Southern Tier Back Burner

Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Lakewood, New York USA

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Very pretty deep crimson body. Thin light tan head recedes slowly and fully. Appears viscous. Lacing is nonexistent. Lovely aroma is piney and minty from bold hoppiness. Caramel malt is fresh and blends well with the specific hop bill. Alcohol is moderate, much of which is adequately concealed by fruit notes. Flavor has a full, rustic sawdust character. Hop profile is absolutely delicious. This is definitely a flavor composite I’ll enjoy the most when fresh. Bitterness is medium-high, sweetness is medium-high as well. These two traits balance out evenly. Palate is medium bodied, lightly carbonated and quite smooth and mellow. Finishes very dry with lingering toasty caramel sweetness, signifigant warming coming very late. Southern Tier has another winning recipe, very good.

Courtesy boboski. Dark amber/ruby. Small dense, tan head. Aroma is floral, vegetal, caramel/toffee, berries, resinous hops. Similar flavor- less vegetal, more resinous, piney hops, sweet caramel/toffee malt, florals, a bit of dark dried fruit showing up as it warms, subtle alcohol in the finish. Full body, balanced carbonation, lightly syrupy. Very good, drinkable.

This is a barley that I enjoyed. Dark reddish brown - thin head. Sweet malty aroma with caramel and booze. Palate is very sweet, syrupy thick. And I like that they balance it more than some with the hops.

Pours a copper color with a tan head. Aroma is of caramel, dark fruits, pine hops, some alcohol, and some spices. Thick on the palate with caramel and sweet malts, dark fruits and finishes with lots of pine hops. Bitter finish with some alcohol that lingers. Not sure I really like the amount of hops on this barley wine. I know that plenty of Southern Tier beers are hoppy but leave it to those ones and not the barley wine.

(22oz bottle, thanks scraff) Small off-white head atop crystal clear copper body. Aroma is moderately sweet, grape, caramel, some cherry, grapefruit. Taste is sweet, caramel, grape, grapefruit, light spruce. Full body with some stickiness and low carbonation.

Bottled at Oliver Twist, Stockholm.. Clear dark ruby red colour. Low creamy tan-coloured foam. As the beer warms up, the aroma is quite fantastic and complex. First some biding hoppy motes of grapefruit and wet grass. Later on sweet and almost sticky notes of caramel, figs, vanilla, crackers and leaves. Full and rather bitter flavour of grapefruit and leaves with dense sweet notes of raison, figs and red berries. Clean american mouthfeel. Grapefruit, grass and alcohol in the long finish with a slight stickiness from the caramel malt.A powerfull offering, a sippers delight.

UPDATED: JUN 23, 2008 My Bottom Line:
Citrusy and sandy hoppiness carefully perfumes the peachy caramel before herbal and leafy hop bitterness claims the back of the tongue. This levelled Barley Wine remains a flavorful libation throughout, if not as impressive as some other Southern Tier strong ale offerings.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-Frothy foam dwindles into the clear copper.
-Amarillo hops stand out proficiently.
-The smooth cleanliness of the maltiness is impressive, yet lacks some of the tongue-smacking goodness I enjoy in my favorite examples of the style.
-Alcohol is well concealed in the round maltiness.

Bottles.

Bottle courtesy of shadey. A nice, well rounded bw w/ more hop presence than most. Nicely done. Smells like an IPA.

Poured a cloudy mahogany with a fizzy off-white head. Rich aroma of ruby-red grapefruit, pine forest, sweet wildberries, a bit of cinnamon. Taste is very well balanced with some citrusy hops nestling against some sweet and tart fruitiness, toffee, and a touch of brown sugar. A bit of tartness as well as some earthy hoppiness and some slight dryness, though nowhere near indicative of 10% ABV. A bit of hoppy tartness remains at the back of the palate after the swallow to serve as a reminder of the delectably balanced strong ale you have just enjoyed. I can’t completely put my finger on it, but everything here just really clicked. An excellent barley wine.

Bottle- pours a mohagany brownish red, with a small fizzy head. smells citrus hops cherry, molasses, and some whiskey. tastesberries,cherries to be exact, with a strong piney citrusy hoppy finish that is well balanced by the malty fruity sweetness. lingering brown sugar taste with some pepper/ mouthfeel is syrupy. I can see this one aging really well.