Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Summit (Unchained Series Batch #11) Old 152

 Summit Brewing Co.   St. Paul, MN

Notes:
Rye Ale/Kentucky Common
12oz Bottle
5.8% ABV
55 IBUs

From Summit’s homepage:

Brewer Eric Harper has gone old school for Summit Unchained #11. As in, Old 152. Inspired by the Kentucky Common beer style that was popular before Prohibition, it actually uses a sour mash of maize and rye in addition to traditional malts and Cluster hops (just about the only hop available in the U.S. back then).  The results are anything but sour, yielding a chesnut-colored brew with a slightly spicy floral aroma, biscuit, caramel notes and crisp, clean bitterness.


Appearance:  Pours a dark amber in color…fairly dense, only mildly transparent... some off-white head did form a thin layer on top…(3.75/5)

Smell:  I know it’s a rye ale right away with its distinct sour smell…there is some peppery spice happening here…a faint sweet creaminess as well…paler malts, yeast, barley, caramel, and a touch of citrus round out the aroma…way more spiciness in the nose as this brew warms…(3.75/5)

Taste:  Much like the nose, heavy spicy rye in the front…sweetness, a touch of cream, more spicy rye, sour mash, wheat and earthy hops in the middle…finishes very thin, more rye spice with some pale/bread malts…mild bitterness more apparent as it warms…(3.75/5)

Mouthfeel:  Light to medium body, it is a touch watery…some in the rye carbonation that does bring a spiciness to the palate…creamy, spicy and smooth…it does finish a bit dry…(3.75/5)

Overall:  Not a flavor I normally go for, but this one may open up a new door for me…the spicy rye flavor is good and balanced very well with grains, corn and hops here…I really like it…my major knock is it’s a bit watery, but that’s just me being critical...summit unchained series has been a great find for me and this one lives up to previous offerings…definitely worth trying and if I’m lucky enough to see it again, I will be picking one more up…(3.75/5)

Score:
(3.75/5)

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