Southern Tier Iniquity

22 oz. bottle from Ludlow Wines. I’ve been sitting on this one for a while, glad to finally get around to it. Pours a dark brown color, pretty much opaque, with a small tan head that leaves a rim of bubbles. Aroma of sweet malts, caramel, chocolate, dark fruits, brown sugar, licorice, hops, and alcohol. The flavor is well balanced, between notes of all of the above, roasty, sweet, and smooth. The mouthfeel is syrupy and a little chewy. Sweet, smooth, with well-masked alcohol. Another nice Imperial offering from Southern Tier- different than the rest, although most fall under the American Strong Ale classification.

not much hoppiness here. sweet and malty. almost like a porter. black/brown in color. cheeks warm up as you drink. Great black ale, only so-so ipa

Bottle shared by glid02 at the Brick Store. Pours a deep, clear copper with a very small creamy beige head that hangs around as a swirl for a while and leaves no lacing. The aroma is fairly hop forward with some oranges and pineapples up front which is balanced a bit by some dark roasted malts, though the hops are the main attraction in the nose. There is a bit of sweet caramel and some chocolate as well. The taste seems to be slightly less hoppy, but the citrus hops are still the most dominant feature of the beer. There are some dark malts in the background, but they seem sweeter than I was expecting with very little roasted character. There is some chocolate in there though. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and very smooth with the hops sticking to the tongue after each sip. This is an extremely good and very unique beer. It’s definitely more on the IPA side of things with the hops showing out, but the sweetness of the malts and chocolate make for an intriguing and very drinkable mix. The alcohol is completely unnoticeable.

Roasted malt, deep hoppy goodness and a slight tartness on the nose for this one. Very satisfying! Easy to drink but with plenty of alcohol profile. Dried fruit and sweet hop flavor abound here. Finish is a little thin, but not too bad. Overall a nice DIPA.

Bottle from ølbutikken. clear brown, smooth large light brown head. nutty sweet malty base, lots of floral hoppy aroma too. flavor is licorice, floral and slighlty piny hops, caramel, faint malts. alc. well hidden. faint syrupy honey note too. Overall impression is that this brew falls somewhere inbetween several ordinary syles, but doesn’t manage to really be it’s own. it feels acward. Taste is okay but not fantastic. Craftmanship nevertheless as usual from ST.

Pours almost black, honestly the deepest mahogany with ruby fringes. The head is tan, and initially 1 1/2 fingers, diminishing to a small ring of lace that leaves trace suds down the the glass. The nose is a direct cross between fresh pine hops and alcoholic fusel notes. Dark sweet malts prevail, with a nice bitter pine finish. In between, I get some very light roasts, generous chocolates, a hint of citrus, some dark pitted dried fruits, and a touch of brown sugar. Nice complexities at work here, as the alcohol is present, but not boozy. The mouthfeel is warming and full, with subtle (yet firm) carbonated integration, leaving a rich, almost raisin texture on the palate. Very nice brew here, and one I’d definitely have again.... (and again...) It contains definitions of an IPA, yes; however, to limit its category as such would be a disservice to the brew... a large portion of ASA in here, too. Transcends categorical definition very well.

Bomber from River Grove Binny’s. Pours dark brown with two-finger tan head. Aroma is roasted malts, citrus, hops, and sweet caramel. Flavor is loaded with sweet malts with some citrus, pine, and fair amount of hops. Not overly hoppy but there is a fair amount of bitterness. Finishes with a high amount of cloying sweetness. Not as bad as the Devil Dancer I had before this but still not the most balanced black IPA. This fails in comparison to Stone 11tth and 13th. I was looking forward to this brew for a while and am a tad disapointed.

Deep brown,small tan head.Fruity hop nose.Full bodied, not overly sweet malt start.Med strength lasting hop bitterness.Chocolate notes. Mild alcohol heat