Southern Tier Big Red

22oz bottle courtesy of eaglefan538. Aroma is sweet and floral along with some yeast and mild spice. Amber body with decent white head and moderate lacing left on glass. Sweet citrus with some bready yeast and spice bitter in the background. What suppriszed me was the metalic finish in the second glass. Eaay on the palate with alcohol warming on the body a good winter brew.

Pours a clear amber with a small light tan head. Nose is hoppy sweet. Flavor is definitely influenced by alcohol, but not hijacked by it. Beyond that, there is a pretty consistent earthy and leafy thing going on. Definite hops. Definite sweet tone. Feel is good. Nice liquid thing going on and the carbonation is nice. If the alcohol weren’t kicking me in the mouth as much as it is, this would be more drinkable. Overall this is a good brew. But one of my least favorites out of the Imperial Series.

Reddish amber out of the bottle with a thin off white head that shrank to a light dusting on the surface. Piney and floral hops in the nose that bordered on the minty. Hoppy beer with lots of pine, spruce, orange rind, and candied grapefruit peel. Nice bready malts underneath and an herbal spiciness. Finish is long and dry and you can feel the alcohol when you inhale.

22 oz. bottle from slob, you da man! Pours clear reddish amber with a moderate sized beigey head that leaves spotty lacing. Aroma of lightly caramelly malts, quickly overpowered by brash floral, herby and earthy hop notes, hints of orange peel, juniper and spice. Flavor of toasty malts, again dominated by distinctive Hallertau hops, dusty and earthy, with a bit of resin and spice, kind of like a pine forest floor in a glass. Medium body and crispy carbonation. Enjoyable.

Bottle, thanks to EDA. Explosive bottle. Orange pour. Aroma is some spicy alcohol, malty, and some bittering hops. Flavor is slightly earthy malt, some pilsner malt, and a little bitterness in the finish. Okay brew.

22oz. Bottle: Medium sweet aroma. Smells of earthy hops. Poured amber in color with a medium-sized, rocky, off-white head that lasted throughout. Clear. Sparkling. Lightly sweet, lightly bitter flavor. Tastes of alcohol, earthy hops, spices, and a little malt. Medium body. Dry texture. Average carbonation. Earthy hop and alcohol finish. Warming alcohol. How is this "Red?"

Somehow I expected this to be a bigger beer in the sense of its being more of a hop bomb. Still, with a 9.5% ABV and loads of lavor, it’s a darned good ale. It pours a clear golden amber body with a tall white head. Loads of lacework. The aroma is sweet, quite floral, and has orchard fruit and caramel... soon followed up by hoppy scents of pine, tropical fruit, grapefruit zest... The flavor continues on a fruity theme, some sweet, some bitter, with a gathering pine/earth/zest/herbal bitterness that lasts long into a dry finish. Lots going on here. Very nice.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=3984>Sam’s Wine & Spirits, Downers Grove, IL<font size=-1>

I’m impressed right out of the gate. Moderately sweet up front and falling off into big bitterness in the back. Light fruity hops all overn the mouth. Orange, apricot, peach, mango. Malt is quiet but just the right amount. Big hop flavor and bitterness comes together in something slightly sharp, but not quite pineapple or pine or anything like that. It’s a unique flavor. Now that I’m reminded this is a hallertau beer I’m starting to put together where that flavor comes from. I honestly liked it more before when I didn’t know what was in it. Either way a nicely balanced, complex beer.