Summit Brewing Co. Releases Unchained 25: Vienna-Style Lager
Story by:
MyBeer Buzz
Published: June 20, 2017
| Updated: July 5, 2025
From Summit:
ST. PAUL, Minn. (June 21, 2017) – The cool thing about the Summit Unchained Series is that it allows Summit brewers to make whatever the heck beer they want. The not-so-cool thing? Brewer Tom Mondor brewed his first three years ago — Unchained 17: Fresh Harvest IPA — and he’s been waiting ever since to make another. Eight brewers, three Unchained beers per year, carry the two… ugh, math stinks, and waiting does, too.
Fortunately, Mondor’s wait is over, and so is yours. Summit Unchained 25: Vienna-Style Lager will be packaged starting the last week of June.
Inspired by Mondor’s past travels through Germany, Unchained 25 features balanced bitterness and spicy and herbal aromas from Hallertau Mittlefruh and German Perle hops. Additionally, Weyermann Barke Vienna and CaraFoam malts provide notes of toast, biscuit, and caramel, plus very little residual sweetness. But with all these authentic and traditional German ingredients, you might wonder why the beer is named after Vienna, a city in Austria. Which is not the same country as Germany. (We checked.)
“Vienna Lagers are a bit of a forgotten style,” says Mondor. “First brewed in the early 19th century, the style was created by an Austrian brewer who applied English roasting techniques to German malts.” Vienna Lagers were popular around the region for a few years, but the slightly darker, roastier lager gained a more permanent foothold in Mexico when Austrian brewers began emigrating in the 1860s.
“The Vienna-Style Lagers still brewed in Mexico today aren’t terribly representative of the original,” Mondor says, “as many are made with adjuncts like corn or rice.” In fact, few true examples of the style exist. “My goal was to use good ingredients, good processes, and good quality assurance to make a good beer. Really, I just wanted to make one because I can’t find many.”
Unchained 25: Vienna-Style Lager will be tapped first at the Summit Beer Hall Thursday, June 29. We’re going to have a Party and everything (FYI: “Party” is German for party). Join us for Nails and Ales presented by our “Freunds” from the Germanic-American Institute, plus concertina music from Josh Eidsor and German food from the Black Forest Inn.
Summit Unchained 25: Vienna-Style Lager will be available on draft and in 6-packs of handsome blue 12-oz. cans in early July. Find images of Unchained 25 here. And for more information about Summit Unchained 25: Vienna-Style Lager, please visit http://www.summitbrewing.com/
Unchained 25: Vienna-Style Lager
ABV: 5.1%
IBU: 23
Color: Copper (12 L)
Malts: Weyermann Barke Vienna, CaraFoam
Hops: German Perle and Hallertau Mittlefruh
Yeast: Munich lager yeast
Serving Tips: Serve at 45ºF in a fluted glass. Pair with grilled pork and sausage, spicy chicken tacos and burritos, gruyere and gouda cheeses, or giant pretzels the size of your face.
Summit Unchained Series
Perhaps by now you’re familiar with the Summit Unchained Series. We’re set to release number 25, after all. But if you’re new to this game, here’s the gist: Launched in 2009, the rotating Unchained Series allows Summit brewers to explore their craft and pretty much brew whatever the heck they want. “We’re fortunate to have phenomenal brewers at Summit,” says Mark Stutrud, founder and president of Summit Brewing Company. “The Unchained Series allows them to showcase their artistry. There are no budgetary restraints, no outside influences from a sales team, and the brewers are free to collect ingredients from anywhere in the world. As long as it’s legal, they have complete autonomy.”
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