Southern Tier Jah-va

Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Lakewood, New York USA

Another wow. Up there with a rasputin. Black as molasses and thick. Small amber head. Aroma of dark malt and molasses. Taste is heavy with java, chocolate, molasses. Alcohol warmth comes sneaking through. Bottled Winter 2007

Bottle at HogTownHarry Fest ’08. Huge respect to Harry for this bottle too. Brazil nuts and espresso coffee and vanilla on aroma. It’s a bit too sweet and cloying for my palate. Shame as I normally like coffee beers.

Pours like molasses, thick and almost slow. Pitch black. Small tan head that forms after a few seconds. Amazing. Nose is minor coffee with an extremely full fragrance of dark chocolate. I could take a whiff of this one for hours on end. If it is as good on the flavor as it has been to now, this might just be one to remember. Flavor. Oh my. Hearty like you don’t even know. Massive malts. Molasses is there too. Just a thick funky presenting…I mean, hello! Feel is thick on the liquid but smooth. On the carbonation it is a bit thin, but just right I think. What? Could it be? Another perffect score beer? Man. This is what I love. I am just sitting here, and I decide to have one more beer before I pass out for the night, and what do you know; a perfect scored beer. If you haven’t tried this beer and you willingly pass it up, I have to say I have to question my respect for you. This is a beer that is crafted so well, it absolutely must be tried. I can’t believe I waited so long to try it myself.

Thick head. Poors dark chocolate. Aroma of coffee, chocolate, dark malts and sugar. Flavor of coffee, molasses, and chocolate. Very sweet. Extremely thick, almost has a syrup consistently. Nice bitter finish. Excellent beer.

1-23-08 bottle thanks to Miketd
Black with nice big tan head. Creamy roasted malt and coffee smell. Sweet taste and creamy great palate. The taste and palate both remind me of hot chocolate with melting marshmallows in it. One of the better brews from Southern Tier.

Bottle (with many props to HogTownHarry). Way too sweet and alcoholic for me. Has an overly sticky jammy, marmitey flavour, soy saucey. I actually thought there was less coffee than i was expecting from a coffee stout, especially one this strong. The stickyness kills everything else. Not very fun to drink.

A Sim rate (bottle at ChrisO’s): Espresso aroma with serious brazil nuts (thanks Ian, for pinning that one down). Marzipan. So sweet. Soo good. Glorious opaque black colour. Tar-like coffee and caramel flavour. Just the way I like it! It’s Bailey’s with Hershey’s syrup. Damn. Nuts, marzipan again. So f**king good! So tarrily thick, it’s like biting into marzipan.

Bottle courtesy of Miketd. Thanks!
Pours a deep, dark black with a lasting big brown head on a vigorous pour into a snifter. Smell is musty, dark roasted malt, some burnt coffe, but lightly so, and a bit of alcohol as it warms. Mouthfeel is thick and gooey with a slightly prickly carbonation as well. Taste is rich, roasty chocolate, some light coffee that is somewhat subdued, I thought, but nice. Pretty good bittersweet balanced flavor, and for 12%, the alcohol is hidden very well. My favorite Southern Tier beer.