Southern Tier Cuvée Series 2

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

Source: 22 oz bottle along side the Series 1.
Glass: Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: Poured a darker amber color with a one finger tan head.
Aroma: Brown sugar, honey and oak.
Flavor: Caramel malt, vanilla, oak and some warming alcohol.
Palate: Full body with solid carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel.
Overall: Better than Series 1. Still thought this was better than the ratings indicate.

Pours a semi-cloudy amber with very very little head. Aroma is light brown sugar and oat. Flavor is sweet oat with honey notes. Definite bourbon, vanilla notes at the first sip and then mellows out. Body is creamy with medium carbonation.

Pours a clear dark brown color, with a very small white head. Aroma is sweet, with alcohol throughout. Flavor is tart, fruits, sour, boozy. Touch of oak. It’s alright, about on par with Cuvee 1.

The pour was clear ruby and copper with virtually no head. The aroma was very sweet, lightly boozy, somewhat grainy and had some tart, sour fruits. The flavor was sugary sweet caramel up front that quickly gave way to a slightly sour and oaky flavor. Mouthfeel was medium and almost oily.

Pours semi-clear dark brown with a large beige head that hold on. Huge aroma of warm vanilla notes and wood some cream maybe some banana. Very smooth, and a nice bite that give that comes from the great secondary fermentation. The oak definitely comes through. Good amount of sugar still left in here, wonder how much it would change with a couple years in the cellar? Overall very smooth and lovely vanilla unlike any other beer I’ve experienced.

On-tap at Cole’s. Much more sweet and barleywinish than the first cuvee, oaking taste is secondary, however significant. Pours barleywine brown. Carmel to bulkup mouthfeel. Made more popular? Better than this year’s Flying Bison C-130, but it’s as if the same brewing team worked on both. It was drinkable.

Bottle that I expect might be overpriced, even before trying. Pours a slightly tarnished copper with a bit of a head that has died to a thin ring of bubbles. Aromas are sweet and fruity. Flavor is predictably sweet... sticky brown sugar and caramel with a little bit of dark fruit and a bit of ABV warmth. Based on the price of these, I would expect something much more spectacular... Guess I’ll be sitting Series 3 out on the sidelines... $15 is just too much for average beers.

Bottle (650ml) shared with HogTownHarry, garthicus, GregClow, tupalev & jerc -- c/o HogTownHarry. Pours a hazy orange-amber with a small diminishing creamy off-white head. Mild aroma is sweet and sugary along with caramel, fruit and alcohol. Flavour of caramel malt, buttery toffee, alcohol and a dry bitter finish. Average bodied. A subtle beer, it’s barely oak-aged, but it’s an O.K. beer.