Southern Tier IPA

The Southern Tier Brewing Company of Lakewood, New York seems to know a thing or two about beer. Their IPA is punchy, tasty and well-balanced.  And it doesn't fall into the trap of "all hops all the time" that so many IPAs seem to.

This "strong beer" weighs in at 7%. It's sold in 355mL bottles and pours a substantially cloudy burnt orange. It's topped by about an inch of off-white head and leaves behind significant lace. The scent is surprisingly sweet for an IPA, with notes of raisin mixing in with the hops.

The flavour is nicely balanced and combines sweet fruit tastes and a hint of toffee with conventional IPA hop bitterness. Additionally, this beer definitely doesn't taste as strong as its 7.0% alcohol content.  It is deceptively drinkable. My only real complaint with the Southern Tier IPA is that there is a slightly muddled, funky quality in the aftertaste that doesn't really appeal to me.

All told, Southern Tier IPA is a good'un.  It isn't elite, but it is a solid, respectable brew that is a definite recommendation.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.