Summit Extra Special Bitter

Brewed by Summit Brewing Company
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
St. Paul, Minnesota USA

Her clear, burnt garnet body shines softly while gentle orange and amber hues soften her dark colors. A faint orange-cream head settles gently into a thin layer, thicker where she meets the side of her glassy home. Before I even have a chance to get intimate with her nose, fresh prunes, caramel, molasses and maple reaches up to me in a malty embrace. Fresh baked breads of dark and whole-grains envision a street-corner English bakery while brown sugars and cinnamon perfume the air. Basking in her generous bouquet, I raise my glass for our first of many quaffs. Delicately sweet with dry spices, nutmeg and cinnamon, she is balanced with an undercurrent of honey, caramel, and molasses. Her body is clean with just the right amount of chewy breads; rye, pumpernickel, and wheat. Instead of drying my palate, she slowly leaves a thin layer of caramelized sugars with a breath of spice. Is that a refreshing burst of lemon I detect nipping at her heels with each savory quaff? I think so. Far too quickly I find myself having to say goodbye. Our final moments together are a blissful menagerie of warm breads, toasted crust, caramelized sugars, spice, and vibrant lemon nips.

An ESB to make the English proud, Summit Brewing has a gem of a beer here. She was spot-on in all categories and the perfect session beer in every good way possible. I am crushed only by the grim reality that she was the only bottle I had and, for now, I am unable to buy more.

Ft. Myers, Fl. - Total Wines - 12 oz bottle - part of a 12 pack winter variety pack - awesome to see this stuff from my hometown reach this far south. Pours a murky dark orange to light brown with a tight white head that leaves a bit of lacing. Aroma has a heavy nut accent to it with Summit "house taste" thrown in. flavor has some heavy peanut notes to it and slight toffee notes and an overwhelming "house taste" that reminds me of bad home brew. Mouthfeel is crisp. Had better from these folks.

Bottle. Pours a darker copper with a decent, clingy, beige head. Taste is of malt, caramel and some hops. Finish is slightly dry and bitter. Feels good on the tongue, but has a slight watery mouthfeel. Has a light aroma that is similar to the taste. Smooth, easy to drink and kind of refreshing. Good, but kind of forgettable.

This, the IPA and the EPA from Summit all have this weird rancid wash rag smell and taste. It is really hard to describe but it is very distinctive and overbearingly foul especially in the IPA and ESB. The Winter Ale and porter are very good and I even think the Scandia Ale is nice but this and the ESB are just gross. Very Bad.

Copper with a medium tan head. Aroma of fruit, earthy hops, caramel and some mild herbal hops. Taste of earthy hops, light fruit and caramel with a grainy finish that has some mild bitterness to it that lingers on. A touch dry and a little bland, a theme that seems pretty consistent amongst Summit beers.

The aroma is weak but has lightly toasted caramel malt, light hops, and a light nutty, buttery yeast. The appearance is medium brown/red with a medium head. The flavor is like the aroma with a slightly bitter finish. The palate is right for the style. Overall an easy to drink beer.

Pours a nice deep reddish orange color with a nice fluffy head. This is nicely aromatic with hints of chocolate and a little copper. Flavor is pleasant a little bit of copper some chocolate and a little hop bitterness that leads to a mild fruitiness with some strawberry notes. Everything is very balanced here though which while it is nice nothing particularly stands out.

Pours a hazy dark amber color with medium amount of bubbly offwhite head. Aroma is very sweet caramel malts and a bit of dark cherry. Flavor is mostly sweet caramel with hints of tart cherries and a bit of creaminess. Finish is only very very slightly hopped. Overall, not bad.