Southern Tier Back Burner

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

A small white head sits atop a deep red mahogany pour. Bubbles rise slowly, but are few and far between. Aroma is loaded with dark fruit, citrus hop, caramel, and a subtle roasted barley profile. A slight booziness is eclipsed by a fruity sweetness. Flavor is uber sweet, with an odd roast character and massve dark fruit note. Dark sugars abound- caramel and molasses prevail quite suitably. Hop character is less than the aroma might suggest, but still acts as an excellent mediator of flavors. Palate is thick, rich, sticky and smacking with a silky body and sugary finish. Like many Southern Tier offerings, this may borderline on cloying, but not quite... it’s really tastey.

22oz bottle. Pours a slightly hazy deep ruby red-brown body with a thin, off-white head that leaves a decent amount of runny lacing. Aroma is malty sweet with lots of berries, light notes of booze and grassy hops. Oranges and apricots. The nose grows nicely as it warms. Flavor is pretty solid. Initial chewy caramel malts give way to a good amount of medium grassy hops that lasts through the finish and linger for a long time. Berries and citrus come in during the middle and lead into the finish as well. Finishes dry with a sweet and sprucey earth aftertaste. Palate is medium to full bodied and has a light warmth on the way down. Overall, a very nice tasting barley wine. Not too sweet and not too hoppy/boozy. Really fine balance.

Reddish/brown pour with a thin tan head. This one has a nice sweet aroma with some malty and dark fruit undertones. Nicely carbonated, medium bodied. This one has a lot of flavor and it’s balanced. Sugary sweet with some caramel, plum, raisin and a little bit of spice. Hops are subdued but they have a nice bitterness that complements the sweetness but doesn’t overpower the dark fruit and malt. This is a really good brew.

Nice barley wine. Not too hoppy with this one, as is the case with some. Very well balanced. The pour is a deep dark ruby with a light head. Aroma of fruit, sweet toffee, and some hop biterness. Taste is very balanced. Not as much burn as I expected. Alcohol is barely present. Very nice.

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.

Deep ruby copper color. Nice khaki colored head and lace that clings to glass throughout. Aroma of caramel, sour/dried fruits, citrusy hops, bit of pine. Medium-full chewy body, carbonation carries the brew well, flavor is alot like the nose, got some hoppy bitterness but also has a very good hop flavor as well. Balanced, cool hop burps and a nice kick. Kinda like a cross of big foot and foghorn (when it was good in small bottles) Good BW.

tasting sample on 11/5/09... dark red pour into a snifter... big malt nose, light hops... medium body with apple, raisins and a sweet malt forward finish. nice barleywine... would like to try a full glass of this and revisit.

bottle: pours a dark caramel brown with a small off white head. aroma is very caramelly, fresh citrus hops, some fresh apricotr and other pit fruits , slight brown sugar adn a little spice with date adnf touches of figs. flavour is mice slight hops but mostly rich malts some dates and rasins very nice drinking barley wine.