Southern Tier Iniquity

My hubby surprised me the other night by bringing home a variety box of Southern Tier.  He loves their IPAs and knows I haven't tried very many of their other stuff.  The first one I grabbed was Iniquity:

Vittles:
Specialty Beer (Imperial Black Ale)
9% abv

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 24/25
Taste: 37/40
Mouthfeel: 9/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 91/100

Impression:
With a decent pour and fair head retention, this beer starts off on the right note.  The aromas are full and complex, dominated mainly by roasted tones like coffee and chocolate/cocoa, with a bit of citrus, plums, dates, and a piney twang in the background.  The flavors follow the nose pretty closely, but some of the malt-sweetness (caramel in particular) comes through more clearly, while the roasty character (burnt/charred toast) adds to the complexity.  What impresses me the most about this beer and brings it up to an A level for me is the full-bodied smoothness -- it goes down like rich velvet.  I'm glad there's one more left in my keezer.

Cheers!

Swashbuckler Highland Heather Ale

Earlier this year, I went to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.  They have their own brewery there, Swashbuckler Brewing Company, so I bought a bottle of their Highland Heather Ale.  It caught my attention because it's made with heather flowers, not hops, so it sounds more like a Scottish gruit (which I've only had once before, a LONG time ago):

Vittles:
Specialty Beer (gruit)
7.5% abv

Score:
Appearance: 7/10
Aroma: 19/25
Taste: 30/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 7/10
Overall: 74/100

Impression:
Not that great of an appearance -- it looks murky and hazy.  The aroma is very interesting -- smoky peat stands out the most, followed closely by old leather, with caramel, honey, floral, and fruity notes lurking in the background.  As the beer warms, the aroma improves, so I tried to score on an average above, since my initial reaction was like 15/25, but by the end of the glass, I found it much more pleasing.  The flavor profile is similarly smoky and leathery -- it tastes like whiskey would if you eliminated most of the alcohol, but there's more of a sweetness to this beer, almost like honey.  I went into tasting this thinking it wouldn't be too different from a regular beer, so once I got over the differences and started to taste this without trying to compare it to other beers, it became much more enjoyable.  It does have a pretty thin mouthfeel, so it seems more watery than I'd like.  I think the very strong earthiness would throw most people off; I like earthy, but this hits near the top of my earthy limit.  Still, I found that I only disliked this brew because of the expectations I had going in.  Once I was able to get past that, I was able to appreciate the flavors much more.  When I first tasted this one, I was ready to pour it down the sink and give it an F, but as I tried another sip and then another, it started to grow on me.  By the time I finish the glass, I was thinking more like high C range, but I tempered the scores to reflect my initial reactions as well.  If you're not into earthy/smoky flavors, or if you're looking for something akin to "real beer," this probably isn't up your alley.  But, if you don't mind experimenting, you might find you enjoy this one.  I'm considering homebrewing a gruit, just to try my hand at it.

Cheers!

Stegmaier Winter Warmer

I had never heard of Stegmaier until I saw it in the mix-a-six beer case, so of course I grabbed their Winter Warmer to see if it would be up my alley.  Apparently they're located in Pennsylvania, so that's kind of cool.

Vittles:
Specialty Beer
7.8% abv

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 21/25
Taste: 34/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 83/100

Impression:
I put this in the Specialty Beer category because, though it says it's a winter warmer, it really doesn't fit that profile very well at all.  Not to say it isn't a fairly decent brew, but it's kind of difficult to place, since it doesn't match my expectations for a winter warmer.  For starters, the nose has a lot more lighter malt notes than I would expect.  It smells like dough, maybe a little wheat, and I think I can smell some pilsner malts in there, too, under some sweeter notes like caramel and toffee.  The flavors are much the same, except there's a bit of spice, maybe clove, and there's some citrus lurking in the background, too.  It's fairly tasty overall, just not what I was expecting from a winter warmer.  The medium-full body, smooth mouthfeel, and fairly crisp and slightly dry finish make this beer pretty enjoyable.  I might consider it some sort of brown ale, maybe, but it doesn't quite fit there either.  I'd have it again, since it's a good beer, especially for the price.

Cheers!

Stevens Point St. Benedict's Winter Ale

I'd never heard of Stevens Point Brewery before, so I made sure to include one of their varieties in the mix-a-six I put together last week.  It's winter time, so I went for their St. Benedict's Winter Ale:

Vittles:
Specialty Beer
6.2% abv
29 IBU
213 cal.

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 23/25
Taste: 38/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 91/100

Impression:
I was hoping this would be a delicious, dark, malt-forward beer with dark fruit characteristics, and it hit the mark perfectly.  The nose carries some good sweet and spicy notes that almost seem Belgian.  The caramel and sweet malt characteristics stood out the most to me, both in the nose and on the tongue.  This beer is interestingly complex and well balanced, with a medium-full body and a creamy finish.  It kind of reminds me of a fuller, slightly spicy dubbel; I would love to try this one on tap, but I'd settle for another bottle to tuck back in my stash.

Cheers!

Long Trail Double Bag

It's been a crazy couple weeks, so I haven't had as many opportunities to sit down and sip a beer lately.  Last night, though, I did take some time out to relax, and I wound up grabbing another Long Trail beer from my stash -- this time, the Double Bag:

Vittles:
Specialty Beer
7.2% abv
39 IBUs

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 22/25
Taste: 38/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 9/10
Overall: 90/100

Impression:
I was a little disappointed with the weak head that poured and fell quickly, though it left a nice pattern of sticky lacing on the glass.  The aroma was initially metallic, and I noticed that same odor crop up a couple more times as the beer warmed.  Beyond the metallic character, there's a nice malty one with some sweet and fruity undertones.  Toffee and caramel are very much at the forefront on the tongue, followed by an earthy malty flavor and a subtle hop presence.  Every now and then, there seems to be just a smidge of diacetyl, but it doesn't last long and it isn't obtrusive.  There's also a slight alcoholic warmth, which I expected, considering the abv.  The full-bodied mouthfeel makes this the perfect beer to enjoy on a chilly evening, and the beer feels creamy, hearty, and warming.  Very little carbonation is present, so there's no sting.  Overall, I'd definitely get this one again.  I've been fairly impressed with all of the Long Trail varieties I've tried so far.  I'll have to look for other seasonal samplers of theirs come the warmer months.

Cheers!

Full Sail Pale Bock

I'm down to my last two birthday beers, surprisingly.  The one that helped me quench my thirst after some yard work today was Full Sail LTD04 Pale Bock:

Vittles:

Specialty Beer (Pale Bock)

7% abv

45 IBUs

Impressions:

It's certainly crisp enough to be a refreshing thirst quencher.  The aroma is subtle and balanced between a biscuity malt presence and grassy/floral hoppiness.  The malt flavors are present but mild, and the only hops used are Willamette, so it's got a very enjoyable mild grassy and floral character with a bit of spice on the back end.  It's pretty lively with decent carbonation that adds to a medium-light body.  There isn't a whole lot of aftertaste, and it doesn't linger very long.

Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 21/25
Taste: 32/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 82/100

I think this is the first beer I've tried from Full Sail.  I'll be looking for more of their beers to try in the future.  I don't expect great things from them, but this seems to be a pretty solid beer.

Cheers!