Sága
Summit Brewing Company

9/1/24 - (Can - Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Received as part of a trade with Todd @@cheeseheadinMinneapolis on BA, refrigerated upon returning home until opening this afternoon. 12 oz IPA. Could not find an ABV, perhaps it was on the box, but listed as 6.4% on BA. Enjoy by 11/8/24 date. Epic hop character, worthy of the Gods. Proudly brewed and canned by Summit Brewing Co. in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Appearance: Slow poured about 10 oz of the 12 oz can into a pint nonic nucleated glass. The generous bright white bubbly fluffy head prevented a full pour until I could top off after it took about five minutes to recede. Clear tan bronze base, light carbonation, looks malty like I expect from a Midwest IPA. Leaves a full creamy root beer float type cover over the base. Very nice. 4.25

Aroma: Getting pine and grapefruit, mild in strength, a bit higher in enjoyment. Smells resiny. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, including the faintness. Getting a malt lead of caramel competing with pine and grapefruit for command. Light lemon lurking as well. Liking more as this warms, nice pine flavor taking charge and malt stepping back as it should. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Faint carbonation felt or seen, resiny medium body. Dry and pine the primary takeaways, including the finish. Seems a bit dull due to the carbonation, not sure if time (six month EB date?) passed since receiving in mid July a factor. 3.25

Overall: Not sure I'd agree with "Epic Hop Character" regarding this selection. This is a 225-240 drive down the fairway. Met expectations, including Midwest malt. Would give this a second go, not sure if the six weeks since receiving dulled the hop sharpness. I suspect that may have played a role. All that said, I am enjoying this beer and would like to visit Saint Paul and this brewery to explore more. 3.75

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from pint can into imperial pint glass.
A: Pours a clear golden yellow hue with 2-3 inches of frothy white foam with excellent retention. Very active carbonation jets.
S: Pine resin, honey cracker malt, and mild grapefruit.
T: Pine resin, honey cracker malt, and bitter grapefruit.
M: Light body. Dry and bitter throughout. Dank with mild malt sweetness in the background.
D: A good example of style and a brew that has stood the test of time and newer IPA variations.

 

Canned 6/24/23.

L: Pours a hazier than expected dark gold with a big fluffy head that stays. Visibly pleasant clumps of lacing.

S: Old school west coast aromas of pine and grapefruit.

T: Grapefruit up front. A bit of malty sweetness in the middle. Finishes dry and bitter.

F: Slightly heavy mouthfeel. Good carbonation.

O: Nice appearance and aroma, but the taste is almost as malty as hoppy, and the feel is heavier than expected for the 6.4% ABV.

This one is nothing to write home about. It's definitely drinkable, but sometimes it just doesn't hit me right. This is one of the beers I liked a lot when I first tried it, but enjoyed it less and less and time went on. I like the Hazy Saga a bit more than this one. It is hard to know if this is true, but I really think I liked their original IPA better than this one.

 

 

The most memorable IPA i’ve tried so far.

 

 

 

 

12oz can dated best before 10/22/21 poured into a 16oz wide mouth mason jar.
L: Pours a clear honey color with a slightly off-white 1" creamy head. Good carbonation. Good head retention and lacing.
S: Citrus, grassy, earthy dank hops. Very light bread malt.
T: Citrus, pine, juniper, lemongrass, very light malt, grapefruit, some orange, lingering conifer hop resins that are rather long in nature. It is not overly sweet. Hint of metallic/grit in the long long finish. It is unobtrusive and just part of the resin.
F: A crisp hop-forward assertive start then lightly creamy/lightly danked semi-soft and medium-bodied. Drinks quite like a session ale yet it's lengthy resinous finish gives way to a fuller wide mouth feel.
O: An impressive and uniquely tasty combination of hops in Saga. Easy drinking for it's 6.4ABV and very good with spicy foods. A consistently high quality IPA from Summit Brewing. Easily on par with their flagship EPA. Brilliant!