Harvest Ale - Southern Tier Brewing Company

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 Oz bottle poured into a pint glass

A- Pours rather clear golden orange with a two finger off white head.

S- very hoppy aroma. There is a lot of pine, citrus. This smells like and all citra pale ale. Grapefruit and lemon. Slight pilsner malt smell.

T- A very hoppy beer. This beer has a slight bitterness. A juicy and fresh hop profile. There is a ton of citrus. Orange, lemon, papaya. There is a touch of pine and some slight onion notes. Malt profile is fairly simple. slight breaddyness and some pilsner notes but nothing complex.

M- Drinks fairly easy. A light feel. A refreshing hop flavor keeps it interesting. A clean palate.

O- This is an awesome beer. This is actually pretty close to 3F zombie dust in both taste and quality. I highly recommend this one, make sure to get it fresh.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 02:00:23 | More by TwelveOunces

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

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass at fridge-cellar temperature.

L – Pale amber color with a 2-finger frothy white head. Nice retention and really nice lacing. Clear with a moderate amount of carbonation bubbles.

S – Nutty, bready, and caramel malts with an equal helping of grapefruit, earthy, and floral hops. Apple esters creep in as the beer warms.

T – Starts off sweet with caramel malt and apple esters. As the taste progresses, malt profile develops and gains nutty and bready flavors, which blend nicely with the earthy, grapefruit, and floral hop bitterness that begins to creep in at the finish.

F – Medium-bodied with decent carbonation, a sticky and creamy mouthfeel, and a bitter and dry finish. Grapefruit hop bitterness lingers nicely.

O – This is a really tasty beer. It has a nice malt and hop profile that is suited for a fall day – earthy and floral aromas and flavors rather than tons of tropical fruits. I think the apple esters also add a nice touch to the flavor. Another drinkable and tasty brew from Southern Tier.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 01:37:41 | More by BlackBelt5112203

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Single bottle from a sixer from Consumer Beverages in Orchard Park, NY.

Poured into a nonic. Light caramel golden, clear, with a sturdy head of foam. Nice lacing, good retention. Solid looking brew.

Nose is grain and resin, a touch of citrus hops, apple peel and some other spices.

Tasty ale - wouldn't have guessed ESB, but there you go. Nice cereal-resin entry, a bit of fruit (again the apple), good woodsiness to it. Granted, I was drinking this while camping, which alters one's perceptions of things.

Lighter body, slightly creamy.

Flavorful pale ale at a pretty reasonable price. Will get again!

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 23:36:30 | More by JohnnyBarman

mdfb79

New York

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 08/21/12 notes. Had this on tap at Stag Head's ST event. Have had this a few times before but never reviewed it.

a - Pours a somewhat hazy orange color with one inch of white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of citrus hops, fruity malts, pine hops, and floral hops. Was really surprised how much citrus and hops came through, but I liked it a lot.

t - Tastes of citrus hops, grapefruit, light lime, pine hops, fruity malts, light bready and caramel malts. Very nice and hoppy again, but not much bitterness at all.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Easy to drink.

o - Overall a very nice beer. I was surprised how hoppy it was for an ESB; it was hoppier than HopSun ironically. Load of citrus to it, would love to have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2012 17:35:25 | More by mdfb79

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.2/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours aneffervvescent amber with a thumb of ivory colored head. Good lacing & average head retention

S: Grassyness & pineyness, a touch of grainyness & appleskins

T: Pineyness, caramel, woody hops & lemons up front. Some red apple skin as this warms along with much grassyness & lemony hops & dryness. Finishes crisp, dry & with nice woody & herbal hops signature with a kiss of orchard fruit

MF: Medium bodied, firm carbonation, nicely balanced, purists will probably want little more malt profile

Drinks too easy, a nice if not totally true-to-style ESB

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 02:56:30 | More by russpowell

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

When poured into a pint glass, it has a nice amber color body with a small 1" white head that layed down quickly to a thin lace. The smell has some pine notes. The taste has a nice pine/hop taste up front then finishes with a bitter taste. The hop and the malt are well balanced in this one. This has a great mouth feel, and overall is pretty good beer. Very nice fall beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 02:53:57 | More by chefhatt

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

3.68/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

355ml bottle. ½ Pint glass. Enjoyed on apr´12. Deep golden color & crystal clear appearance. White, small bubbled, froth. Head texture is close with good retention. Caramel malts, fruits – apricots-, slightly piney & floral aromas to the nose. Sweet malty upfront. Dry bitterness & resins linger into the finish. Medium body, soft carbonation. Gentle astringency. Easy drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 18:05:57 | More by GONZALOYANNA

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Celebrator pokal glass. Pours a medium orange amber. Thin fine off-white head dissipated rather quickly leaving a ring around the glass and a hint of lacing. Aroma of citrus hops and light sweet malt. Flavor is citrus hops and sweet malt. Slight nut and slight wheat elements, Finishes hoppy with nice neutral malt support. This is a hop forward ESB that approaches a IPA. Somewhat muted for an IPA, but liked this quite a bit as a ESB. Light to medium bodied. Interesting domestic variant on the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2012 06:16:50 | More by LiquidAmber

devinoconnor

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy light brown color with little to no head poured from the bottle.

Smells of citrus bitter hops mixed with malts. Coffee notes on the finish with some dark chocolate and cocoa.

Very well-balanced ESB that's a nice easy drinking fall brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 23:06:13 | More by devinoconnor

HopNelius

New York

3.88/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served out of bottle into a pint glass.
Appearance- A red amber color, 1 finger head, small amount of carbonation.
Smell-malty smell with a hint of citrus hops.
Taste- malty followed by a bitter finish, yeasty taste.
Mouthfeel-Good, refreshing.
Overall- A good beer for the end of summer. Drinkable with out feeling like you are drinking water. The malt and hops are balanced nicely creating a great special bitter.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 01:53:50 | More by HopNelius

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

vfgccp

New York

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A – Nice maple amber body with a tall, creamy white head. Nice lace and retention.

S – Round, leafy, herbal hop character. Sweet caramel malt. Soft, almost scotch-like note add an earthy booziness.

T – Malt up front with an oat sweetness. Broad, bitter, resiny, but not overpoweringly aggressive, hop character through the center with a touch of nuttiness. Bitter, semi-sweet warmth on the finish.

M – Medium body. Ok-to-low carbonation. Nice residual alpha bitterness.

O – Very drinkable with a nice hop character for a fall seasonal.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 17:18:01 | More by vfgccp

chilly460

Virginia

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours hazy amber orange in color with a creamy 1 finger off white head that leaves basically no lacing.

S - Smells of sweet malt and toasted grain. Get more citrus in the hop profile, grapefruit and orange peel. Grassy hops as well at times.

T - Get the hop profile up front, but different then the nose. Herbal and grassy hops dominate, then moving to a solid grainy malt profile. Floral hops on the backend.

M - Mouthfeel is light and crisp, with light carbonation, a light body. Expected a bit heavier body for a "fall" beer.

O - Overall a very nice session beer, enough complexity to make it interesting, good robust flavors.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 19:02:35 | More by chilly460

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours an autumnal rusty-colored leaf, while a slight, off-white head sits above the liquid. Dots and rounded bleeps and bloops of lace splatter the glass.

This is a hopped-up, fresh, clean, breezy aroma that would never be mistaken for an English ESB. Reminds me of Three Floyds' "ESB" (Lord Admiral Nelson) and several non-"ESB" beers by Surly maybe. Just a super-fragrant, fruity, clean (that word again) hop-centric nose. Simple, a bit vinous, and with only the slightest hint of grain, and that also being clean and straightforward. No bigness or heaviness in sight (smell).

Taste is nearly astringent in its bitterness. A nice bitterness, for sure, being a meeting point between citrus peel (lemon, lime), and a super-earthy, not harsh but strained sort of graininess, and the most bitter nut flavor. I like, but unlike all higher gravity Southern Tier bombers, could never fully enjoy a bomber size of THIS, which is why I'm glad it comes in 12 oz. bottles.

Nice smooth yet bubbly, tickling, generously carbonated texture. Between the astringent citrus finish and the feel, it takes me back to that standard of U.S. standards, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, in the feel department, and in some ways taste, too.

Funny, this one pleases on every level although falls behind just a couple steps where Southern Tier usually excels: taste. Just a little too one-dimensional. And who the hell called this an ESB? Someone at Southern Tier? Really? Do I need to crawl to their website to find out? Nah, I won't bother, but it's not an ESB even though it's bitter. But quite good for what it is, whatever it is. (Somewhere between an American west coast amber and pale ale hybrid? Far away from England, that's for sure.)

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 23:43:38 | More by Metalmonk

PhillyStyle

Georgia

3.8/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer appeared a nice reddish brown color, kind of typical of an ESB that produced an oatmeal color head that dissipated into a small thin cap that lasted throughout the beer.

The beer gave off a nice caramel malt aroma with some hints of hops in the background.

The taste of the beer was mostly malty, upfront, with some bitterness at the end. Kind of what I expected from a higher ABV ESB.

The beer had a medium feel, it was smooth and the beer seemed a bit under carbonated, but I suppose that is more typical of the style. Overall, a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 18:03:38 | More by PhillyStyle

chinchill

South Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

undated 12 oz bottle served in a pint glass.

No style indicated on the label other than Fall "seasonal", so I was surprised to find the beer is like a strong pale ale or ESB rather than a marzen. Not surprised by the flavor, however, since there is plenty of earthy and spicy hop aroma. There also some citrus in the nose, but the flavor veers more towards the citrus side, and leaves a moderately bitter grapefruit aftertaste.

A nice orange-amber with a lasting off-white head.

O - a bold and flavorful Fall seasonal.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 02:35:54 | More by chinchill

taigor

New York

3.45/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into small glass.

A - Poured clear amber color with thin head that quickly dissipated leaving very light lacing around the glass.

S - Slight scents of malts, citrus and hops but not much there.

T - Starts off with bready malts followed by citrus fruitness with a very hoppy bitter finish.

M - Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O - Good ESB that is crisp, refreshing and malty.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 20:38:04 | More by taigor

engagechad

Virginia

3.08/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Purchased as a single from Tom Leonards in Glen Allen VA - tulip

Pours an orangey yellow with decent head and not much lacing.

Smells like wine. in a bad way. not enjoable for me

Tastes bitter and stingy and feels the same

Overall this is probably the first beer that I didn't like from ST.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 12:14:45 | More by engagechad

bnes09

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Transparent, light orange color which appears yellow when held to light. Exceptional clarity. No floating yeast to be found. Head is a little weak but laces nicely.

Fresh, raw and pungent piney hop aroma. Also some citrus fruits and sweet nectar.

Hops are intense from the start with a pine cone and grapefruit bitterness. Malt is well asserted with a sturdy rye bread character. Italian herbs come in mid-drink. Wow, this beer is spicy! Hint of honey sweetness mellows it out. Finish is dry with lots of lingering hop flavors.

Medium body and smooth feel with a crisp, dry finish. Sharp carbonation helps bring out the fresh flavors.

Real good stuff here. Even better on tap with a juicy, nectar-like quality. Exceptional flavor, complexity and depth. I think this fits better in the IPA category.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 03:33:26 | More by bnes09

nimrod979

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Quick review off my notes. The beer poured a light copper color with a medium white head.
Aroma was some floral hops and some biscuity, caramel pale malts.
Had a decent bitter taste. Not overly bitter but a nice balance of grassy, floral hops with a bit of caramel, pale biscuity malts to help add a little bit of sweetness on the palate. I actually really enjoyed this beer. Smooth, drinkable, Medium carbonation. Dry finish. A nice hoppier/bitter offering as opposed to most other Autumn beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 23:19:23 | More by nimrod979

JohnnyChicago

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Brooklyn tulip pint.

A: Pours a bright, lively amber with two fingers of off-white head.

S: A little weak on aroma. Some light hop presence and buttery-toasty malts.

T: It steps up here. Toffee and nutiness with herbal hops. Nice British yeast presence that ends fruity and full.

D: Good easy-drinking brew. Alcohol is a bit higher for the style, but it doesn't show.

Overall: Subtle flavours and good balance make this brew tasty and smooth. A solid American recreation of an often overlooked British classic.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 22:06:54 | More by JohnnyChicago

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

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

Fitwitchik

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from a bottle into a pub glass.

Luscious rusty colour

Smells hoppy yet a touch of surprising sweetness

Straight up bitter front with a slight malty finish.

Plenty of carbonation. Nice.

Not much experienice in tasting ESBs but found this brew to be pretty nice. Better than some of the pumpkin flavoured harvest beers that seem to fall off the shelf this time of year. Disappointed I only purchase a single bottle.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 22:20:23 | More by Fitwitchik