Planning for Battle: The Summit IPA Collection

In a recent blog introducing the Summit IPA Collection, we told you about Berserkers — fearless Viking warriors once known for entering battle without armor or shield.

We told you about their descendants, those hearty Minnesotans who brave our cold winters in t-shirts and shorts, braving The North’s bitter cold without so much as a light jacket.

And by now you know this heartiness may or may not come from hops, which are recognized across the globe for their preservative qualities — and their pleasant flavors and aromas, of course.

In order to celebrate hops in all their glory, and to create a real, battle-tested link to ancient Viking warrior culture, we decorated the Summit IPA Collection with a sword and a shield. We hid little Viking horns on the packaging. And we stuffed the box with Summit Sága IPA, a hop-forward pale ale with aromas of kiwi, apricot and passionfruit, as well as three new and limited IPAs. Just like a Berserker’s attack, it’s all carefully calculated and planned.

Preparation is key to winning the battle, after all. So while the brewers were making sure each beer was dry-hopped just right, and while the packaging team was preparing the cans and cases for fresh beer, a few of us in the Berserker marketing department were focused on finding a rallying cry we could all charge behind.

Now, we landed on “Stage an Epic Hop Raid, and Vanquish Your Thirst,” and to be honest, this makes us more beer-thirsty than bloodthirsty. So that’s good. But there were rejects. Many, many rejects. And here are a few particularly awful ones, presented in no particular order:

• Only the World’s Finest Hops Can Refresh Your Inner Viking
• We Ransacked the Hop Farm to Bring You These Epic Beers
• Arm Yourself for Battle with a Delightful Selection of Hoppy Beers
• Bold Citrus Flavors and Aromas for Your Inner Berserker
• Ready Your Sword, Your Shield, and Your Pint Glass. Skål!
• Prepare Your Palate for the Thunder of Thor
  • We are so, so sorry. This is terrible.
• We Crossed Perilous Seas to Slay Bland Beer Once and For All
• You Can’t Slay Whalez Without Your Sword and Your Shield

This is all very silly, but the beer is not. In fact, it’s truly a matter of survival. Can you get through these winter months without consuming fresh hops? We wouldn’t risk it. Find the Summit IPA Collection today.

Inside the Summit IPA Collection

Wee IPA – Heavily hopped session IPA with fruity notes of key lime and pineapple

Experimental IPA – Mysterious new hop varieties offer intense aromas of fresh berries

Imperial IPA – Powerful ale with intense citrus aromas of tangerine, grapefruit and lemon

Sága IPA – Robust hop flavors and aromas of kiwi, apricot and passionfruit