It just keeps getting better.

Summit’s India Style Rye Ale, the third in their increasingly impressive Unchained Series, is just a superb beer. Brewer Mike Lundell incorporated a variety of rye malts in his creation, including Rye, Crystal Rye, Chocolate Rye and Flaked Rye, as well as several high alpha hops including Summit and Citra that make this a wonderful hybrid-style ale.

Pours with a beautiful amber coloring and thick rocky head of carbonation. I could smell this beer for hours and not get bored…like walking into a neighborhood bakery with loads of bready rye up front, and a pronounced citrus hop aroma. I’m also getting some type of earthy note, like fresh green onion. The taste is wonderful, a fleeting cocoa sweetness with some light caramel and roast that quickly cascades across your tongue into a dry, rye spicyness. Hops are certainly there too, about 60 IBUs that remind you this beer isn’t all about the rye. Mouthfeel is very full, great carbonation and lively spice that envelopes the senses. The beer clocks in at 6.3% ABV, but it drinks so well I wouldn’t mind having a few of these in one sitting.

Overall impression, while this is certainly one of the better rye beers I’ve ever enjoyed, the masterful balance is really what stands out in my mind as its defining characteristic, the best of both hops and bready malt. Like the previous two Unchained offerings, this is one of those beers you wish would find its way into Summit’s year-round lineup.

Rating: A

Where I Got It: Byerly’s Maple Grove
Availability: Limited Release
Price: $9.99 for a six pack