) But, it’s hard to list reasons why we’re awesome and NOT include our Sága IPA. This beloved brew first hit the scene in 2012. Since then, it’s become the IPA standard. Bright, tropical citrus hops with a bitter, assertive finish, it’s an IPA worthy of the Gods.

3. We Make A Mean Pilsner

Summit Dakota Soul Craft Lager and Summit Keller PilsOK, OK, it’s not as flashy as an IPA or session beer, but when it comes to brewing pilsners are where legends are born. Brewing pilsners can be a tricky task. Clear and crisp, a pilsner takes longer to ferment and its lighter profile reveals any and all flaws in the beer. So, of course the fact that we make two stellar pilsners is reason enough to brag. Our Midwest-Style Summit Dakota Soul Craft Lager is based off of the traditional Czech-style. Golden in color with notes of biscuit and cracker, it’s spicy hop finish creates a full-flavored, refreshing sip. Then, our Keller Pils – a GABF® Gold Medal Winner – is a beautiful German-style pilsner. Notes of honey and citrus give way to a sweet, malty body finishing effervescent and light. Seriously, try to find a flaw. We dare you.

4. We Deliver Consistent Quality

Our talk of perfecting the pilsner leads precisely into the next reason to love Summit: our focus on quality. We take beer seriously. To us here at Summit, quality isn’t just a precision and uniformity, its distinct excellence and consistency time and time again. Our Quality Assurance team and in-house chemistry lab spends their days testing our beers at each step along the way. This helps ensure different batches of the same beer looks, feels and tastes exactly the same, or damn near close. We also house beers, old and new, to test an analyze along the aging process to know just exactly what our customers can expect from our beer. That way, we can always recommend the best way for you to enjoy our beer (hint: cold and fresh if possible).

5. Summit Seasonals

Summit OktoberfestSpecifically, our beloved Summit Oktoberfest and Summit Winter Ale. These two seasonals have become Summit staples. First brewed in 1987, our Summit Winter Ale has been the winter seasonal since. Inspired by the winter warmer style, this mahogany-colored beer has flavors of roasted malts, espresso, caramel, cherry and chocolate. It’s so loved, in fact, that two years ago when we threatened to take it away people protested. Hard. So much so that we brought it back, and it’s claimed its spot as the reigning winter seasonal since. Similarly, Summit Oktoberfest has been the fall seasonal since its inception in 2001. Brewed in the traditional Märzen-style, everything about this beer screams fall. Bronze in color, it has a malty body with light toffee flavors. Consistently a best-seller, it’s often gone before you knew it hit the shelves.

6. We’re Open to Change

In the same way we love tradition, we’re also not afraid of change. Speaking of seasonals, this year we’re introducing two new brands for our spring and summer seasonals. Summit Twenty-One IPA is taking the spot as our first seasonal in spring. This hopped-up brew was created when each of our seven brewers brought one hop and one malt to the brewing floor. Vibrant, juicy and balanced in bitterness it’s a great addition to our malt-forward seasonal line-up. Then, for summer, we’re bringing back our Summit Cabin Crusher Kölsch-Style Ale with Lime. Introduced in 2019 as a limited-edition beer in our Summit Block Party variety box, the beer became so popular we had to give it its own spot. Brewed with lime puree and peel and lemon-lime hops, its tangy, crisp and perfect for hot summer days.

7. Focus on Innovation

Summit Keller Pils in Lab 1Part of change is being open to trying new things. At Summit, our philosophy is traditional brewing with a twist. While we pride ourselves in following the tried-and-true European brewing methods, we’re always exploring experimental techniques and ingredients. From our previous Summit Unchained Series and Summit Union Series, we’re always looking for what’s new. Don’t believe us? Swing by our Summit Ratkseller and try some of our exclusive beers on tap.

 

 

It goes without saying, even though we already said it above, we make damn good beer. So if you truly need seven more reasons, here you go:

  • Our flagship Summit Extra Pale Ale
  • The hop-forward Summit Sága IPA
  • The crisp Summit Keller Pils
  • Refreshing, full-flavored Summit Dakota Soul Craft Lager
  • Our succulent Summit Slugfest Juicy IPA
  • Our creamy Summit Oatmeal Stout
  • And a brand-new beer coming your way in summer 2020

From malt to fruit to hop to bitter, we’ve got all the flavors all the time.

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