Southern Tier Hop Sun

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

Southern Tier Hop Sun 12 oz bottle Brewed circa summer 06, consumed 03/07 Moderate pour in a weizen glass Poured a hazy amber with a large quickly diminishing bubbly white head with fair lacing. Smelt of sour oranges, lemons, and coriander. Taste was upfront moderate bitter sweet and strong sour orange candy followed by a strong bitter grassy hops and sour lemon rinds on an average length finish. Palate was light bodied, watery to dry, effervescent and moderately astringent. Overall, why so sour? Age and lager yeast could have been a factor. I will try again when fresh.

Pale amber with a slight cloud, little to no head when poured. Grassy hop aroma and a light malt to keep things in balance. The wheat element is light, but present. Slightly metallic. Great lemony citrus flavors from the hops. A nice flavorful session beer.

Poured a transparent slightly murky gold color with a very foamy white head. Smells fruity and sweet and not at all wheaty. Flavor is sweet and malty and only slight hoppy. Very well balanced and crisp and the perfect summer beer. Very drinkable.

This pours a clear yellow with several streams of bubbles and a sustained white head. Good lacing. The aroma is wheat with a lemony tartness. Very vibrant in the mouth. It tastes of wheat with a lemon twist and a touch of pine freshness. A quaffable beer for the warmer months.

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12 oz. bottle. Pours a clear gold with a moderate white head that disappeared after about a minute. Pleasant aroma of lemons and maybe a touch of pine. The citrus comes through in the flavor as well and finishes with some hops bitterness. A wheat beer? I wouldn’t have guessed except it said so on the label. Seemed alot more like an American Pale Ale or maybe even a lighter IPA. A brew quaffable nonetheless.

12oz bottle. Filtered and golden honey hued. Spiral white head. Soapy citrusy little piney aroma. Light and grainy. Dry. Sweet, yeasty wheat flavor. But the hops are the big picture. Big finish. Little sticky. Good flavor. Strong wheat. Great hop note. Very nice.

Well, I’m trying to get through the rest of the Summer beers I have in the fridge so I can move on to the Winter and Holiday Brews and this is the last one left... Southern Tier Hop Sun pours a pale marigold color and has a very slight haze to it. It has a moderate level of carbonation, but no resident crown or head. Aroma is packed with notes of caramel, oranges, pineapple, and pine. The flavor is very much like the aroma and is extremely well balanced. The fruitiness in the aroma doesn’t quite come through in the flavor, but the hop flavor is crisp and clean and very satisfying. Unfortunately, the gentle bitter finish is short lived and somewhat watery. The mouthfeel is light and also watery on the palate. Despite it’s couple small shortcomings, Southern Tier Hop Sun is a very refreshing and memorable brew. The aroma is great and the flavor isn’t too far behind. I could drink gallons of this stuff in the Summer! This was another great brew from Southern Tier and reaffirms my decision to add it to my list of favorite micobreweries! Hop Sun was a nice beer to finish out my selection of Summer beers... 12 oz bottle, $1.10 from Belmont Party Supply (on sale from $1.60).

Any first impressions?
-A creamy veil sits atop the pale golden.
-Citrusy Cs burgeon from the crisp, fresh wheat cookies.
-A solid, resinous hop bitterness follows the nourishing cereal and quenching citrus fruit.
-The crunchy maltiness and lively effervescence combine for healthy drinkability.

What if you dig deeper?
-Mineral notes undermine the hoppiness.
-The crispness and prickliness gets a bit zealous and tiring after a while.
-The basic cereal sweetness doesn’t reach caramel levels, but balances everything out, don’t worry.
-This very refreshing and flavorful summer ale almost reaches American Pale Ale levels; a nice surprise for a style which usually bores me.

Bottle; no date.