Southern Tier Iniquity

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

With only one or two exceptions, every Southern Tier beer I’ve tried has been exceptional, and I believe I’ve tried most of them. And this one is no different. Body of this beer is black, but not impenetrable. I read somewhere else comparing its color to cola, and I think that’s right. Head was light tan and fairly abundant. Aroma is distinctly hoppy and floral, which is a little different for a dark-colored beer. But if you closed your eyes and smelled t his beer, you would think you were sniffing an APA. There was also some light toffee-malt notes. Flavor was more of the same - a bit of toffee, lots of hops, and a good amount of roastiness on the back end. This is not a challenging beer to drink - quite the opposite. I would say it is "big" based on the variety of flavors involved here, not necessarily on the intensity of these flavors (reading here that this beer is 9% ABV is a surprise to me). Quite good and highly recommended. I bought this bottle at Blacklick Liquor on Broad Street a few weeks ago.

Tasting at a beerfest [Disclaimer: This was tasted along with many, many other beers during a tasting at Julios. Some of the details are a little hazy]. Well done.

Bomber courtesy of GMCC2181 – thanks G-Diddy! Pours a deep dark mahogany with a 2 finger light tan head that results in nice lacing. The nose is dark malts with citrus and floral hops. The taste is roasted malt, ripe citrus, toffee and some light resin in the finish. Medium, semi-creamy mouthfeel. Decent brew – thanks again G to the MCC!

22 oz’er. A deep, dark pour, this surprises with a light hoppy aroma, reminiscent of an American IPA. But this drinks much larger -- full of syrupy, sappy resin -- an underlying IPA-ishness resides here, but this also fills the palate with a thick body, and a bit of thick chocolate syrup. wow. (#3535, 5/13/2009)

22oz. Bottle: Aroma of hops, pine, resin, light citrus, slight toasting, and slight caramel. Poured very dark brown in color with a small, creamy, tan head that lasted throughout. Clear. Not sparkling. Small lacing. Flavor is lightly sweet and medium bitter. Tastes of hops, pine, black malts, slight caramel, hop resin, slight chocolate, resin, and a hint of citrus. Medium to full body. Viscous, sticky texture. Average carbonation. Hop, pine, resin, and slight chocolate malt finish is lightly sticky and slightly dry. 9%ABV is undetectable.

22oz bomber, served in a snifter. This poured a dark cola brown with a ton of ruby highlights and a flimsy head of tan foam. Light lacing. The aroma had mild roast, caramel, and some faint citrus. I thought this was supposed to be hoppy? The flavor contained more of the hop profile that I was expecting. Mild roast and chocolate were followed by bitter oranges and grapefruit. The mouthfeel was full-bodied and had minimal carbonation. Slightly sticky. Not bad, but I just couldn’t get into it...pretty boring actually. Seeing the commercial description, this is definately more of an Imperial Brown than a Black IPA.

22oz bottle. Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma is of hops, malt, bubblegum, and dark fruit. Alcohol is present in the aroma. Taste is of bitter hops with lots of bubblegum and citrus. Has a nice toasty malt backbone that evens it all out. Lingering dark fruit and toasty malt taste. Mouthfeel is very malty, yet drinks easy. Alcohol is present but doesn’t hurt the flavor at all. Not too hoppy, and not too malty, just right.