Pitchers of Summit

One of many pitchers of Summit

I am spending the next 3 days in Minneapolis attending a conference where I will again talk about my laboratory work (day job). I always relish these opportunities because that means I will be able to drink beer that I normally can't get in Saint Louis.

Yesterday, after the conference had concluded for the day, my boss dragged me out to drink with him. We ended up at the hotel bar at the Hyatt and I was a little disappointed with the beer selection. In typical "sports bar" fashion, the bar carried your standard, Miller/Bud products with almost a complete lack of anything resembling a craft beer. I say, an "almost" complete lack of craft beer, because they did have the Summit Extra Pale Ale on tap and fortunately, this is the beer that my boss ordered! Don't get me wrong, since he was paying, I would have drank pretty much anything!

The Summit EPA is a refreshing, light in color pale ale that with a malty pale finish and just enough hops to be noticed. This beer was a "craft beer" before most people even knew what a craft beer was. It was originally brewed in 1986 and has recently been awarded the following awards:

• Gold, 2010 World Beer Cup®, Classic English-Style Pale Ale
• Silver, 2010 Great American Beer Festival®, Classic English-Style Pale Ale

My boss and I knocked back pitcher after pitcher until we called it a night. I easily polished off at least a pitcher or two myself and was feeling pretty drunk after all was said and done. Although I typically like to try many different styles of beer when I'm out drinking, the fact remains that free beer is always the best tasting beer. and even though the EPA is not the best Pale Ale that I have ever had, I feel good knowing that I drank some local flavor and it didn't cost me a dime!

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