Southern Tier Hop Sun

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

Bottle via secret santa Summer 2006. The beer pours to a clean golden body with a lasting foamy white head. The flavor is lemon and orange oil, grassy hops, wheat. The fruit oils are overpowering. The aroma is dry wheat, light grassy hops. The palate is oily. Dry grainyness. Makes me want to go get some Gumballhead to remember how good this style can be.

A very good summer beer in my opinion. I like the hoppy taste to it. I havent tried it with citrus but Im positive that it would just make it more tasty!

A good wheat beer. I would like to see more lemony zests and sweet flavors to offset the watery taste. Some fresh bread in the finish with nice, light hops through the middle. Good summer beer, but not entirely special.

Bottle and served in my other Ayinger small glassware: Poured a clean golden hue with a fading fizzy head and some lace. The nose detects citric and clove American hop profile along with a dash of wheat and pale malt. Additional vapors of butter (i.e Diacetyl) and DMS are noticed as well. The hops are noticeable on the palate with a striking initial spicy and citrus overtone...but alas they peter out much too quickly. This left a papery dry and astringent mess for an aftertaste. The mouth feel is equally weak and watery. I found little in this beer beyond the aroma. Think of a wussy version of the far superior FFF Gumballhead when you go for this brew. Did I say that this beer is a mess?

Draft at Coles. Pour and clear golden amber with a wisp of white head. Faint aroma of yeast esters, wheat malt, and lemon zest. Flavor is a nice balance of wheat malt and spicy hops, with a hint of banana. Crisp and mildly pleasant hoppy finish. I really liked how the hops work in this one. A very solid summer brew. I’d add this to my session fridge if I had access to it.

Pours a clear golden with a thin wispy white head. Good hoppy presence and sweet pale malty and wheaty aroma. Starts lightly sweet turning more grainy, thin and dry toward the finish. Nice aroma, but the body is pretty bland and dry with some mild DMS character.

I thought this was a really good wheat beer. The pour was amber with a solid off white head. The aroma was a nice mix of hops with the wheat malt in the back. Tasted like a very mellow IPA with a nice hint of lemon. Very refreshing and light--a perfect summer beer.

Poured a golden raisin blonde color that leaves a thin white lace that disappears quickly. The aroma is citrus, hops, wheat, honey, musty grass dew. Very nice aroma different than your typical American wheat due to the big presence of hops. The taste mirrors the nose starting with a wheat twang, followed by a lemon citrus tartness backed by a hoppy bitterness I normally don’t find in an American wheat beer but a pleasant surprise. This is good and different the finish is malty with again a sweetness of honey, that is backed up by a bitter bite that makes you want another sip.