Southern Tier Un*Earthly

Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Lakewood, New York USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

Bottle, 11%. Sweet earthy and grassy hop and honey malt nose. Hazy orange amber, lacing golden layer. Earthy notes, somewhat boozy extracted hop resin, bandaid, oily mouthfeel, light sparkly. Dry finish.

Nice DIPA. Taste changes as it warms. Very hoppy at front and malty sweet at the back with a very strong (to me - seems to differ from others) alcohol and hops astringency after taste. The warmer it gets, the less prominent are the hops on the front end and the more malty sweet gets. I really think it would be much better with a lower ABV, but it’s still an excellent beer. And the local CVS (yes, I said CVS!!!) here is selling bombers for $5.49! I will not tell them they’re crazy....but will keep buying one every once in a while until they come to their senses.

f.. 11% but still, sooo smooth. One of the best beer I ever tasted. But the price is well, HIGH...

Hopheads love the India Pale Ale style and some prefer "double" or even "imperial" IPAs to the standard hop bomb. But some beers of the style are so huge they begin to blur the line between an extra IPA and a barleywine - much like Southern Tier Unearthly IPA. It’s not what I would expect from a beer of this style, but the end result was pleasantly surprising.

APPEARANCE AND AROMA

I split a 22oz bomber with a friend and poured my half into a snifter. The beer has the appearance of a typical IPA with a burnt umber color and hazy body. It doesn’t produce much head, although I am able to generate an almost yellow creamy froth with a good swirl of the glass.

The aroma is typical of an East Coast IPA with an intense pine smell. Standard IPAs tend to smell of pine needles, but Unearthly is pure sap. There’s also a dry, rubbing alcohol-like scent that indicates this will be an intense brew.

TASTE

I’ve encountered many IPAs of various strengths and styles over the years, but it’s rare a beer of the style genuinely surprises me anymore. Southern Tier Unearthly is a rare example of that. The first sensation of the initial sip was very familiar with a piney resin and hop bite, but as it finished it was like a malt bomb. Caramel and butterscotch combined with a sap-like flavor make this beer reminiscent of a barleywine. There also seems to be notes of dark fruit like plum, fig, and cherry.

This is definitely one of the richest IPAs I’ve ever tasted. While there is a notable presence of hops, they are surprisingly gentle across the palate. They do linger, however, and for quite a while, leaving a dry, syrup-like sensation on my tongue. There’s also a gentle warmth from the alcohol which takes a little getting used to. Still, it’s a tasty beer to say the least.

DRINKABILITY

With its density and robust body, it’s not surprising Unearthly is a sipping beer. Even as a hophead and an experienced IPA drinker I found this beer a bit challenging to drink. Thankfully the alcohol warmth doesn’t increase dramatically as it warms, although the rich palate seems to grow sweeter with each sip. It’s the double-edged sword of robustness.

At 11% ABV this beer is best enjoyed after dinner with friends. Don’t try to drink an entire bomber by yourself as the intensity of the palate will wear you out and the potency will get you legally drunk. I don’t think it would pair well with food except sharp cheeses.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Southern Tier is one of my favorite breweries so the fact I’m NOT rating Unearthly IPA among the best of the best shows how honest this review is. Perhaps if I were a bigger fan of imperial beers and the barleywine style this would rate higher for me. Regardless, I enjoyed it for what it was, even if it wasn’t what I expect or prefer.

NOTE: Watch the video version of this review at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo8weB8WoU0

Tap @ Olutravintola Pikkulintu. Rated @ 6.3.2010.
Hazy golden colour with a small white head. Pretty much the same as Gemini. Sweet on the nose with hops, citrus and caramel malt notes. Hops dominate the flavour with sweet caramel, grapefruit and grass. Medium bodied, oily texture and soft carbonation. Warming mouthfeel. Yet another great DIPA from Southern Tier.

650ml br-btl gr/bk-lbl
Malt: pale & cara-pils & red wheat.
Kettle hops: chonook & cascade.
Hop back: styrian golding.
Dry hopped: cascade, centenial, chinook.

Lct-cpr thin-wht-head ^eff.
Aroma: fresh-pine-citrus-resinous-hops.
Taste:
Ts: clean  sweet.
T1: sweet-bsct-malt sweet-fruity-hops.
T2: rich deep-fruity(plumish) biscuit-malt.
T3: faint leafy-hop-resin.
Tf: same throughout.
Alchl is very subdued.
Very drinkable, quite sessional for style.

yummy yummy yummy..... This is not the first time and definately not the last time I will have this beer. Overall one of the best imperial IPA’s on the market. but which is better, Unearthly or Gemini? I don’t know but thanks Matt and Phin.

Bottle thanks to hopscotch. Very hazy, dirty orange, frothy off white head. Spotty lacing. Aroma is very spicy hops, heavy caramel sweet. Taste is strong maltiness, caramel, orange citrus, apple fruit, and spicy herbal hop bitter.