Monthly Archives: March 2010

Summit Unchained #3: India Style Rye Ale

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Summit Brewing Company is celebrating the release of the third beer in their Unchained Series this week with events all over the Twin Cities metro. Following up on the success of the first two, German Style Kölsch and 90/- Scottish Style Ale, the third release is an India Style Rye Ale created by brewer Mike Lundell. According to Summit Founder and Brewmaster Mark Stutrud, “Mike’s India Style Rye Ale is a perfect addition to the Unchained Series and really speaks to Summit’s joy in knocking out bold, yet balanced flavor profiles.” I had the opportunity to taste it last night and will confirm that it is both bold and balanced. It upholds the high level of quality that has marked the Unchained Series so far. Here’s my notes:

India Style Rye Ale
Summit Brewing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota
Style: India Rye Ale
Serving Style: 12 oz. Bottle

Aroma: Malt balanced aromas of grain, bread crust and toast with hints of chocolate. Just the lightest kiss of caramel sweetness. Like rye bread without the caraway. Light lime/citrus hop aromas in the background. Clean, very low yeast-derived fruitiness.

Appearance: Dark amber and crystal clear. The full, fine-bubbled, off-white head collapsed fairly quickly into a fine film on the surface of the beer.

Flavor: Balanced with intense malt backed by a relatively high hop and roasted malt bitterness. A complex malty blend of flavors allows the spicy rye to shine. Toasted bread crust. Light chocolate and caramel. An assertive bite of roast in the finish. Caramel coffee notes become more pronounced as it warms. The roasted malt bitterness and rye spice complement the 60 IBUs of hop bitterness. Highly bitter but not so much as to overwhelm the malt. Hop flavors are restrained with just a very light citrus coming through. The well attenuated finish lingers on roasted rye and caramel.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Medium carbonation. Dry and crisp.

Overall Impression: The bottle says that this is an India Style Rye Ale and rye is indeed king in this beer. From the spicy flavors of the malted and flaked rye to the roasted notes of the chocolate rye this beer shouts and screams rye. And that’s a good thing. I was expecting a typical hop-bomb American Rye IPA. I am happy that it was hopped with a light hand, achieving a beautiful balance. If I were looking for a flaw it might be that the roasted character seemed a bit heavy, particularly as the beer warmed. But that was a minor problem in what is otherwise another brilliant addition to the Unchained Series line-up. Well done!

Disclaimer: I will be moderating a Q & A with Mark Stutrud and brewer Mike Lundell tonight at Tracy’s Saloon as part of the release festivities. I received samples of the beer from Summit and will be attending the tasting dinner at Tracy’s as a guest. This did not influence my evaluation of this beer.

Beer and Appellation

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I speak a lot in my beer tasting events about the differences between beer and wine, one of which is appellation. So much about wine is determined by the earth in which the grapes are grown and the climate of the growing region. This is true down to the micro level with grapes on one slope making different wine from grapes grown on a nearby slope. This so-called “terroir” doesn’t hold true for beer. While there are differences in malt and hops from different regions, even when the same hop varieties are grown in different countries, pretty much any brewing ingredient is available to any brewer anywhere in the world, even homebrewers. If a brewer wants to make a traditional English ale with all English ingredients, they can. They can even alter the chemistry of their brewing water to mimic that of a particular city.

The only beer where the idea of terroir might truly be important is Lambic. Spontaneously fermented with the natural airborne yeast and bacteria from the area around Brussels, a traditional Belgian lambic cannot be exactly recreated anywhere else in the world. However, a bevy of American craft brewers have begun making their own spontaneously fermented brews. The question now is whether these beers can rightfully be called “lambic” or should they instead be called “lambic style.” Is Lambic an appellation or a brewing process?

Beer writer Steven Beaumont posted an interesting article about this question yesterday on Blogging at World of Beer. Check it out.

De Proef Signature Ale

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A couple of weeks ago I wrote about collaborative beers on my Hoppress blog over at Ratebeer. While somewhat suspicious and critical of this trend in brewing, I remain intrigued by these beers. What happens when great brewing minds get together? What magic might occur? One of the most interesting series of collaborations for me has been the Brewmaster’s Collaboration beers from De Proef Brouwerij in Belgium. Dirk Naudts started De Proef in 1996. His small-scale, high-tech operation has been churning out a whole line of great beers that are the product of the marriage of cutting-edge brewing technology and traditional brewing methods. Since 2007 he has been collaborating with leading American brewers to create the unique beers of the Brewmaster’s Collaboration series. I have previously written about Van Twee, the collaboration with Bell’s Brewing, and Les Deux Brasseurs, the collaboration with Jason Perkins of Allagash. Until recently I had not had the opportunity to taste Signature Ale, the first in the series brewed in 2007 with Lost Abbey’s Tomme Arthur. It has recently been re-released. Last week I walked into a Kansas City liquor store and there it was. So here’s my notes:

Signature Ale
De Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi, Belgium with Tomme Arthur of Pizza Port/Lost Abbey
Style: Something like an American IPA with Brettanomyces
Serving Style: 750 ML Bottle

Aroma: Floral notes dominate. Huge fruity brettanomyces character. Very little horsey funk at the beginning, but it becomes stronger as it warms. Light grainy malt sweetness fills in the background. Highly spicy like Indian food, floral coriander and cardamom. Hints of citrus. Very intriguing.

Appearance: Rich and creamy off-white head that lasts forever. Light copper with slightly pink highlights. Light haze.

Flavor: Most unique. East Asian coriander floweriness with deep pitchy resinous notes. A bitter bite at the end that sticks. Huge fruitiness – peach, pineapple, berries, tangerine candy. The full-flavored supporting grainy malt sweetness backs up the bitterness and gives the whole mélange of flavors a soft bed on which to rest. Light caramel touch. Like some kind of exotic Indian masala. Lingering sweetness in the finish that increases with warming.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium carbonation. Light bitter astringency. Somewhat creamy.

Overall Impression: Drink this with Indian food. An English IPA with American-like hops and funky wild goodness. All the contrasting flavors and styles balance out into a most interesting blend of flavors. Huge floral notes invite sip after sip.