Southern Tier Cuvée Series 1

Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Lakewood, New York USA

Bottle in a box from Bottleworks. Orangey amber. Minimal head. Thick Barley Wine-like aroma with big apricot and caramel aroma. Long caramel flavour and alcohol. A little heavy to pick out the oak. I can convince myself of some woody flavours as I get into the glass. Ah here they are! Woodiness picks up riding the sweet caramel liquor.

Pours a hazy orange with no head. Aroma of muscat grapes, floral (heather?) very pleasant. Tastes quite sweet - orange and lots of crystal malt, lightly smoked finish. Low carb but lightly sparkly finish. Definitely light wood noes but very young in terms of ageing, and not too defined. I think the blended cuvee will be the best of this series.

Clear copper-orange pour, light white head with very little retention. Slightly vinous aroma, metalllic and a little yeasty. Flavour has some bittering hops, caramel malt, honey, and bit of alcholol. Lingering metallic finish, somewhat syrupy mouthfeel with a little carbo. Meh.

Pours a clear orange with a thin white head and no lacing left on the glass. The aroma comes forth with wheats and honey and then a strong burst of sugary sweetness. Under that is some citrus hops, traces of the 11% and just a touch of the breadiness from the toasted coconut and biscotti flavors. The taste imparts more sweetness fading into a woody finish.

Courtesy of viggo- Pours a hazy tangerine with minimal off white head. Nose- smells like unfermented wort. Uh oh. Taste- yep, unfermented wort. Very thick and sweet. Cloying, syrupy. Given the abv, that’s an impressive achievement (or dubious). There is some vanilla and toasty notes from the wood, but mostly just overwhelming sweetness. Finish shows some hop bitterness. Not overly boozy though- hidden in the syrup. Mouthfeel is thick and carbonation is moderate. Struggle to power through a bomber.

Courtesy of northernbrews

Bottle: The aroma has lots of toffee along with some light caramel and some faint fruit. It pours a hazy amber with a small off-white head. The flavor starts with toffee and fades to a moderately fruity middle. The finish has some aged hops and a hint of oak. Medium bodied with mild carbonation.

Source: 22 oz bottle side by side with the Series 2.
Glass: Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: Poured a rather light amber color with a thin off white head.
Aroma: Very spicy with oak and vanilla present. Hints of coconut.
Flavor: Vanilla and oak with a stronger coconut presence. Very sweet.
Palate: Medium/full body with solid carbonation and a slick mouthfeel.
Overall: Thought this was better than the ratings indicate. Loved the coconut.

pors a copper amber with a thinish whitish head that dissipates pretty quickly. aroma is heavy on the straw, some corn, spice, light woody/earthy notes,and some sweet overtones and pale malts. taste is not what i expected from the aroma; sweet and lightly earthy, faint essence of hops, a bit of caramel, and some nut and honey. mouthfeel is a bit oily. finish leaves a warming esophagus (11% ABV!). really not bad, but i still feel there is something lacking. for one thing, being a southern tier FANATIC (i was pretty much raised on it), i noticed it doesn’t have that southern tier ’thing’. a good brew, but not one that really blew me away. has a lot of flavor, but the flavor just isn’t all that interesting. i’ll have to try it again.