Southern Tier Back Burner

Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Lakewood, New York USA

It’s well-made, well presented, looks amazing, but this flavor is so unpenitrable to me... not a good experience. Tasted like cough syrup with Jaeger. I wish I was lying, was looking very forward to it. Roasty malt turns into burnt, fruit is surpassed by allspice: reminiscent of burnt refried beans.

Bomber of the ’08. Sweet candied apple and spice swirl with other dried fruits in the aroma. Slightly sweet caramel-y flavor with a solid finish that avoids being too bitter but still has huge hop character.

Very nice to behold, a clear garnet body with a bubbly ecru head that leaves some fine lacing on the glass. This is a well balanced barley wine style ale, possessing a strong bitter side matched by sweet, soothing malts. Fairly complex aroma, although I made mistake of reading other reviews before I sat down to script this and they gave me the feeling that either 1) the beer was too strong for some reviewers, 2) there is no #2, or C) the reviewers each got a sturdy conk on the skull. The aroma that I got was fruity on two levels, the first being the sweetness of dark cherries and other stone fruit (such as plums), the second being a sharp citric bitterness. Accompanying these sensations were a sweet molasses scent, a dollop of melted caramel, alcohol, pine needles (Scotch Pine, methinks), a hint of berries, and a daub of midwestern honey. The flavor neglects to favor any of what is gathered by the nose, blending all together smoothly. The result is sweet malts and fruit, bitter hops and fruit, and a steady alcohol burn. This is definitely worth picking up some more bottles to lay down for a while. Very nice.

Note: I was on my way to the can to do a number two after imbibing a bomber of this ale when I stumbled and conked my head on a bookshelf near my cats’ litter box. They both kick-scraped litter on me as if I was a misbegotten turd........

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Wine & Spirits, Chicago, IL<font size=-1>

Pours a dark rich translucent color, small head, some lacing. Aromas of coffee, cola, mild hops, sweet malt, spice, nutty, herbal, and some dark fruit and cinnamon. Flavor is rich malt sweetness, earthy hops, bit of latex, molasses, and cola. As it warms the flavor becomes a bit like cherry cough syrup which coats the mouth, but then finishes somewhat dry. Alcohol is weel hidden. This could use a bit of time.

Ruby red with lasting caramel crème on top to serve as the head. Aroma ignites with rhubarb, bing cherries, singed cherry toffee and vats of prunes basking in broiled red currant sauce. A honey suckle rose slides with the cherry pipe tobacco for a deep delving zing unto the nose. Flavor is equally amplifying and incredibly balanced. Lovely cherry toffee caramel cubes melt into the mouth with a succinctness that’s heavenly. Soft, somber carbonation gives further thickness to the body. Rustic, earthen bitters support the amaretto brandy sauce that weaves through the red currant, albeit drizzled on a honey graham crust once lined with rhubarb and black cherries. Thick body and a lovely mouthfeel, with a deceptive alcohol presence that remains hidden all the way, thanks to the cherry plum sauce and lightly burnt outs that fade into the finish. Many thanks for the bomber, tpkenned!

Special thanks go out to TheRealBastard for this beer. Pours an attractive tan-garnet hue with a yellowy tan head, long lasting foam. Aroma of pine, citrus soap (not too unpleasant, but a bit), butterscotch, booze, peanuts. I think the hops somehow smell off. Nice caramelly flavor, butterscotch, licorice, pine, toast, almonds, but there’s something a little buttery that I don’t like. Finishes with an earthy buttered toast flavor, some nuttiness, and a downplayed pine and bitter orange hop presence. Lingering feeling like I ate something that was too salty, so the aftertaste becomes a little annoying. Thick but drinkable palate, pretty creamy, clean texture, hides its heat remarkably well. Reminds me of a sweeter Hog Heaven, which is great, but with the buttery and salty parts are a bit bothersome.

Bottle; poured a murky brown, mahogany with a medium to large off white head. Nice looking. Aroma of chewy caramel, toffee, candi sugar, fruit and orange. Palate was nice and soft. Flavor was bittersweet. Very malty with a finish of orange zest and hops. Had some English barleywine elements to i. Overall it was about average for the style.

Pours from the bomber a deep garnet-mahogany color. Pour creates a thin bone white head which fades to faint wisps of foam and some spotty lacing. Sweet, but moderate aromas of figs, raisins, prunes, dark caramel candy, toffee, vanilla bean and dark brown sugar are intially appreciated with some faint secondary whiffs of piney/citrusy hops and a touch of alcohol in the background. Full, sticky and slighty oily mouthfeel with a subdued carbonation level fits the big Barleywine style. Flavor profile is a hybrid of an English and American Barleywine in that it starts out sugary sweet with notes of dark dried fruits, toffee, brown sugar and dark rum but assertively finishes with a firm hit of Chinook hop citrus rind bitterness. The 10% abv is subtle and nicely warms up the finish. All in all an interesting and fairly complex BW that is certainly worth seeking out.