Southern Tier Jah-va

Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Lakewood, New York USA

Another great offering from the Blackwater line. Perfect opaque, near-black pour. No light shining through when held to the light. Smells....like a cup of coffee. Slightly stronger smell...more bite. Toffee scent and flavor too. Flavor is interesting...not as sweet as I was expecting (not that it’s a bad thing). Love the bitter taste....like a cup of pitch black coffee. Very good overall...right up there with the rest of their line.

Pours pitch black with a foamy coffee-colored head that settles into a lasting lacing. Roasted coffee aroma with chocolate maltiness, toffee, caramel, sweet alcohol, hops and candi sugar. Very quaffable with the ABV very well hidden. I can’t believe this beer is 12%. Roasted coffee dominated the flavor with choclate malt, caramel, toffee, oatmeal and candi sugar notes and a sweet alcohol and dry hoppy finish. Sooo smooth.

Tap at McGrath’s. Coffee flavor was somewhat subdued, although I just finished the Creme Brule so maybe I just couldnt taste it. Pretty good but not outstanding.

Appears like most imperial stouts, black with small tan crown head. Smells fantastic. Chocolate is actually out in front of the coffee, not complex or different like dark lord or speedway, just damn attractive. Taste follows smell pretty well, starts off a bit boozy but quickly calms into chocolate syrup and finishes off with a roasted coffee aftertaste. Not much in the way of hops. Mouth is good, thick am creamy with low carbonation. Looking forward to this one coming again.

Bottle. Pours deep, deep brown with frothy, murky head. Aroma is as expected; hints of chocolate with an incredible coffee scent. This beer is one of the tastiest of Southern Tier’s Blackwater series. The body was heavy, and the beer tasted slightly creamy. The finish is worth the whole price of the bottle. Highly, highly recommended.

Serving: 22 oz. bottle. Appearance: Black with slight ruby highlights and a thin, foamy, tan head. The head is gone pretty quickly. No lacing left behind. Aroma: Burnt malt, coffee, dark chocolate, some vanilla, and a slight vinous note. Not bad! Taste: Strong coffee note, creamy chocolate, alcohol, a little vinousness, and a strong sweetness. Interesting and tasty at first, but then the sweetness becomes overbearing. Palate: Medium carbonation with a thick, viscous mouthfeel. You can really chew this one. Medium finish that starts a bit bitter and then gets overwhelmed by the sweetness. Overall: Not the best looking, but it has great aroma and decent flavor. The sweetness is just a bit too much. This one may be better with some age on it. Rebuy: Perhaps one to age, but if it doesn’t improve, I wouldn’t go back to it.

I’m giving this beer a second try and have decided it is not as good as I originally thought. It is definitely a good coffee stout, but not my favorite beer of all time. Still, very nice sweet / bitter balance between the malt and coffee. I’ve never downgraded a beer before, but I don’t feel comfortable with my original rating.

great brew. nice dark body, sweet aroma, taste is coffee, bit of chocolate, sweet. bit of a creamy texture.