Extra Pale Ale
Summit Brewing Company

Pours a nice medium thick head, off white, lacing white. Malty, buttery, and faintly floral aroma. The flavor is malty, biscuity, and citrusy. With a decent mouthfeel, nice carbonation, a lingering dry finish, and a faint sweet malt flavor, Overall, it has a balanced taste of bitterness and sweetness and is crisp, lingering stickiness, and very refreshing.

Body was a deep gold with a healthy white head plus excellent lacing. Aromas of grains, biscuit, crackers, malt. Pronounced hop bitterness on the first taste, with some malt notes following. Medium mouthfeel with slightly above expected carbonation. Well crafted, a bit more bitter than I expected. Good to have in the frig when you want some beer variety

 

Rarely see these guys anymore in Chicagoland. (Is this the same old story of dealing with Illinois' Beverage Commission?) Bought this copy from Woodman's Kenosha. Glad to finally have Summit's flagship. They are now over 35 years old, making them a second generation brewer and still independent and not unlike my #2 favorite brewer, New Glarus, who also is old and doesn't distribute in Chicagoland. For that similarity and general longevity, I give Summit's Extra Pale some very good Overall Hugs.

Summit's invention here of a traditional style is the American hop profile. But much of the rest of Summit's Extra Pale is recognizable as typical English: particularly the soft mouth and sweet malts.

A bit thin in body but pours with a thick white head, lace, and great taste! Very drinkable.

For context, not a huge IPA fan. Like something a little less. For me this is it. My personal favorite across types. Hoppy enough to not be bland, smooth enough to not snap your head back on the first sip, and low enough in ABV so that you can drink a "few". Summit's been around long enough that they aren't hip anymore (Sam Adams anyone?). Too bad. Their EPA, Porter, and Keller Pils are all best of breed.

L: Pours a clear golden color, one finger eggshell colored head, some nice lacing.
S: Some sweet malts, bread and some floral hops.
T: Cracker, some toffee, some hops.
F: This, nicely carbonated.
O: Well balanced, better suited to being a summertime crusher.

 

 

 

draught
Clear, medium orange & amber look. Sweet spiced malt aroma. Medium roast malt, with a firm but pleasant bite, and medium caramelized malt, with a little creaminess. A really enjoyable, caramel malt and floral hop finish.

Pours shiny opaque bronze, nice thick white head, slight lacing white cap
Aroma of malt, butter, crackers and a hint of floral
Taste is malty and ritz cracker like and some citrus
Mouthfeel is solid feeling, nicely carbonated, with a lingering dry finish, with a hint of sweet cracker
Overall it is a crisp clean tasting and very refreshing with a balanced bitter/ sweet taste

 

From taps, bottles and cans into a 16oz pint glasses.
L: Pours a medium dark copper with a tall beige creamy head. Good carbonation, decent head retention for a few minutes with some good skeletal lacing and edge foam.
S: Biscuit, caramel, esters.
T: Biscuit malt, caramel, grain, a medium light amount of citrus hop, some smooth bitterness with mild orange/lemon zest towards the end. It is clean.
F: Lightly crisp medium bodied, SOFT, smooth and a bit creamy mouthfeel that has a moderately dry finish. It has a very nice balance and has incredible drinkability.
O: Fantastic! Summit is a early pioneer in the craft beer world. This EPA's beautifully stable and distinctive style is that it shares an overall taste profile wherein it's malts are English in style and it's hops are more American. A wonderful beer!

 

 

 

Best consumed with food. A little bitter for an empty stomach but not overwhelming. I like this one more than most pale ales. Summit does make good stuff!

 

 

 

 

 

 

20191115
Brewery taproom - 16oz

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a shaker pint.

Look - A marvelous bone white head comes towering out of the glass straight from the bottle. Eventually calms down and cascades into a crystal clear golden body that sits with a regal air.

Smell - Light butter crackers and a faint herby whiff on the back end. A delicate scent.

Taste - A fine balance between crackery malt and light fragile hoppy bitterness. This is a decent balancing act of flavor.

Feel - Thin body with a slightly prickly carbonation. Fitting for the beer but not that exciting.

Overall - Very drinkable and tasty without being in your face. I can see this entering my regular rotation.

Poured from a bottle into a pub glass.

Pours copper/orange and just shy of crystal clear, with an excellent, ample foamy head that lingers quite well, and good lacing.

The aromas are somewhat muted. Fairly malty initially, with citrus, grain, and grass in the background.

The brew follows the nose in its understatement. Not boring, per se, but not remarkable either. It is well balanced, with decent malts on the front of the palate, and solid grain and vague notes in mid-stream. It finishes with hints of grassy hops.

The brew has a nice feel. Not quite medium-bodied, it has good carbonation and a decent drying finish.

The brew delivers check-the-box flavors, aromas, and feel for the style, but doesn't distinguish. Everything seems understated, even for an EPA.

From a tallboy can. Copper color with white head. Floral and malty smell. Medium body. Malty sweetness up front followed by floral hop flavors. A classic, and easy to find all over the Twin Cities.

I first had Summit Pale (as we called it then) back in 1988 or 1989, possibly at La Cucaracha, St. Paul, Minnesota, or at Williams Pub on Washington, on draft, undoubtedly into tumbler, and I recently had it again at Sally’s Saloon, Minneapolis, on draft into tumbler, and at New Bohemia, Mpls., on draft into pint tumbler.

My decades-old memory of Summit EPA was not disappointed when I tried it again this month. Although it lacks the aromatic qualities of modern American pales and IPAs, well-balanced malt and bittering hops never go out of style.

 

On tap Pours a nice copper colour with a reasonable head.

Taste is a nice marriage of malt and hops, with the head still lingering, finishes a little dry but not bad.

Appearance: Pours an incredibly beautiful golden, bronze, orange, and amber color. A massive white head that lingers forever. Rivals the Sierra Nevada in terms of appearance. SRM of 10. (4.75)

Aroma: Vague orange citrus and flower with underlying caramel and toffee notes. A bit of nectarine. A decently strong caramel doughnut, bread, biscuit with a brown sugar, nut, and toffee glaze. Maybe some overcooked broccoli, but I sure do like broccoli. (4.00)

Flavor: The flavor here is interesting. Uniquely, the malts come first. Initial malt flavors of caramel, toasty bread, honey & toffee. All the English goodness. Then come the hop flavors of flower and orange citrus fruit with a bitterness. Yet it's not strong enough to dissolve the malts as expected for an English pale. A fantastic malt profile, but with a supporting floral bitterness and subtle caramel citrus hop profile. The orange & caramel dance together and it drinks slightly sweet with a floral bitterness (4.25)

Feel: Medium bodied. Great carbonation. Very smooth. Slight caramel and bread sweetness left on the palate. (3.75)

Compared with SN Pale Ale 4/2/20: Pours an identical appearance. Stronger aromas. More caramel and bread notes. Danker, earthier, heavier, and sweeter. Maybe even more bitter too. It's just newer and more full.
11/16/20: Pours an identical appearance. Stronger aromas. More orange vegetable and flower. Less caramel, citrus, and soap. More floral and brown bread presence. Smoother and maltier.
12/3/20: Pours a similar color. Stronger aromas with more orange, earth/flower. Less soapy caramel.
12/14/20: Pours a similar color. Stronger aromas of orange & earth/flower. Less soapy pine.

Compared with Bent Paddle's 14* ESB 4/13/20: Pours a light color. Stronger aromas. More flower citrus, and smooth caramel notes. Less bitter nuts, Belgian spice, and phenolic qualities. Finishes slightly dryer.

Compared to Sierra Nevada's 40th Anniversary Ale 7/9/20: Pours a similar, but slightly darker color. More sweet caramel/toffee malt that is spiced with orange rather than the other way around. Less orange citrus, soap, pine, and classic SN flavor. Less of a bite and more malty and sweet.

Compared to Sierra Nevada's Oktoberfest 2020 12/14/20: Pours a darker color. Stronger aromas of earthy and flower caramel with some earthy orange too. More earthy, flowery and earthy orange. Less sweetened orange.

Compared to Fulton's Sweet Child of Vine IPA 11/12/20: Pours a lighter, more orange color with a similar head. More smooth caramel and citrus aromas. Less burnt brown bread, red citrus, and pine.
2/22/21: Slightly lighter. More smooth orange and caramel flavors. Less toasty.
On a spectrum there is Summit Extra English Pale Ale, Sweet Child of Vine, and Furious IPA.

Compared to New Belgium's Fat Tire 12/3/20: Pours a similar, but slightly hazier color. Stronger aromas/flavors. More earthy orange, caramel. Less red fruit.

Compared to Surly's Periscope Pale Ale 12/3/20: Pours a similar color. Stronger earthy caramel orange and flower. Less juicy aromas of citrus, stonefruit, peach cinnamon. Similar English Biscuit malt.

Compared to Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale 4/6/21: Pours a lighter color. More earthy caramel and dank herbs. Less citrus and pine. Similar caramel profile. More smooth with less dark and toasted malts.
4/5/22: Stronger aromas. More black tea, floral, and earthy notes. Less pine soap. Quite similar malt profiles.

to Summit Elderflower IPA 4/5/22: Pours a similar color. Stronger aromas. More tea, flower notes. Less smooth caramel and pine. A

Compared to New Glarus Moon Man Pale Ale 4/6/21: Pours a similar color. Slightly juicier, but less orange and malty aromas. More grassy and earthy flavors. Similar malty smoothness.

Compared to Old Speckled Hen Pale Ale 6/30/21: Pours a more orange color. Milder head. Milder aromas. More orange, citrus, pine, earthy caramel. Less cinnamon, sourness, cedar, wood, and cola flavor. Winner: Summit

4-way battle 9/20/21
Three Floyd's Gumball Head: Has the most American orange hoppiness. A strong malty body makes it drink like a pale ale.
Summit EPA: Has the flowery and pine and chewy soapy orange flavor
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2021: Has the most sweet orange and rich toasty malt flavor. Similar to EPA but slightly more toasted.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: Has orange, pine soap, and a caramel malt body. Less of a malt body.

to Sierra Nevada's Torpedo Extra IPA 6/14/22:

Overall: A great English pale ale. Great earthy orange vegetable, & caramel spice malt flavors. Nice bitter floral hops. Rounded out with a good body too. Lots of EARTHY/ORANGE CARAMEL here. And at the same time it looks as sexy as the Sierra Nevada pale ale. I will need to compare this to Goose Island's English pale. (Final Rating: 4.17)
Compare to a hoppy brown ale & need to compare again to SN Pale Ale again*
*Compare to Anchor Steam or SN Oktoberfest*

Pours a hazy, Ruby-Orange with a thin, white head.
Smells of malty hop. Big carmel and candied citrus.
Taste follows the nose. great carmel malt that finds a way to combines great with the hop bitterness. Some spice with the pine resin. Actually, better than I was expecting.
The mouthfeel representative of a good English Pale Ale.