Southern Tier Oak Aged 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

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 2/15/2012. Pours slightly hazy deep ruby red color with a 1 finger dense cream colored head with good retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big orange zest, caramel, raisin, molasses, toast, toffee, oak, floral, pine, grass, and floral earthiness. Fantastic aromas with great balance and complexity of malt notes with moderate hop and oak balance. Taste of orange zest, caramel, raisin, toast, toffee, brown sugar, brown bread, floral, pine, oak, grass, and floral earthiness. Minimal bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of orange zest, raisin, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toast, brown bread, floral, light pine, and hop earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice complexity and balance of deep malt flavors with moderate hop balance; and zero cloying sweetness present after the finish. Medium carbonation and moderately full bodied; with a creamy, fairly slick, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is very nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent barleywine! All around nice balance and complexity of malt flavors with moderate hops; and dangerously smooth to sip on. A highly enjoyable offering.

The best american style barley wine I have had to this point. Hop components are at a minimum compared to many other. The oak and vanilla notes do not over power the barley wine at all.

Ruby red, tan head. Aroma is earthy hops, dark fruit and malt, hint of oak. Tastes great, sweet ripe fruit, toffee, bitter hops, vanilla/oak and some alcohol. Warms on the way down. Very good.

Bomber into snifter glass. Deep ruby red with thin light tan head. Aroma is super malty (dried fruits, candy sugar and caramel) and a faint oak note. Taste is the aroma adding notes of chocolate, plums, some citrus, toffee, vanilla, alcohol and some earthy bitter hops. Heavy body, low carbonation, syrupy, rich, complex with a heavy sweet finish. Great stuff, picked it up thinking it was the regular Back Burner so now I’ll have to try that too!

4/25/13. 22oz bottle from Grassroots. Clear red amber pour with a big khaki head that cuts in half but actually lasts and laces quite well. Big hop kick in the aroma, pine, pee, leaves, citrus, etc., with loads of caramel, dark fruits, and a touch of wood. Sweet caramel and dark fruits in the flavor but with a big bitter hop kick, wood, dark fruits, sugar, etc. A weird American British combo almost. Sugary yet hoppy with some wood. Not bad.

pours a mostly clear amber/ruby with a thin off white head. aroma is oaky candied fruit...hint of metallic and a hint of cinnamon. flavor is very oaky candied fruit with mild soft vanilla. mouthfeel is medium/full and oily with a candied fruit/oaky finish that dries and warms.

Wowzers! I just said ’wowzers’! I bought this at Foodtown because it was one of the less expensive large bottles. Glad I did.

Bottle is a little over a year old. Aroma is balanced between malt and woodsy hops with a bit of alcohol in the finish. The malt aroma is caramel and burnt toast with a bit of dark fruit - prunes and raisins. Hints of burnt candi sugar. Pours a fairly clear brown with some burnt amber notes. Small light tab head that persists very nicely. No lacing and medium sized legs. Flavor is toasted bread of varying degrees of darkness and some dark caramel. There is also some woodsy hop notes but they are light compared to the aroma. Light alcohol spice in the finish. Only faint oak character, very light. The malt complexity isn't as nice as is old have expected. Sweet but not too sweet. No dark malt character or much dark fruit. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium low carbonation. Astringency is low and alcohol warmth is medium low. A bit watery in the finish. Overall and acceptable beer but not amazing. The hop aroma and flavor isn't as nice as it could be and the malt isn't super complex. It could have more complexity in the caramel notes. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Peanut hull, walnut, honey, and orange flavor. Hazy copper, medium yellow head. Overripe orange flavor, finishing with walnuts. Full body. Solid and well balanced, but would prefer a more assertive hop profile.

Bottled. Deep ruby color, slightly hazy. Thin, long-lasting head. Aroma has loads of dried fruits, strawberry jam and caramel. Some vanilla. Intense floral hoppiness. Sweet and bitter flavor, woody and rather alcoholic finish. Medium to full body.