Summit Brewing Company

Summit Brewing Company is a regional craft brewery in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that brews a wide selection of popular beers. Currently the 25th largest craft brewer in the U.S., Summit Brewing Co. produced approximately 115,000 barrels of beer in 2017, with a capacity of 240,000 barrels per year.[1][2] Their flagship beer, an English Pale Ale (branded Summit Extra Pale Ale) is especially popular in the Twin Cities area.

The Summit Brewery in St. Paul, Minnesota
Summit Brewing Company
LocationSt. Paul, Minnesota
United States
Opened1986
Annual production volume115,000 US beer barrels (135,000 hL) in 2017[1]
Active beers
Name Type
Summit Extra Pale Ale English Pale Ale
Summit Dakota Soul Pilsener
Summit Keller Pils German Pilsner
Summit Great Northern Porter American Porter
Summit Oatmeal Stout Nitro Oatmeal Stout
Summit Saga IPA American IPA
Seasonal beers
Name Type
Summit Maibock (Spring) Maibock / helles bock
Summit Summer Ale (Summer) German-style Kölsch
Summit Oktoberfest (Fall) Märzen
Summit Winter Ale (Winter) Winter warmer
Summit Slugfest Juicy IPA American IPA
Summit Cabin Crusher Kölsch with Lime German-style Kölsch
Summit Cranky Woodsman Nut Brown Ale Brown Ale
Summit Dark Infusion Coffee Milk Stout Milk Stout
Other beers
Name Type
Summit Beer Hall Exclusives (New styles released periodically) varied
Summit Union Series varied

The brewery was founded in 1986 by local homebrewer Mark Stutrud and a group of his friends in an old auto parts warehouse on St. Paul's University Avenue. Their beers quickly became local favorites, and the company began to grow rapidly. In 1987, the Great Northern Porter won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival and was featured on the cover of Michael Jackson's New World Guide to Beer (1988). By 1998 the company's beer production had exceeded the capacity of the original University Avenue brewery, and a new brewery, designed by architect Peter O'Brien, was built on the west end of St. Paul, overlooking the Mississippi River.[3] Still in operation, it was the first new brewery built from the ground up in St. Paul since before Prohibition. Having outgrown its original brewing equipment, Summit sold its 1938-vintage brew house to Mt. Shasta Brewing Company in Northern California.[4] They then purchased an all-copper, authentic German brew house built in 1971 from the Hürnerbräu Brewery in Ansbach Germany.

As of 2017, Summit beers are available from distributors in 5 U.S. states (IA, MN, ND, SD, and WI). The brewery currently brews seven year-round styles, a variety of seasonal styles, and limited release beers.[5] 2018 saw the launch of new year-round beers such as Summit Dakota Soul, a traditional Czech-style Pilsener; Summit Skip Rock, a white ale; and Summit Keller Pils, an award-winning, unfiltered German-style Pilsner.

In July 2018, Summit Brewing Company completed a renovation of the Summit Ratskeller, its public bar and patio area. The Summit Ratskeller features Summit's entire lineup of beers, plus exclusive beers serves only on site, tours, and the Summit Brewing Co. Gift Shop.

As of 2018, Summit Brewing Co. remains the second-largest brewery in Minnesota, after August Schell Brewing Company.[6]

References
  1. Neal St. Anthony; Patrick Kennedy (5 July 2016). "Summit Brewing, at 30, finds itself in crowded craft beer market". StarTribune. StarTribune Media, LLC. Archived from the original on 4 July 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  2. Depass, Dee (2 May 2013). "Summit Brewing's $13 million expansion in St. Paul gets busy". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  3. "Summit Brewing Company History". Archived from the original on June 30, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2007.
  4. Unkefer, Charlie (October 22, 2008). "Mt. Shasta Brewing comes out on top (again)". Mount Shasta Herald. MtShastaNews.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012.
  5. "Summit Brewing Company". Archived from the original on December 15, 2009. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  6. "List Leaders: Minnesota Breweries". Retrieved May 11, 2012.

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