Harvest Ale - Southern Tier Brewing Company

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear golden, small off white head forms, goes pretty quick but leaves some lacing on the glass. Smell is apples and pears, some pine, spices, alcohol, little bit of caramel. Taste is sweet, almost cidery, caramel and pine, some funk, strange. Mouthfeel is light bodied with low carbonation, has a little bit of warmth to it. Very odd, wasn't quite sure what to think. Thanks for sharing biegaman!

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2006 04:26:16 | More by Viggo

Rootdog316

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly orange-ish gold with a medium sized, sudsy head (that dies back fairly quickly.) Aromas are fairly crisp... pine and citrus, but they are kind of subdued. While those hops dominate the nose and would make you think you were headed down the IPA path, flavor is more consistent with an English ESB... kind of a sweet honey and bread malt body with a bitter hops to hold it in check... it stays nice and crisp throughout and is pleasant enough.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2008 21:46:57 | More by Rootdog316

OldYoda

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a light clear gold into a standard pint with minimal head and lacing. Looks like a summer pilsner sitting in the glass.

Smell is some citrus hops and a sweet whiff of malt. I don't get much else out of this.

Taste pretty much follows the smell - some citrus hops and a bit of maltly sweetness.

Mouthfeel is too thin for my taste - I expected more from an ESB. This seems much more like a summer seasonal than a fall beer.

Drinkability is excellent. Sessioning this would be fine.

Not a bad beer - just not what I expected it to be. I'd like a little more out of my beer on a chilly fall evening.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2009 01:40:51 | More by OldYoda

Tone

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, copper color. One inch head of an off-white color. Great retention and slight lacing. Smells of yeast, sweet malt, slight earthy malt, hops, and a hint of spice. Fits the style of an Extra Special / Strong Bitter. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of floral hops, sweet malt, slight earthy malt, slight yeast, and a hint of spice. Overall, decent aroma, body, and blend.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2010 14:14:38 | More by Tone

BeerBuckeye

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a "harvest" amber-orange, with a light one finger head that dissipates rather quickly

S - Very earthy smell, some piney hops, resin, a bit of a caramel backbone, some biscuit.

T - Very malty and bitter taste. It's like a bitter malt. A bit of pined hops, almost has the taste of perhaps a crouton with just a little bit of a sweet finish

M - Decent amount of carbonation, it's rather crisp, goes down really smooth.

Overall - I thought it was a decent beer. There was nothing remarkable about it, but it felt like it was right on the verge of being a very good beer. But quite quaffable and refreshing

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 00:54:32 | More by BeerBuckeye

JWU

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz. bottle poured into my trusty mug.

A- a light copper. Certainly lighter that most ESB's. a little fluffy white head, dissipates kinda quick, no lacing down the glass.

S- Piney Hops. The smell is very close to Old Man Winter Ale from S.T. I certainly hope it's not as hop dominant as that one.

T- well crap, it's like Old Man Winter. Hops punch hard up front, the ESB malt billing (Biscuit, a bit of caramel, tea) try to fight through, but do so half-heartedly. Resiny, piney hops are bitter on the back end and you get a bit of the bitter part of the ESB.

M- actually not as dry as I thought it would be, but it's quite thin for an ESB.

O- another "tweener" beer from Southern Tier. I much prefer when they stay true to style (their IPA's, Stouts) than hop up an existing style. Good, but not great.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 16:06:45 | More by JWU

socon67

New York

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Orange pour with a fizzy white foam. Minimal retention and slight lacing. Clear with visible carbonation.

S - Scents of grains, earthy spices, and a minor hop profile. Has a smell of oak and cashews.

T - First sip was a little tart of citrus. Flavors ranged from fresh malt to a slightly bitter finsih. Quite a robust ESB.

M - Felt a bit heavy, and after one of these I was ready to move on. Minimal carbonation, and a lingering malt flavor.

O - Decent, and an interesting fall seasonal. But I would take Pumking over this anytime. This is a decent pub beer on a cool autumn night.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 02:25:30 | More by socon67

brystmar

New York

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: light gold with tons of frothy head. Massive carbonation bubbles up from the bottom. Generous amounts of lace adorn the sides of my glass.

S: hops up front, malt, citrus & tropical fruits too.

T: from the name & wheat pics on the bottle I expected this to be a wit, so I was obv surprised when it showed itself to be somewhere between a pilsner an an IPA. Hops up front again as this beer is bitter start to finish. I typically don't enjoy very bitter beers but this is quite pleasant.

M: smooth, light, & oily with lots of carbonation.

D: easy drinking, could throw back a few of these.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2010 03:52:27 | More by brystmar

ksimons

New York

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A-poured into a chalice, is a clear golden orange with a thin layer of lacing around the top

S-a pine hop smell with a bit of malts and spice

T-taste starts off pretty bitter and then sort of mellows out due to the malts.

M-light refreshing body, moderate carbonation, with a smooth dry finish

D-I can see this being very drinkable, not my favorite style, but not bad either

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 21:35:56 | More by ksimons

jera1350

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at The Happy Gnome.

Pours a coppery color with a trace of foam around the top. A bit of lacing clings to the pint glass.

A blend of earthy hops with malt and some spice notes.

There is a pretty balanced attack here of hops and malt. The problem is, they seem to fight each other a bit and don't have much cohesiveness. The hops are quite earthy and a bit spicy. The malt adds a sweetness to balance. Not bad, but doesn't mesh real well for me.

Medium bodied with a little harshness from the carbonation, but not too much.

Overall, I think this is a decent beer, but one that I don't need to revisit. The flavor just didn't do a whole lot for me, but it wasn't bad by any means.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2011 00:37:27 | More by jera1350

FosterJM

California

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

937th Review on BA
Bottle to Pint
12 oz

Bottled 7/28/11
Thanks to @mjtiernan for this one

App- Pours the color of chestnut and amber. A one finger fast receding off white head fell with good lace and cling to a bit of a petri dish head of bubbles.

Smell- A good combination of aromatics but a little small compared to Three Floyds and Fullers. Nice notes of malt, caramel, earthiness, oranges and white pepper.

Taste- More skewed to a malty IPA for me. Still not sold on this style. If you say bitter make it bitter. Well this was tasty with good lush citrus some caramel soft muted malts and a bit of wheat flavor.

Mouth- Medium bodied and medium carbonation. Residual malts with damp orange and a touch of caramel sweet.

Drink- Tasty, but not wowing! I like this in 12oz format. Easy drinking and flavorful. 6.7% is well hidden making a potent beer but smooth none the less.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 07:13:22 | More by FosterJM

ckollias

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a pub glass.

A: Pours a light golden clear hue with a white 1-finger head that quickly dissipates into a wispy lace leaving a nice trial all the way down the glass.

S: Nice hoppy aroma with a solid malt background.

T: Hoppy flavor with hints of citrus fruits. Decent malt background.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Good ale – nothing special but very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 23:24:12 | More by ckollias

johnniemarg

New York

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

Pours a straw color with a 1-finger offwhite head and streams of visible carbonation.

Smells of tons of hops. Flowery, grassy hops, maybe some pine. Just a hint of malt sweetness.

Taste is basically in line with the smell. A touch of sweetness on the tip of the tongue is followed by a huge flowery hop kick through the middle and long, bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is slcik and on the lighter side.

This is a decent beer. The one thing I don't like about it is the long bitter finish, which doesn't bring along the fresh, flowery hop flavor- It just carries the bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2006 21:44:15 | More by johnniemarg

LeftyBWS

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. brown bottle into a Sam Adams pint glass.
A: Golden yellowy-orange colored brew that pours with a huge bubbly white head (1.5 inches or so) and lots of fast-rising carbonation.
S: Citrusy hops (mostly lemon, hint of orange), dry wheat and grain, and some piney hops.
T: Mild hops throughout, mostly pine and a tingle of orange zest, plus some soft wheatiness. Pleasant, but kinda bland. This one must be "subtle."
M: Nice and soft and satisfying, but missing a strong nippy hop bite that I usually like in bitters.
D: Pretty good, one of the easier-to-drink bitters out there.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2009 04:46:01 | More by LeftyBWS

Otesanek

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a dogfish pint glass, the weird shaped one with the truck on it from the midwest destruction tour last summer. 1/2" white head settles down to a tight ring of suds, leaving no lace. Bright rich golden color, very clear, with a scattering of lazy bubbles rising. The aroma is a bit mild, fresh hops and a light orangey citrus, no real malt character coming through. The taste hits me with tangerine hops, lightly sweet, kinda reminds me of those little orange bubble gums that came in those mini juice cartons. Good sturdy bitterness to balance out the sweetness. The alcohol is actually a little noticeable, which isn't the best quality in a smaller session beer... Finishes with a good juicy bitterness and a faintly grainy toastiness. Mouthfeel is nice and clean, with a deep lingering bitterness. This beer drinks nice and easy, a little shallow though. 9.99 a sixer is a dollar fifty high, but whatev.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2009 15:20:07 | More by Otesanek

ujsplace

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a nonic.

Pours a clear, new-copper colored brew that has a whitish yellow colored head that is clumpy and sticky. Laces pretty nicely and leaves some chunky floaters.

Smells of citrus, grapefruit, some bready malts and some spices as well.

Tastes of grapefruit, citrus hop bitters that fades to a biscuty maly sweetness. Mild toasted caramel.

Smooth, medium bodied, crisp.

A highly drinkable easy going brew. Nice sessionable brew - easily accessable for parties.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2011 01:18:19 | More by ujsplace

mpyle

Maryland

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

App - Pale amber color, good clarity. Coarsely bubbled in the liquid, but the head itself was white, creamy, and with moderately good retention.

Smell - earthy pine hop aroma, a bit of copper penny, and hints of caramel

Taste - Fairly hoppy from the start, with a bitter component from fairly early on. Malt lost beneath the hops. Hop flavor not very exciting. Finish is distinctly bitter, but not harshly so.

MF - Medium body and carbonation, no astringency, but a slight hint of alcohol warming.

Overall - A decent bitter beer, but would like to see a more assertive malt presence.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 22:38:11 | More by mpyle

ReelBigwigFish

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into pint glass from bottle

A: Clear light amber color, 2 finger off white head fell rather quickly. Frothy ring sticking around edges of glass.

S: Smells like a blend of north american hops and german hops, with slight hints of biscuity malts. Piney, grassy, herbal, not to mention an almost patchouli'esque funk.

T: Piney hops up front blending with a good amount of bready malt and some grassy hops. Finishes slightly dry with a lingering taste of north american hops.

M: Light-medium body, good amount of bite, and just a bit high on the carbonation. Very drinkable.

O: Not bad, very unique for sure. I could drink this again, just nothing TOO special.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 23:52:05 | More by ReelBigwigFish

bum732

Maryland

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

S: Bready maltiness, with prominent citrus hoppiness. Some grassiness.

L: Clear burnt orange, creamy white head that dissipates.

T: Deep bready maltiness with lots of herbal hoppiness. Fairly sweet toasty malt follows the medium bitterness. Finishes quite malty with a touch of earthy hoppiness. Semi-dry.

M: Medium full body, medium carbonation.

Not bad, missing that depth in ESB's and a bit too hoppy, but not bad.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 02:37:43 | More by bum732

rinhaak

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into Sam's Perfect Pint glass.

Pours a clean, crystal clear caramel/gold color. The head is thin and faded fast.

The nose was the highlight for me: aromas of hops, orange, grapefruit, pine, and juniper are all mingled together. It's not a super complex nose, but very pleasant and well balanced.

The taste is very, very clean. Hoppy, but not overly so, there is a nice caramel malt flavor to balance the hops.

For my own tastes, I found the mouthfeel to be a bit watery and was a little bit of a disappointment.

Overall a very drinkable beer that goes down fast. Not a lot going on, it's a pretty simple brew. That said, what is there is done well. If you're looking for a straight forward, no-frills ESB, then you will enjoy this beer. But in my opinion, it is not really up to the standard I've come to expect from Southern Tier.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 15:42:49 | More by rinhaak

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Kind of amber/tan with a two finger head that dissipated into a sheen and left ok lacing.

A bit odd really, quite herbal and floral with citrusy hops notes, bready caramel malt, earthiness, nuts.

Some fruit flavors drift in, but there's still plenty of floral hops, citrus, and caramel.

Body is moderately carbonated, medium and slightly slick. An earthy hops/caramel malt flavor finishes it up.

It's a bit odd, really, but likeable.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 22:09:36 | More by AlCaponeJunior

Robalypse

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance:
Opaque, copper body with a light, wet, bubbly, cream colored head.

Smell:
Smells very “clean,” almost soapy like Fels-Naptha, with a strong scent of grapefruit, hops, and bit of peach. Powerful and unusual but pleasant.

Mouthfeel:
Light and fresh, mild carbonation.

Taste:
In line with the smell, there’s a potent taste of wheat and grapefruit up front, strong, quality hops and light malt on the back end. A floral bitterness that lingers a long time after a gulp.

Overall:
This is definitely a quality beer, but the powerful and distinct flavor is ALMOST too much for my pallet. The flavor doesn’t seem quite in line with what I would expect from the name. Rather than being a fall/seasonal beer, it has more of a spring or summer vibe. It is quite refreshing which would make it a great beer for a warm summer night. That said, I bought a six pack and took weeks to get through it because it just wasn’t something I wanted to taste regularly. Skirts the novelty realm a little too closely to make it something I would want to revisit often, but it is definitely worth picking up a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 03:27:58 | More by Robalypse

maddogruss

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got a bottle of this from Cloverleaf.

A: Pours a light, gold body with about a one finger, white head with pretty low retention and decent lacing along the side of the glass.

S: A slightly, sweet, malty smell with hints of some hop bitterness that was pretty complimenting of each other. A fairly balanced smell.

T: The taste was a little bit off-balance. A bitter and hoppy spiciness was attributed to the taste of the beer with a fairly sweet, malty backbone that made itself more evident in the aftertaste. The hops did a decent job of making themselves more evident than the malts.

M: A fairly, full-bodied mouthfeel that was pretty smooth on the palette. While the carbonation seemed a bit thin, overall, it was not too bad.

D: A pretty decent mouthfeel and taste combination makes this beer pretty easy going down. The lacing is nice and the flavor of the beer seems to come out more as you drink it. A decent brew definitely worth a go.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2008 20:39:32 | More by maddogruss

cbros

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Serving type- 12 ounce bottle poured into a pint glass.

Pours a light pale straw color with no carbonation activity after the pour. I am not getting any head or cling to the glass after the pour. I am getting subtle alcohols notes in the smell. There is a good hoppy bitterness that is backed by a citrus, orange maybe, note to finish. It has a nice mouthfeel if you like the bitterness that is associated with ESB's. Overall an average beer, probably something I wouldn't get again but it was nice to have an opportunity to drink it. Received this as an extra from billab914 and I am thankful to try any Sothern Tier offerings.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2009 02:38:53 | More by cbros

outdoorbrewer

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This beer poured a nice creamy head, kinda white, lasting a long time covering an orange-brown bright brew that looked so good. Kudos to the brewer for that head which holds out. Beautiful aroma big time hop fruit tropical citrus pine totally west coast so to speak. Flavor has a huge hop presence that easily stomps out the malt. Get more balance in the finish as some specialty malts bust through. Lots of hops went into making this beer. Ah, cool idea although it was different from what I usually look for in my autumn beer. Enjoying this anyway!

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 03:26:22 | More by outdoorbrewer