Summit Releases Unchained 25: Vienna-Style Lager

The cool thing about the Summit Unchained Series is that it allows Summit brewers to make whatever the heck beer they want. The not-so-cool thing? Brewer Tom Mondor brewed his first three years ago — Unchained 17: Fresh Harvest IPA — and he’s been waiting ever since to make another. Eight brewers, three Unchained beers per year, carry the two… ugh, math stinks, and waiting does, too.

Fortunately, Mondor’s wait is over, and so is yours. Summit Unchained 25: Vienna-Style Lager will be packaged starting the last week of June.

Inspired by Mondor’s past travels through Germany, Unchained 25 features balanced bitterness and spicy and herbal aromas from Hallertau Mittlefruh and German Perle hops. Additionally, Weyermann Barke Vienna and CaraFoam malts provide notes of toast, biscuit, and caramel, plus very little residual sweetness. But with all these authentic and traditional German ingredients, you might wonder why the beer is named after Vienna, a city in Austria. Which is not the same country as Germany. (We checked.)

“Vienna Lagers are a bit of a forgotten style,” says Mondor. “First brewed in the early 19th century, the style was created by an Austrian brewer who applied English roasting techniques to German malts.” Vienna Lagers were popular around the region for a few years, but the slightly darker, roastier lager gained a more permanent foothold in Mexico when Austrian brewers began emigrating in the 1860s.

“The Vienna-Style Lagers still brewed in Mexico today aren’t terribly representative of the original,” Mondor says, “as many are made with adjuncts like corn or rice.” In fact, few true examples of the style exist. “My goal was to use good ingredients, good processes, and good quality assurance to make a good beer. Really, I just wanted to make one because I can’t find many.”

Unchained 25: Vienna-Style Lager will be tapped first at the Summit Beer Hall Thursday, June 29.

Unchained 640xSend new beer release or brewery news to [email protected].

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*