I had the opportunity to sample a bit of Summit Horizon Red Ale the other day at an undisclosed location. For anyone who does not yet know, Horizon Red a new year-round beer that Summit is officially releasing in bars on April 16th. It will be available in stores on April 20th. It’s exciting as Summit has not released a new year-round beer in a good many years. Summit describes the beer as “an emerging American hybrid ale that crosses the boundaries of styles. This red-hued ale projects an intensity of complex hops – yet allows the drinker to experience the character of the malt with notes of apricot, pine, and grapefruit.”

Here are my quick notes from the small sample I had.
Aroma: Biscuit malt and citrus/pine hop. The hop presence in the nose is very nice.
Appearance: Bright red. Beet-like. Crystal clear. Nice persistent white head.
Flavor: Hops are the dominant feature with a blend of spicy and citrus flavors. Bitterness is high. The underlying caramel and biscuit malt provides support, but not quite enough for my taste. It wasn’t bad, I would just like a bit more malt. Dry and well attenuated. I detect the characteristic English yeast character of Summit EPA.
Mouthfeel: Medium body. Crisp. Medium-high carbonation.
Overall Impression: This is a nice hoppy session beer. More malt than a standard American Pale. Not as much malt as an Amber. It’s not overly complex, but still tasty. Don’t serve it too cold. It gets better as it warms.