Southern Tier Jah-va

20080428 Bomber, ’brewed winter 2008’. Viscous, deep dark brown color, sturdy tan head of creamy foam. Aroma is mild with supermarket blend dark roast coffee notes, vodka, sweet dark caramel candy, some milky sourness. Body is as creamy as it looks with surprisingly little cloying sweetness and actually a very nice late (coffee-like) bitterness, the slightest grassy hop bite, and lingering finishing astringency. Despite creaminess, it’s not particularly hefty, coating, or unctuous - all qualities I enjoy in an imperial stout. Flavor doesn’t showcase coffee to the degree that one would expect by looking at the label, etc. Well, the coffee is there, but it’s mostly an afterthought condensed in the finish and later. Otherwise, it’s a pretty average imperial stout with the typical notes of dark, roasty malts, some toffee, burnt caramel, roasted bitterness late. Nothing special, but not disappointing either.

Update...impossible to make it through all 22oz. I’m discounting a point from palate and overall for putting such a large but boring beer in such a big bottle.

Pours a rich, thick black with a smooth, coffee-cream hued head forming at the top. The aroma is all malt as one would expect from an Imperial Stout or a Doppelbock. The flavour has a bit of coffee bitterness followed by chocolate and the burn of alcohol.

Bottle. Pours a deep dark brown almost black with a dark chocolatey head. Aroma was mocha, roasted coffee beans, thick espresso. I expected just a little bit more. The taste was thick, sweet, and complex. There are many layers of flavor starting with a sweet sugary taste and finishing with a tinge of alcohol with lots of espresso in between. A thick and creamy beer experience.

I thick this beer is over rated it sound like a heavenly beer but the alcohol taste takes over.Pours well with a small tan head.All the under lying flavors are great and get better as this beer warms. This beer maybe better married with the right food.If you get the chance try it most seem to like it.

Draft pour. Deep deep black with a slightly reddish head. I picked up some dark roasted coffee hints but it wasn’t overpowering. Some caramel hints. Sticky. A little--very little--sweet up front. Bitterness builds and is overtaken by roasted coffee notes afterwards. I had it following a Victory Storm King IS and have to say the Southern Tier Jah-va was better.

Opaque black with a small tan head. Rich chocolaty coffee flavor and a nose full of toffee, coffee and caramel. Sugared mocha coffee with hoppy goodness. Nice.

22oz bottle. 2007. Not a huge fan of coffee beers, so here we go... Nearly pitch black pour with a thick, dense red-brown head that lasts and lasts. Surprisingly, not a coffee dominated aroma. Bourbon, oak, charred marshmallow and vanilla bean, dark chocolate all accent a surprisingly mild roasted coffee bean base on the nose. Dark, bitter chocolate initially on the tongue. Toasted malt, charred oak, lighter, morning blend coffee. Some vanilla, mocha and caramel as well. Impressive, slick, thick and slightly viscous body coats the tongue leaving a lasting roasted coffee and chocolate finish. Well done for a coffee beer for sure. 12%? Hardly! Thanks Mike!

22oz. Bottle: Wonderful aroma of coffee, chocolate, piney hops, and alcohol. Solid amount of hops in the aroma. Poured black in color with a medium-sized, creamy, rocky, brown head that lasted throughout. Opaque. Good lacing. Flavor is lightly bitter and medium sweet. Tastes of coffee, chocolate, piney hops, burnt malts, alcohol, and some roasting. Medium to full body. Slightly gritty, chalky texture. Average carbonation. Bitter-sweet, burnt malt, coffee, and piney hop finish.