QUICK TAKE: Southern Tier Backburner Barleywine 2007

Sampled at Oliver Twist last Saturday after a good dinner. Southern Tier is a personal favorite and also a favorite by Oliver Twist is seems.

It is difficult to say why, but you at start feel that this is typical Southern Tier style beer. So in one way it is a bit difficult to say what kind of beer it is when you first feel the Southern Tier taste, meaning that it takes a couple of seconds to say if it is a DIPA, Barley or something else. That is not a bad thing, I really like when a brewery has distinct taste in all their beers.

This is a "american" barley wine from the Southern Tier Brewing Company in New York, 22 oz. bomber, 10% ABV, 85 IBU.

It has a mahogany color and with some ruby shades. It has a sweet smell with some caramel, citrus & alcohol. And for me it is more a English type barley wine, i.e. it has not the massive amount of hops that you normally feel in the american style version.

Does not mean that it is not a hoppy beer, it comes with 85 IBU so that say something about the experience. Taste is toffee and slight roasty. Basically it is very balanced compared to other rivals from the US, but more English then you could expect from Souther Tier.

It is not a favorite beer from Souther Tier or a favorite barley, but it is decent stuff and something that you can drink without being kicked out of the seat when you talk about alchohol and the hop level.

So on my american barleywine toplist you still find;

1. Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale

2. Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine