Summit Unchained Series Batch 02

I'm a big fan of Summit beers, and have been for a while. They have a nice solid base of good quality year-round offerings, along with some equally good seasonals. The only thing I ever felt seemed to be missing from their lineup were some different, tasty, limited-edition beers. As far as I'm concerned, they solved that minor problem with the introduction of the Summit Unchained Series last year. They are now up to Batch 03 in the series, and I've tasted all 3 of them. Each one was very well done.

Batch 01 was a Kolsch that I remember being very true to style and quite good. Unfortunately, I cannot get any more of that batch to do an official beer session on this blog. However, there is still plenty of Batch 02 left in liquor stores, so I picked up a 6-pack. Batch 03 is the newest release, and it has been starting to show up in stores as Batch 02 sells out. I'm excited about these beers, so I've decided that today and tomorrow will be dedicated to the lastest 2 releases in the series.

Summit Unchained Series Batch 02 is described by the brewer as a 90/- Scottish Style Ale brewed with heather. The ABV is listed as 7%. The name comes from the time when beers were taxed according to their alcoholic strength. The symbol "/-" is read as shiling, the unit of currency. There were many Scottish beers named in this way. The 4 most common each had a different strength along with an additional style name:

1. 60/- was under 3.5% and also called "light"
2. 70/- was between 3.5-4.0% and also called "heavy"
3. 80/- was between 4.0-5.5% and also called "export"
4. 90/- was over 6.0% and also called "wee heavy"

This ale is brewed with heather, which I was unfamiliar with. I had heard of heather in some Scottish stories and movies, but only knew that it was a plant. After doing a little internet research, I've found out that heather is a flowering shrub that grows widely in Scotland. It was once used as an ingredient in gruit, a mixture of herbs and flavors that was used to make beer before hops were commonly used. That's a fun tidbit of information, don't you think? However, I don't know what heather should smell or taste like so I'm not sure that I will detect it in this beer.

OK, on to the tasting, right? I pour the 12 ounce bottle of 90/- into my imperial pint glass. There is a nice 1-finger, light tan head which gradually shrinks to a paper-thin layer. The body is an enticing dark brown with hints of ruby when held up to light.

Can I smell heather? I can't be sure. What I do detect is some rich malt with a slight caramelized character, and a wonderful hint of smoke. It seems to be a simple aroma, but I'm looking forward to the taste.

Can I taste heather? Once again, I have no idea. The flavors are very similar to the aroma. There is a good roasted caramelly malt backbone followed by the same hint of smokiness as in the nose. A slight alcohol taste comes next, but doesn't last long. The perfect amount of hop bitterness finishes everything off – just enough to cut some of the strong malt character.

A medium weight to the body is appropriate, although I tend to enjoy this style more when it's chewy and thick. The moderate level of carbonation feels prickly on my tongue. Some slight alcohol warmth finds its way to the back of my throat. There is not much lacing to speak of.

This is a very tasty malty beer from Summit. It's simple and straightforward; clean and easy to drink. It might even be too easy to drink for the 90/- style. A just-right amount of smoke makes you remember it's a wee heavy, but I unfortunately can't tell you anything about the heather. I've purchased multiple 6-packs of this beer in the past, and I'll probably buy more before it's gone. You should go out and get some too, before it vanishes from the shelves forever.