QUICKTAKE: Southern Tier Imperial Oat

Well it seems that it did not take long for me before it was time for a US extreme beer. I actually tonight tried a pils from Germany and a english real ale. But anyway we had to try the new beer from Southern tier, at least over at our favorite place in the world (OT).

This beer is really completely pitch black with a dark tan with a very tight lacing. The aroma is of rich toffee, coffee and some sort of dried fruit and a very alco warming ending. It comes with a very hop character to bring balance to the extremelly strong roasted malty end. It finishes somewhat sweet´and that tells me about the oat compared to a "normal" thick imperial stout. Except that it is mainly a Imperial Stout compared to a "traditional" out-based stout. The difference is mainly the sweetnes, otherwise it is a US-inspired stout in the Imperial category.

This is a really big one in every way and not for the faint of heart. At the end it is really a complex beer and a other new example of a great beer from the southern tier brewery.

I promised myself to test other types of beer this year, but still the US-Imperial Stouts are very good and one of the best beer styles you can end a evening with.

Based on my scale I would give it a 5- or similar, together with Thirsty Dog Siberian Night Imperial Stout and Bells Expedition Stout that are still my favorite Imperial Stouts.

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