Southern Tier Hoppe

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

Bottle. 25.4 oz. Split with Sean. Pours slightly cloudy golden with a frothy, thick white head. Aroma of sweet malts, dry hops, vanilla, caramel, barley, and slight hints of juniper. Relaxed, slightly loose body with a moderately bitter mouthfeel and finish. Very good American strong.

660 ml bottle. Deep golden and crystal clear. Crisp hoppy aroma with notes of mint, honey and caramel. Biting hop bitterness once it enters the tongue. The bitterness balances the caramel malts quite nicely, but it leaves a cutting sharp sensation on the tongue. Surprisingly light bodied, but I guess that is from the high hop bitterness. Still it feels balanced and it nicely drinkable. The alcohol content is not noticeable at all, except perhaps for giving warming feeling towards the finish.

POurs gold. Nose is fresh citrus and pine hops, sweet caramel malts and shrubbery. Flavor is much the same, slightly dry, hints of booze.

Bottle. Pours a light golden with a big soapy white head that leaves a film of bubbly head along the glass. Aroma is very sweet, wet smelling hops. Flavor is full, quite sweet, flowery with only moderate bitterness.

11-DEC-2009, bottle @home. "Imperial extra pale ale" - what is that? Is it a pale ale or an IPA? - or even an IIPA? I can see that it is categorized as an american strong ale here on ratebeer? Why is that? Well, too many questions, let’s see what comes out of the bottle. Beautifull golden/orange with nice lasting fine white head. I have just had a Rise IPA, and what a contrast in aroma! This one is really bitter, with loads of pine, grape, and grass. BUT also very malty, and more and more as it warms up. I guess I can see that the american strong ale categorization does make sense. At least it is not a pale ale og IPA. Maybe an IIPA, but again I guess more correctly an american strong ale. Also as it warms, the alcohol is more pronounced on the nose, and some leafy (minty) tones come through as well. More and more charamel, and also some yeasty notes. Very, very creamy. Nice medium carbonation, and then the very long aftertaste with the hoppy bitterness. The more I drink, the more I like it. Is that due to the raizing temperature or simply the alcohol level? Anyway, this is a wonderfull beer. Always happy with Southern Tiers brews.

An imperial extra pale ale? What the fuck is that, I asked myself. Well apparently now I have an idea (although I’m not entirely sure) and thus far I like it. It actually is pretty true to the name. Somewhat like an American trippel interpretation, but with more booze kick and less sickly sweetness (which is my problem with many trippels). Brew smells musky and boozy in a good way. Tastes outstanding, extremely balanced and smooth--for a light-colored beer with a bruiser abv% and not much in the way of hops, man, I’m in disbelief at how well this turned out.

Strong aroma of dried hay, with strawberries, and rose hips. Clear golden, medium white head, constant streams of carbonation, good lacing. Medium body, hay and toffee flavor, with strawberry notes detectable. Peppery celery finish. Intense, with fair balance and a bit of fruitiness, considering the base style. Still, this beer is mainly about the bitter. I like it.

Bomber. Pours a clear golden yellow with a Serious white head. Aroma of citrus hops. Some taste of lemon or graperuit and some sweet maltiness. L ight body and an oily texture Great finish and very refreshing. For a beer named hoppe it’s not overly hoppy and the 8% alcohol is pretty well hidden.