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MidwestMicroBrews -- contact@midwestmicrobrews.com |
| MidwestMicroBrews' Midwest Beer Reviews! |
Read more MidwestMicroBrews Reviews... Arbor Brewing Company - Ann Arbor, Michigan Capital Brewery - Middleton, Wisconsin Central Waters Brewing Company - Amherst, Wisconsin Copper Canyon Brewery - Southfield, Michigan Detroit Beer Company - Detroit, Michigan Firestone Walker Brewing Company - Paso Robales, California Goose Island Brewing Company - Chicago, Illinois Grumpy Troll Brewpub - Mount Horeb, Wisconsin Herkimer Pub & Brewery - Minneapolis, Minnesota Onion Pub & Brewery - Lake Barrington, Illinois Round Barn Brewery - Baroda, Michigan Shmaltz Brewing Company - Brooklyn, New York Short's Brewing Company - Bellaire, Michigan Sprecher Brewing Company - Glendale, Wisconsin Stevens Point Brewery - Stevens Point, Wisconsin Stone Cellar Brewpub - Appleton, Wisconsin Summit Brewing Company - St. Paul, Minnesota Sun King Brewing Company - Indianapolis, Indiana Titletown Brewing Company - Green Bay, Wisconsin Upland Brewing Company - Bloomington, Indiana |
Summit Brewing Company - St. Paul, Minnesota
Union Series: Meridian Session Ale
The first offering in Summit's new Union Series is Meridian Session Ale. It's been on shelves for
a few weeks now, but with the late Midwest winter, we've been too busy drinking Stouts and
Barleywines to get around to checking it out. That was a mistake.
This simple yet wonderful beer is one that suits any season. It's brewed using only Concerto
Pale malts , Belgian Ale yeast and the new Meridian hop variety. Don't let the simplicity of the
ingredients fool you though; there is a lot going on with this one.
Pouring a beautiful translucent gold, it leaves a thin head that has surprisingly nice retention.
Aromas are just what they should be: pale malts and light floral hops. This is consistent with
the taste, light malts and earthy, grassy hops. Mildly bitter with medium carbonation, this is
an easy-drinking beer.
Keep some of this beer in the fridge for after a summer run or doing some yard-work. Very
sessionable and so easy to drink, this is a beer you'll be happy to quaff all summer long.
Union Series: Meridian Session Ale
The first offering in Summit's new Union Series is Meridian Session Ale. It's been on shelves for
a few weeks now, but with the late Midwest winter, we've been too busy drinking Stouts and
Barleywines to get around to checking it out. That was a mistake.
This simple yet wonderful beer is one that suits any season. It's brewed using only Concerto
Pale malts , Belgian Ale yeast and the new Meridian hop variety. Don't let the simplicity of the
ingredients fool you though; there is a lot going on with this one.
Pouring a beautiful translucent gold, it leaves a thin head that has surprisingly nice retention.
Aromas are just what they should be: pale malts and light floral hops. This is consistent with
the taste, light malts and earthy, grassy hops. Mildly bitter with medium carbonation, this is
an easy-drinking beer.
Keep some of this beer in the fridge for after a summer run or doing some yard-work. Very
sessionable and so easy to drink, this is a beer you'll be happy to quaff all summer long.
Stevens Point Brewery - Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Nude Beach Summer Wheat
As we move into the summer, it's time for many of us to put the stouts and barleywines of winter
into the cellar and start cracking into the summer seasonals.
One of the most ubiquitous around the Midwest is Nude Beach Summer Ale from Wisconsin's
Stevens Point Brewery.
It pours from the bottle hazy gold with a thin crisp white head of foam that quickly subsides.
Aromas of grass, fresh-cut wheat, coriander, warm bread and mild hops are noticed. Tastes of
sweet malts, freshly baked bread and grassy hops emerge on the palate. Fresh and herbal with a
thin mouthfeel & high level of carbonation, it leaves a sweet tang on the finish.
Well-balanced and very refreshing, Nude Beach -- like most beers of this style -- doesn't offer
much in the way of complexity. For a summer wheat ale, it's fine. There are better examples out
there, Point's offering isn't anything to be ashamed of... and at 6-8 dollars for a six-pack in most
places, it's a fine choice for a picnic, baseball game or as an after-workout quaffer.
Nude Beach Summer Wheat
As we move into the summer, it's time for many of us to put the stouts and barleywines of winter
into the cellar and start cracking into the summer seasonals.
One of the most ubiquitous around the Midwest is Nude Beach Summer Ale from Wisconsin's
Stevens Point Brewery.
It pours from the bottle hazy gold with a thin crisp white head of foam that quickly subsides.
Aromas of grass, fresh-cut wheat, coriander, warm bread and mild hops are noticed. Tastes of
sweet malts, freshly baked bread and grassy hops emerge on the palate. Fresh and herbal with a
thin mouthfeel & high level of carbonation, it leaves a sweet tang on the finish.
Well-balanced and very refreshing, Nude Beach -- like most beers of this style -- doesn't offer
much in the way of complexity. For a summer wheat ale, it's fine. There are better examples out
there, Point's offering isn't anything to be ashamed of... and at 6-8 dollars for a six-pack in most
places, it's a fine choice for a picnic, baseball game or as an after-workout quaffer.
Summit Brewing Company - St. Paul, Minnesota
Unchained Series: Belgian-Style Abbey Ale
It’s no secret that, here at MidwestMicroBrews, we're big fans of the Unchained Series from
Minnesota’s Summit Brewing Company. Just check out our other reviews HERE for proof. So,
it was with great anticipation that we dived into the newest round.
With its 10th Unchained Series release, Summit gives us a Belgian-Style Abbey Ale. Brewer
Nate Siats – also responsible for Batch #5, an Imperial Pumpkin Porter – formulated this new
release in Summit’s new pilot brewery, which was designed for making test batches and testing
new formulas.
Utilizing Weyermann’s Abbey, Melanoidin and Pilsner malts, Czech Saaz & German Tettnang
hops, a Belgian Trappist Ale yeast strain and Belgian Amber Candi Sugar, Siats has brewed a
truly world-class Abbey Ale.
Poured from the 12-ounce bottle in the glass, aromas of sweet pears, figs and bananas emerge.
Settling into the glass with two fingers of creamy white head, the dark mahogany beer looks
simply beautiful. Tastes of ripe bananas, clove, candied sugar, and some nice earthiness
emerge. Medium-bodied and wonderfully carbonated, its smoothness increases as it warms.
The warming alcohol on the swallow is nice and to be expected for a dubbel that clocks in at 8%
ABV. Finishing dry, it beckons you to take another sip.
I feel as though we may be running out of superlatives to describe the excellent beers coming
out of Summit’s Unchained Series. Perhaps what should simply say is this: so far, every beer
coming out of this lineup has been world-class and true-to-style. Siats’ Abbey Ale is no
exception. It is an award-worthy take on this classic Trappist style.
I’m not sure what Summit’s paying Siats, but he deserves a raise for this one.
Unchained Series: Belgian-Style Abbey Ale
It’s no secret that, here at MidwestMicroBrews, we're big fans of the Unchained Series from
Minnesota’s Summit Brewing Company. Just check out our other reviews HERE for proof. So,
it was with great anticipation that we dived into the newest round.
With its 10th Unchained Series release, Summit gives us a Belgian-Style Abbey Ale. Brewer
Nate Siats – also responsible for Batch #5, an Imperial Pumpkin Porter – formulated this new
release in Summit’s new pilot brewery, which was designed for making test batches and testing
new formulas.
Utilizing Weyermann’s Abbey, Melanoidin and Pilsner malts, Czech Saaz & German Tettnang
hops, a Belgian Trappist Ale yeast strain and Belgian Amber Candi Sugar, Siats has brewed a
truly world-class Abbey Ale.
Poured from the 12-ounce bottle in the glass, aromas of sweet pears, figs and bananas emerge.
Settling into the glass with two fingers of creamy white head, the dark mahogany beer looks
simply beautiful. Tastes of ripe bananas, clove, candied sugar, and some nice earthiness
emerge. Medium-bodied and wonderfully carbonated, its smoothness increases as it warms.
The warming alcohol on the swallow is nice and to be expected for a dubbel that clocks in at 8%
ABV. Finishing dry, it beckons you to take another sip.
I feel as though we may be running out of superlatives to describe the excellent beers coming
out of Summit’s Unchained Series. Perhaps what should simply say is this: so far, every beer
coming out of this lineup has been world-class and true-to-style. Siats’ Abbey Ale is no
exception. It is an award-worthy take on this classic Trappist style.
I’m not sure what Summit’s paying Siats, but he deserves a raise for this one.
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