Summer Ale
Summit Brewing Company

Summer AleSummer Ale
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From:
Summit Brewing Company
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
Kölsch
ABV:
4.9%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.62 | pDev: 11.33%
Reviews:
64
Ratings:
321
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 27, 2021
Added:
May 04, 2012
Wants:
  11
Gots:
  64
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bashiba:
Photo of bashiba
Reviewed by bashiba from Iowa

3.21/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured a nice bright golden yellow with a thin white head, light lacing.

The smell was a touch of grain with a bit of coppery and light grassy hops.

The flavor is very balanced with light crackery malts mixing in with a bit of lemon peel and a touch of metallic tinny flavor in the finish. Has just a bit of lingering bitterness.

The mouthfeel is dry and crisp.

A decent summer beer, fairly clean and easy to drink.
Jun 23, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.72 by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

Nov 27, 2021
Photo of cratez
Rated by cratez from Canada (ON)

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Rating from notes. Consumed September 10, 2012. "First rate, refreshing kolsch with a big lemony hop character. About as good as the style gets."
Jan 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.66 by evanschaaf from Minnesota

Aug 07, 2019
Photo of defunksta
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin

3.47/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Appearance: Pours a mostly clear, deep golden color with a strong, clingy white head. (3.75)

Aroma: Huge aromas of dank wet grass and herbs. There's got to be some skunk too. It's permeating. It's earthy, wet, and so dank. Not just grass, as it almost has some herbal onion to it. Not really any fruit. Maybe some apple. If there was any, it was washed away by the wet grass and skunk. (3.50)

Flavor: Flavor follows the nose with tons of wet grass, herbs, and skunk. Then comes some yeast and cracker malt profile. Strong honey and Munich sweetness that balances well with the yeast on the end. (3.50)

Feel: Heavier bodied, strong carbonation. Enough yeast to finish it off dry, but heavier and sweeter for the style. (3.50)

Overall: I really could not label this as a Kolsch. Maybe it's old and light-struck, but so much earthy, herbs & wet grass here. I would peg it as a Czech pilsner or even a heavier Heineken. Good flavors nonetheless, it just misses the mark for a Kolsch, if that's what it is supposed to be. I will try it again soon and re-review.... (Final Rating for a Kolsch: 3.47)...Much better for a pilsner though...

Edit: I tried this beer again. Much less skunk. The aroma is lemon citrus, corn, malt, and some grass. Flavor has great yeast, lemon citrus. Much more like a pale wheat with a slight grassy twist to it. Finishes dry, with a corn and pale malt backbone. A pretty good easy drinking summer beer.
Jul 21, 2019
Photo of SB2017
Reviewed by SB2017 from Iowa

3.62/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Tasty twist on summer kolsch. Just hoppy enough for interest, just corny enough for a rich kolsch. It's a good beer but only really something I'd reach for on a hot day.
Jul 20, 2019
 
Rated: 3.93 by adosen01 from Minnesota

Jun 08, 2019
Photo of rickyfinn
Reviewed by rickyfinn from Minnesota

3.99/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Almost clear, golden with moderate to high carbonation. Beautiful frothy head with long retention. Unctuous mouth feel with very slight retained bitterness. Very smooth for an ale. Great session beer!
May 21, 2019
 
Rated: 4.07 by Vylo from New Jersey

Jul 14, 2018
Photo of Schlitz74
Rated by Schlitz74 from Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This is a slightly above average beer for the style. It pours a light orange color, with a finger of white fluffy head. It is worth a try.
Dec 01, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by andrenaline from Canada (ON)

Oct 14, 2017
 
Rated: 3.96 by Montanabeerz from Montana

Sep 17, 2017
 
Rated: 3.71 by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

Sep 17, 2017
 
Rated: 3.71 by Dharmelink from Wisconsin

Jul 14, 2017
 
Rated: 3.89 by corywalston from North Dakota

Jul 10, 2017
Photo of ipeters1017
Reviewed by ipeters1017 from Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a lovely clear gold color with two fingers of head. Smells primarily of floral hops and a slight sweet malt presence, very clean smelling. Tastes of floral hops, breadiness, and light grass and citrus. Extraordinarily refreshing with a slightly bitter finish. Mouthfeel is light and bubbly. This is an incredibly enjoyable summer/session beer.
Jul 06, 2017
 
Rated: 3.38 by PMarcy78 from Minnesota

Jun 15, 2017
Photo of dhannes
Reviewed by dhannes from Wisconsin

3.11/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Poured into a nonic pint.
Look--While the 3 finger head was appealing, the color was a murky greenish yellow...very unappealing.
Smell--Rather strong citrus aroma, more like orange than lemon, but still similar to lemon Pledge. Not maltiness in the aroma whatsoever.
Taste--More maltiness than hops here...not a strong flavor, but a rather enjoyable taste of bread, with a hint of lemon sweetness. Strange aftertaste occurs...unusual, but not unpleasant. Fairly reminiscent of good lager, but much more flavorful and enjoyable.
Feel--Minimal carbonation and a bit less body than I expected but spot on for a summer/session beer.
Overall--A bit lighter than I expected...I did not realize that this was supposed to be a kölsch, so I looked at the description and this offering went light on the hops and was not really that dry. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy this again, but I would try a glass of a draught version.
Jun 05, 2017
Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

4.08/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Ahh, an American Kolsch. Remember when these were sort of trendy?

This one, I'm happy to report, is done pretty darn well.

The pour is marvelously effervescent, with thick, champagne-like bubbles and a fluffy white head.

The aroma is dry, malty, and lightly vinous, with light nodes of hay. Very crisp and refreshing.

Tastes like the aroma led me to anticipate--dry and clean enough to be confused for a solid offering from Germany. Grass and hay up front, light grape flavors in the middle, and a dry finish.
May 31, 2017
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.58/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
this works just right for a summer ale i think, light and easy drinking but not boring and without all the tea and spice and citrus and all of that stuff everyone seems to think needs to go in summer seasonals. has it always been in a can? i feel like i dont recall it in this package before. light and bright beer, but with some decent body to it in that its not at all watery and from a mouthfeel standpoint, doesnt come across as dumbed down to be overly light, still quite beery if that makes sense. a nice pale european grain base kicks it off with the lightest grassy hop finish, a light german ale yeast note too, this tastes authentic to me, somewhat rustic for how well refined it is, and definitely works as a summer beer, im not sure there is a limit to how many of these i could drink in the right context. better cold than it is when it warms up a little bit, but thats true of a lot of lighter beers like this, and is not seen to me as a flaw. despite its simplicity, summit has made a nice beer here that fits the season well.
May 19, 2017
Summer Ale from Summit Brewing Company
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 321 ratings