Southern Tier Oak Aged Un*Earthly

Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Lakewood, New York USA

Pros: Nice hop character, in both the flavor and aroma. Super fruity, piney, well utilized hops, with the lightest hint of vanilla and toast from the oak chips. A solid, fresh Double IPA.

Cons: A bit light in body. Not a lot of malt and I still can’t advocate the use of oak chips. They use oak chips to make box wine. Should they use them to make beer?

Pours orange with thick white head. Aroma of oak and hops. Flavor is overwhelming with oak. Nice woody notes with slight hops in the finish. Thick mouthfeel. Nice alcohol burn. Good.

Bomber. A light khaki head sits on top of a deep bronze body. Strong oak and grapefruit up front. The wood is almost green in character. There is also a dandelion floral note that is fairly sharp. The taste is fairly sweet up front with subtle caramel and a little bit of toast and almonds. The finish is woody and a little ashy. The mouth feel is excellent with soft carbonation and a creamy thickness. While tasty, I would expect a little more hop bite. Normally, I am a big ST fan, but this one just didn’t hit quite right with me. Good, but far from great.

The pour was a super clear copper color with a white two-finger head and nice sticky lacing. The aroma was grassy hops, suntan lotion, light citrus and malt. The flavor was coconut and grass and malt. Nice mouthfeel, well hidden alcohol that packs a punch. Enjoyable. A different take on the style but I actually dug it.

PERFECT pour, clear reddish-gold with bright white lacy head. Strong aroma from the multitude of different hops with a touch of honey peeking through the different flowery smells. Very soapy texture, clings and accentuates new flavors as it coats. Steady progression through over half a dozen different hops tastes. Different than any other IIPA I have had, definitely worth a try!

22 oz. Bottle. Can you say Oak? They weren’t playing around with this one. Looks like your standard Unearthly in the glass with a ruby orange color and a minimally lacing white head. Oak in the nose hides some of the big hop notes present in its cousin. Hops are present beneath the oaky onslaught as well as a hint of alcohol with bits of pine and orange blossom. Flavor hits with a warming smack of charred oak that fades into a biting bitterness. The hops are rounded out by healthy quantities of malt that give a bit of a sweet toasted character. Has the same resinous and oily texture as the standard version. A tongue destroying hoppy finish caps the end of this fantastic brew. Certainly the best bottled oak aged imperial IPA around. Not necessarily better than the standard, but more like her slightly kinkier sister.

Benign carbonation eventually formed a nice head, gold color and clear liquid. Something buttery and doughy superimposed over hops on nose. Orange juice on palate with a coconut aftertaste. Good but not for me.

Thanks to IMMY for this! Hazy amber pour. Big oaky aroma. Oak flavor kinda takes away from the hops