The Summit Unchained Series: 8 Years of Pure Craft Brewing
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MyBeer Buzz
From Summit:
In August 2009, Summit Brewing Co. introduced its Unchained Series, a collection of limited-production beers, each one created by an individual brewer.
Summit had six full-time brewers at the time, and each was encouraged to “choose their own beer style and manage the process from start to finish, from research and recipe development… to determining the proper conditioning and filtration methods for the ideal flavor and aroma profile.”
Kicking off the series, Summit Founder and President Mark Stutrud told the brewers to “ignore pesky sales and administrative constraints, show off their skills and creativity, and have a little fun in the process.”
And with that mandate, former Summit Brewer Mike “the Miz” Miziorko created Unchained 01: German-Style Kölsch, a light-bodied ale with peppery hops, bready malts, and a slight fruitiness — true to style all the way down to that goofy umlaut. That beer, by the way, received a perfect 100 from The Bros on BeerAdvocate.com.
Our Unchained Series has since included a Scottish-Style Ale, an India-Style Rye Ale, an Imperial Pumpkin Porter, Summit’s first 100% Organic Ale, and more. Last year we released Unchained 23: Dark Infusíon, a Coffee Milk Stout that made all you beer geeks lose your damn heads. It’s currently scored at 98 on RateBeer.com.
Today we have a team of eight brewers at Summit — possibly none with a nickname that can top “The Miz.” And over the past 8 years, this brewing team has cranked out a total of 24 delicious and exciting Unchained Series beers, all the while pushing the program forward and keeping alive its fun, experimental, pure-craft attitude. Proud of these unique, limited-run creations, our brewers continue to sign each label with their own, individual mark.
The most recent beer in the series, Unchained 24: Spring Saison, is Brewer James Birnie’s first Unchained beer. Our new Spring Saison comes in a six-pack of 12-oz. cans, each sporting a rich green color with copper accents along the borders and logo. Unchained releases slated for later in 2017 will incorporate jewel tones, too, making it easier for you to recognize new beer flavors when they come out.
Also new for 2017’s Unchained Series is a bad, bad tap handle, complete with a sharp copper-colored Summit logo at the top and an unchained body — a not-so-subtle nod to our brewers’ anything-goes directive. Spot this tap handle from across the bar and you’ll know what to order.
Look for Summit Unchained 24: Spring Saison on draught and in those dashing green cans starting this week.
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