Summit Winter Ale

Oh-oh, smells like an imperial or foreign stout with a caramel background, and I don’t like imperial or foreign stouts. 12 oz brown bottle with a twist off cap. I am a bit surprised that it pours very dark transparent in my steeler stein. A malty roasty initial flavor, perhaps even some hops in there. Very little carbonation. Yes, it is robust as the description says but there is no detail of this on the label, it is pretty much plain jane just mentioning winter ale. I think this is the first English Strong ale I’ve tasted. It is smooth but has a lingering undesirable interesting flavor on the finish, a little bitter. Try this if you like stouts.

had at old chicago during their holiday tour. enjoyed the balance, wasn’t expecting the hops. nicely done.

12oz bottle, easily 1-2 years old. Pours dark red/amber with a small head. Aroma is caramel, brown sugar, floral, with hints of mint. Flavor is the same as the aroma, as well as kinda nutty, with some light baker chocolate, and a slightly bitter/alcoholic finish. Very full bodied beer. I think Heemer77 got me this, if so, Thanks!

Sampled from 12 oz bottle at Jungle Jim’s on 10/18/2006... Summit Winter Ale was a nice surprise. It pours a dark amber brown with a creamy off-white head and lively carbonation. The aroma is sweet and malty. The flavor is roasted malt, hints of coffee and molasses, and an almost hidden bit of something spicy. Overall the flavor is quite robust and enjoyable. Medium body and quite smooth. This was a good one to kick of the Winter Ales for the season...

Pours a dark brown/ruby with a small white head. Some toasty malt coffee and toffee are the most pronounced. There was something I didn’t care for in the back of the pallete, but overall there were some nice things with this one.

Very good craft form ol Summit! Quite sweet and coffee like taste, and I agree that it doesnt have the hop kick like some, but i have been drinking a lot of Surlys latley, and those are hop crazy! I would compare this the the Surly Bender though, quite similar and tasty!

Bottle from the Blue Max. Most of their beers hava a much larger hop blast and this was a major let down. Virtually no flavor at all. I did get a bit of toffee and a bit of what could have been dark fruit. A bummer for sure.

20th Anniversary (2006) bottle. This beer has a strong, sweet, floral aroma that is quite pleasing. It pours a lovely dark brown, with a classic beige/tan head. The flavor is bitter and coffee-like, with just the right touch of sweetness. There is a good but not particularly strong aftertaste. It is clean and crisp going down the throat, more like a lager than an ale. This beer improves upon multiple tastings. It isn’t utterly spectacular, but it is another very nice production by a reliable Minnesota brewery. Re-rated after tasting on tap. Flavor dropped from 8 to 7.