Warbled mildly carbonated coppery-hued medium-bodied English-styled amber ale pits sugary corn malt sweetness against oncoming musty peat, dry chestnut, and grape nut illusions. Toasted mineral-grained hop meander scarcely embitters tinny finish, stagnating sketchy Scotch slip. ’07 version bottled at Maryland’s Wild Goose Brewery possessed gentle honeyed caramel creaminess countering woody Chinook-hopped astringency and dried fruit bunker.
SOUTHPAW LIGHT PILSNER
Makers of fair Icehouse Lager offer unexpectedly high 5% alcohol-skewed ‘double-hopped’ light pils with tongue-tickling fizzy hop pep and white-breaded sustenance.
SOUTHERN TIER UN-EARTHLY IMPERIAL I.P.A.
Vibrant reddish nickel-glowed ‘double I.P.A.’ posits freshly embittered floral-perfumed pine hops against illustrious candi-sugared tropical fruit thrust and creamy vanilla-butterscotch sweep. Tangy pineapple-mango-cherry-nectarine-peach frontage gains corresponding orange-bruised grapefruit juiciness above cereal-grained almond-toasted flaked oats spine, perfectly countering wet Cascade-Centennial-Chinook hopping. Betters similarly styled Phin & Matt’s Extraordinary Ale.
SOUTHERN TIER RASPBERRY WHEAT
Floral perfume-hopped Pez-like raspberry tartness and soda-like alco-pop flow cannot overcome musty cereal-grained murk. Prickly carbolic fizz buries sweet wheat backbone while minor soapiness restrains lime-y mineral frolic. On second tasting, creamier caramel malts, tarter raspberry insistence, and tertiary blackberry-boysenberry-cranberry-black cherry illusions upped rating.
SOUTHERN TIER RASPBERRY PORTER
Perfectly balanced porter pile-drives tangy raspberry sweetness atop sharp-hopped nutmeg-clove spicing, chalky brown chocolate wedge, and grazed hazelnut haze. Chocolate-covered raspberry jelly and cherry cordial illusions ascend.
SOUTHERN TIER PORTER
Expressive dry-bodied dark brown porter stays chewy, if not particularly rich. Charred hop roast affects oily burnt coffee dryness countering caramelized black chocolate-y cocoa malting. Sour espresso bean finish overrides earthen minerality and wood-charred tobacco chew tarring. Black cherry and cola nut illusions waver. Sticky lace coats glass and smoky ash aroma persists.
SOUTHERN TIER PILSNER
Tantalizing grapefruit whiff hits nose before sharp fruited hops and grassy wheat merge for grain-deepened midst. Sunny grapefruit-lemon rind tartness and toasted almond respite loom at busy finish, helping fabulous straw-hued medium body compete favorably with bitterer New York competitor Brooklyn Pilsner.
SOUTHERN TIER PHIN & MATT’S EXTRAORDINARY ALE
Noble tropical fruited coppery pale ale tickles tongue as prickly carbonation awakens candi-sugared peach-banana-mango tropicalia and secondary bittersweet orange-grapefruit tang dotting piney hop resin. Wildflower honeyed cracked wheat base fortifies bottom.
SOUTHERN TIER OLD MAN WINTER ALE
Non-traditional penny-coppered seasonal deepens persuasive dry-spiced Scotch malt richness, dewy tea-like resonance and resinous spruce-maple sappiness with mildly embittered hop char. Aromatic wheat wafer surge increases caramel sweetness, putting this closer to toasted lager than winter-spiced ale. Tapped version, 2011, confirmed toasted malting, but drier fig-date spicing and sweeter marzipan reminder felt.
SOUTHERN TIER OAT IMPERIAL OATMEAL STOUT
Intriguing black velvety oatmeal stout with 11% alcohol perk juxtaposes hop-charred oat-toasted graining against milky chocolate-cocoa malting up-front. Brown sugared Baker’s chocolate illusions rise above tertiary vanilla bean, anise, molasses, tobacco, and tar notes as well as black cherry puree tartness. Dry espresso coffee informs oncoming fudge cookie finish ’til warm bourbon aftertaste beckons.
SOUTHERN TIER MILD ALE
Toasted barleymalt sweetness counters grassy nose, earthen grain compliance, and gentle herbal spicing. Sour fruitiness beckons cinnamon-spiced caress to red ale-like finish.
SOUTHERN TIER JAH-VA IMPERIAL COFFEE STOUT
Fulsome ink black bitter with sierra head and nicely disguised 12% alcohol range provides bountiful dry-roasted coffee theme. Burnt caramel, black chocolate, vanilla, and bourbon sweeten rich espresso sequel. Charred hop spicing bolsters ashy charcoal and soil-y peat corners as well as latent dusted floral illusions. Sticky anise, maple sap, and molasses viscosity thickens sludgy viscous nature. A perfect nightcap.