Summit Winter Ale

Brewed by Summit Brewing Company
Style: English Strong Ale
St. Paul, Minnesota USA

I don’t understand the coffee and chocalate references. I get none of that. This a better than average version of minty winter spice style that I do not care for much. Gets tiring quickly.

Bottled. This was the best tasting beer in my seasonal beer sampler that I purchased from World Market. Rich dark brow ale with slight tan head. No big aroma. Flavor was like a watery chocolate stout. Lots of cocoa throughout and very dry "cooking chocolate" aftertaste. I’d buy this one again.

Opaque reddish-brown pour with a slowly dissolving off-white head. Somewhat lacking in aroma, some hints of coffee are evident, and these coffee tones become obvious as soon as the beer hits the tongue. There is a somewhat sweet finish that I can’t put my finger on, but it gives the beer a nice complexity. Overall, this was a very pleasant ale, assuming you are not adverse to coffee flavored brews.

Bottled. Opens and pours with a nice warm malty smell. Deep brown body, thin tan head. For its color, a closer sniff brings up a suprising whiff of porter type cooffee roast malts. And yup, a deep coffee roast in the tast. Drinks a heck of a lot like a porter. Then some honey seems to pop in, and then a bit of light spicing, more in the sage or allspice range (but then my miserable score on the Floosmoor 12 Days shows I can’t be judging spices). Off-style carbonation is a detraction, but otherwise, it’s a very good commercial beer.

I don’t know if it’s just my preference in general, but I can’t stand the taste of coffee so I could barely tolerate this beer, although there was some charm to it because it tasted different than what I’m used to but I think if I try any more English Strong Ales I’ll go with a higher scored brand to see if I just dislike the style in general.

Bottle. Very dark. Good - pretty sweet with plenty of crystal malt flavor. Somewhat rich flavor.

Pours a dark brown color with thick, frothy, tan head. Aroma is very mild with sweet malt, coffee and light chocolate. Taste is much the same but everything is way too muted and boring.

Pours dark reddish amber with a fully receding beige head. Aroma of dark crystal malt, rye bread, toffee, and cookie. Taste is sweet crystal malt, chocolate, and brown malt. Mouthfeel is medium/full bodied with soft carbonation. Soft and sweet with nice maltiness.