Southern Tier Bourbon Smash and Gin & Tonic

If you have been following my blog for awhile now then you know I have mixed feelings about Southern Tier Brewing Company. While I do think some of their beers are wonderful, most of them, especially recent releases, have left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. My low batting average with recent Southern Tier releases has significantly lowered the amount of time their beer takes up real estate in my refrigerator:

I still find myself curious about each new offering I see from them, but rarely does that curiosity get me to actually purchase one. This blog is about one of those rare times curiosity got the best of me. I not only purchased one of their offerings I had yet to try but two. The only issue about writing about it on a beer blog is the fact that neither one is a beer. They are both mixed cocktails and they are both surprisingly good.

I will start with Bourbon Smash. If you are a fan of bourbon & ginger ale, you will really enjoy this take on it. Southern Tier Bourbon is showcased nicely but does not over power. It is balanced nicely by the strong flavor of ginger and a refreshing touch of lemon on the finish. The can says there is mint in the cocktail but I did not taste any. It is a touch on the sweet side, but I did not think it was cloying.

Speaking of sweet, Southern Tier's take on a Gin & Tonic is a bit sweeter than I would have liked, but it is still quite good. It is floral, refreshing and also really showcases the gin. The use of cucumber instead of lime was also a fantastic choice for this canned cocktail. I wish the sugar was dialed back a touch as I could see that being off-putting to some, but overall this is a really impressive canned cocktail.

I feel like this is the first positive blog I have written about Southern Tier in quite sometime. I honestly wish it was about beer but unfortunately the praise here is going to their distillery. If you are looking for a great Southern Tier beer, I highly recommend checking out their recently released Fall offerings Warlock Pumpkin Imperial Stout and their Harvest ESB. If you are looking for something different and refreshing for your summer drinking, I highly recommend both the Bourbon Smash and Gin & Tonic. Oh, and for my next blog, I promise to go back to writing about a beer.


To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Southern Tier Oat BBA Imperial Oatmeal Stout

Over the past week I have been on a small quest to find 4-packs of Southern Tier Warlock. Not for blogging reasons but more for the reason of picking up one of the pumpkin beers I really enjoy. So far I have been unsuccessful but it has given me plenty of time in different stores to contemplate beers I have yet to try.

For several months I had been contemplating buying Southern Tier’s Oat, a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout. If you have been reading my blog long enough, you know this kind of beer hits right in my wheelhouse. The funny thing was every time I seemed to come across it, I found myself buying something else. I realized as I was looking at the remaining bottles of Oat that I might find myself in the same position with that as I did with the 4-packs of Warlock. So instead of missing out on Oat as well, I decided to give it a try.

In the past Oat was not barrel aged, but I love the idea of bringing back a beer from the past in a new way. The aroma is rich espresso, dark chocolate, caramel, smoke, vanilla, a touch of bourbon and a lot of oak. The barrel is really showcased on the first sip. Bourbon and vanilla come through initially along with molasses, dark chocolate, coffee, anise, caramelized sugar, dark fruit with a boozy, spicy finish. I realize I am close to 6 months late on trying this beer but in its current state it is delicious. Its velvety smooth mouthfeel made me wish I had another bottle. If I come across a second I will immediately throw it in the cellar to give it a little more time to mellow. I think just a little more time will work wonders for this beer. As it is right now, I think it is a fantastic drinking experience. I am trying to find ways to be negative because of how long I slept on this beer but it is difficult. This is a really great beer from Southern Tier. I will continue my quest to find a 4-pack of Warlock but if I come across this beer instead I will be thrilled to purchase it again.

Overall rating: 4.25/5

Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Fall Recommendation: Southern Tier Harvest

Fall beer is everywhere now and after several days on the cooler side, as well as the return of football, I’m finally excited about it! When I reach this point I tend to go to a bottle shop and look for my fall favorites and a few new ones to try. One of my particular favorites is Southern Tier’s Harvest Ale.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I think ESB(Extra Special/Strong Bitter) is an underrated style that I wish more breweries took on. I understand it is not a particularly flashy style but sometimes the occasion just calls for something very drinkable. I have always found Southern Tier’s take on Harvest Ale to be particularly fun because it really turns up the hoppiness for the style. It is noticeable the second you start to pour it into a glass.

Southern Tier Harvest Ale moves away from the sessionable beers of summer with a higher ABV(6.7%) and a lot more flavor. The great thing about Harvest Ale is its balance and drinkability, which is typical of the style. While the grapefruit, orange, pine and earthy hops are a bit more pronounced than the style typically calls for, the malt sweetness provides the right amount of balance to this. The finish is crisp, dry, and clean, making it easy to reach for a second bottle. Unlike a summer beer however, the ABV starts to show up a bit sooner.

Southern Tier Harvest Ale was one of the first Fall seasonal beers outside of the Oktoberfest lagers & Pumpkin Ales I tried during my early days of craft beer drinking. I found it complimented the crisp, cool Fall weather perfectly. It has been a beer I have enjoyed for over a decade now and recommend everyone give it a try at some point.


To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Southern Tier 2x Oak'd IPA

Last week, I had Southern Tier's 2xIPA for the very first time. I honestly was surprised that this was the case. I assumed it was just one of those beers I tried before that did not make an impression and I just moved on from it. Also, I am not a huge fan of the Southern Tier IPA. I don't think there is anything particularly wrong with it, I just prefer many other IPAs in that particular price range. That being said, Southern Tier used to make some of my favorite IPAs. Years ago, I loved Hoppe, Un-Earthly and their wax-dipped Gemini. They were my first real taste of when a big IPA is done correctly. Since then Un-Earthly is fortunately still around, Hoppe is long gone and Gemini is no longer wax-dipped and seems to be a different beer altogether. So, with my indifference to Southern Tier IPA and my disappointment that they no longer make some old favorites, it was easy to overlook 2xIPA. So when my cousin brought over a six pack of 2xIPA I cracked open a bottle thinking nothing of it. I was then pleasantly surprised by the beautiful flavors in my glass. Simply put, I thought it was a really nice double IPA. So when I went back to the store to pick up another six pack I was stopped in my tracks when I saw Southern Tier 2x Oak'd IPA. Aged with oak chips and brewed with maple syrup, 2x Oak'd IPA sounded fantastic. That, paired with my enjoyment of 2xIPA, gave me high hopes that 2x Oak'd IPA would deliver a fantastic drinking experience.

So where does 2x Oak'd IPA measure up to some of Southern Tier's other IPAs? The answer is somewhere in the middle. The beer is not as great as it sounds on the packaging. It has a lot going on but mostly everything here is understated. The maple flavor is almost completely invisible. It adds a little bit of sweetness on the back end but for the most part is invisible. If you read my review of Barrel Aged Heavy Boots of Lead, I stated I wanted more maple syrup in the flavor. I feel like a broken record repeating the same thing here but it's true. At this point I want a brewery to drown a beer in maple syrup so I can finally get an adequate amount of it in the flavor. The oak flavor is there but aside from adding a bit of spice and a hint of vanilla it does not add much to the beer. A little more vanilla could have really added a creaminess to the finish that this beer could have benefited from. There is a lot of pine in the flavor, along with some caramel malt which is fine. There is a light amount of citrus as well in the flavor but not nearly enough. Unfortunately, this just tastes more like a really good IPA that has been on the shelf too long more that anything else. I definitely think 2x Oak'd IPA has potential. If they decide to try this again and I think they should, I think it could get a lot better. Then again if Southern Tier is looking to give another beer a second chance instead, I'd much rather see them bring Hoppe back instead.

Overall I would rate 2x Oak'd IPA a 2.5/5. Until they get it right, just go with the 2xIPA, it's really good.


To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://www.acraftylook.com

For my most recent appearance of 13 WHAM's Good Day Rochester: Click Here!

Happy New Year! Thanks for reading. Sláinte!