Twins Pils

Tasting Notes

This kellerbier pours unfiltered, so expect a slight haze alongside a clean, grainy malt backbone with faint hints of fresh bread and hay. The hop character leans herbal and lightly spicy — traditional noble hop territory — without pushing toward bitterness. Body is medium-light with soft, rounded carbonation that suits the unfiltered nature of the style. The finish is dry and relatively short, leaving the grain character to linger rather than any showy hop or yeast note.

About the Brewery

Summit Brewing is based in St. Paul, Minnesota, founded in 1986, making it one of the older craft operations in the Upper Midwest. They built their reputation largely on their Extra Pale Ale and a rotating lineup of German-influenced lagers, which fits naturally with Minnesota's Germanic immigrant brewing heritage. They're a regional stalwart with solid distribution across the Midwest and a consistent focus on well-made, technically sound beers rather than chasing trend-driven styles.

Food Pairings

A soft pretzel with whole-grain mustard is a natural match because the bread-dough malt mirrors the dough itself while the mustard's sharpness cuts through. Roast chicken works well since the herbal hop note echoes fresh herbs used in the roast without competing with the meat. A simple cheese board built around mild semi-firm cheeses like Gouda or Havarti lets the grain character come forward without being overwhelmed. White-fleshed fish — think walleye, given the Minnesota context — pairs cleanly because the beer's low bitterness won't trample the delicate flavor.

Style Guide

Kellerbier and Zwickelbier are essentially the same thing under different regional German names: unfiltered, unpasteurized lagers traditionally served straight from the conditioning tank, most closely associated with the Franconia region of Bavaria. They share the clean malt and noble hop foundation of a standard German Pilsner or Märzen but retain yeast in suspension, giving a softer mouthfeel and a slightly fuller, rounder flavor. ABVs typically fall in the 4.5–5.5% range. What sets them apart from a Hefeweizen is the use of lager yeast, meaning there's no banana or clove character — the haze here comes from yeast and proteins, not fermentation esters.