ST. PAUL, Minn. — Summit Brewing Company today announces the release of Fest Bier, the fifteenth beer produced in its limited release Unchained Series. Fest Bier is Nate Siats’ third Unchained brew. It will be available in draught and bottles the week of March 10.
“My inspiration behind Fest Bier is tradition meets hybridization. Over the past year or so I’ve fallen in love all over again with pretty much every style of German beer. This beer is modeled after a cross between an Oktoberfest bier and a Wiesn bier,” says Brewer Nate Siats. “After making more robust brews for my first two Unchained beers, I wanted to make a light, clean, crisp, refreshing beer that still had plenty of flavor and a good aroma.”
The hops are alpha/aroma hybrids of their respective traditional varieties, providing extra aroma and flavor. Since the Unchained Series allows Summit brewers to select ingredients from anywhere in the world without restraint, Siats decided to import the base malts, Pils and Munich, from a small maltster in the Czech Republic. The Cara Munich malt was imported from Weyermann in Bamberg, Germany.
This is the first lager brewed in the Unchained Series. All four brews of Fest Bier were fermented and lagered in one of the new large-capacity fermentation tanks in the brewery’s cellar addition. The lagering time was doubled to eight weeks as compared to Summit’s other year-round and seasonal lagers, which get four weeks.
Ideally, Fest Bier should be poured into the traditional 1 litre Maß. The beer pairs well with brats, sausage, cheese, cheese curds, string cheese, pretzels, red cabbage, sauerkraut, warm potato salad, cold potato salad and chips.
Since Fest Bier turns any occasion into a festival, beer lovers are encouraged to take photos and videos of everyday situations being transformed into fests with the help of Fest Bier, tagging them with #Unchained15. View this video for an example.
Fest Bier
Malts: Czech Pils, Czech Munich, Cara Munich
Hops: Saphir, Sladek
ABV: 5.5%
IBUs: 30
Yeast: Munich Lager
There will be a series of special kick-off events for Fest Bier in the coming weeks, including:
Monday, March 10 at 5pm
Fest Bier kickoff event! Meet Brewer Nate and enjoy food pairings and prizes.
- Cherokee Tavern (West St. Paul)
Tuesday, March 11 from 4-6pm
Keep the Unchained Glass plus $3 Fest Bier, EPA & Seasonal pints.
Thursday, March 13 from 4-7pm
Summit beer brats and tap invasion, $1 off pints 4-6pm.
- Blue Door Pub (St. Paul)
Friday, March 14 from 2-5pm
$2 Summit pints with 11 varieties on tap. Meet Brewer Nate Siats from 3-5pm.
Tuesday, March 25
5-course Summit beer dinner, 6pm.
About the Unchained Series
The Unchained Series, which saw its first batch in 2009, allows each of Summit’s individual brewers to showcase their creativity by allowing them to break free from the norm and create their own beer. “We’re fortunate to have eight phenomenal brewers at Summit,” said Mark Stutrud, founder and president of Summit Brewing Company. “The Unchained Series is a way for our brewers 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.”
Summit Brewing Company
Founded in St. Paul, Minn. in 1986, Summit Brewing Company has stayed close to its roots, serving the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region. Summit’s beers are currently available in 18 states including Minnesota, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Arkansas and Wisconsin. Summit now produces 14 varieties of premium craft beer, including seven year-round, five seasonal beers, and the limited release Unchained Series and Union Series. Since its inception, the brewery has been a consistent pioneer in the craft beer movement.