Summit Brewing Co.
St. Paul, MN
Available: MN, WI, ND, SD, IA, NE, IL, OH, MI, KY, PA, NJ, FL, CO, TX
A new year-round beer from Summit, Horizon Red Ale is a cross between a traditional IPA and an amber. The Horizon name stems from the use of the Horizon hop, which is used together with Cascade and Amarillo hops. Horizon Red is hopped at six different points in the brewing process.
ABV: 5.7
ABW: 4.54
Color: 20
Bitterness: 65-70
Original gravity: 1053
Red by name and red by nature! The beer has a rich aroma of vanilla, caramel, grain and peppery hops. Hop bitterness builds in the mouth, balanced by juicy malt and orange fruit. The finish is bitter and hoppy, but there’s a solid balance of malt, fruit and vanilla. Like Beethoven’s Ninth, just when you think it’s finished, the hops hit back with a final blast of bitterness.
Until now I’ve rejected “red ale”… is there really such a style? Well, I have to admit―it sure is red. Nice tan head, too. The aromatics are pleasantly hoppy, showing notes of citrus and mint. The palate is surprisingly dry and taut, with a good clean zap of hops up front, some caramel and a dash of roast in the center, and a minerally dry finish. Too dark to be an IPA, and it’s not really amber either. Red ale it is, then. A tasty beer brewed with verve, great with chorizo tacos.
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.
