Unearthly (Imperial India Pale Ale) - Southern Tier Brewing Company

Roman5150

Michigan

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

bottle into duvel glass

appearance: darker amber with a huge white head

smell: piney, citrus, grapefruit, apple, earthy hops, lemon

taste: malty, earthy hops, bitterness is short lasting, end is a refreshing balanced malty, hoppy double ipa. It

mouthfeel: not too carbonated

overall: A maltier, less hoppsy version of an Imperial IPA. Make no mistake this thing is loaded with hops, but is not a hop bomb on the level of Ruination, Palate Wrecker, or Hopslam, etc.. With that said, it's very drinkable and the malt level is well matched to the hoppiness, very smooth and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 01:00:58 | More by Roman5150

ForesterMatt

Washington

4.23/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

22oz bottle poured into a tulip

Nice clear dark copper color, less than an inch of head settling quickly

Great hop dominated aroma with citrus notes and sweet malt

Robust flavor on the sweet side with plenty of hop. I life iipa's on the sweet side, but this was near my limit. You can taste the alcohol but it's not too strong.

Pleasant mount feel. Not too carbonated. Nice and warm in the belly!

Overall a great offering and a 22 was just right.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 05:04:38 | More by ForesterMatt

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

4.45/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: clear, deep amber color, thinly veiled head
S: full nose, very nice oak-aged qualities dominate on juicy malt
T: well-balanced and extremely enjoyable beer, not overpowering with hops but definitely there, oak makes it creamier, EtOH not that noticeable
M: creamy, full, nice oak qualities

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 16:46:57 | More by wisrarebeer

BurgeoningBrewhead

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured into snifter. Clear dark red-orange, a beautiful color. Moderate fizzy off-white head that sticks for a bit. Smells of flowers and citrus, absolutely delicious. Taste is smooth, blossoming into citrusy hoppy bitterness, and just before you think it's done, it smooths back out into sweetness. Very drinkable, alcohol only noticeable in the beginning. Mouthfeel is full, but clean. Excellent!

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 03:35:18 | More by BurgeoningBrewhead

mjc3151

Illinois

4.86/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

A - very clear, light brown/amber color

S - smells equally of hops and malts. nice combination

T - what is unique about this imperial IPA is that it has more of a focus on malts than most other imperial ipas. This is what i like about it. As you first taste it you can taste much sweetness, the sugary malts come out to play. After that you taste the hops and sense some bitterness. It is at that moment that you get reminded that it is an imperial IPA. You can definitely sense an alcohol presence but it is not overpowering.

M - medium carbonation, somewhat creamy

O - this....is....so...AMAZING

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 22:44:00 | More by mjc3151

rangerred

Tennessee

2.93/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a clear dark copper with a one finger off-white head. Really good head retention and lacing considering the strength of this beer.

The aroma is quite weak with hints of overripe orange and tangerine. Some mango and pineapple sneaking through but it is very light.

The hop flavor is quite weak as well. Some tropical fruit with moderate floral and pine notes. Just a touch of bread but hops completely dominate. Bitterness is on the light side and has a hard time rising above the overwhelming sweetness. The sweetness gets to be a bit on the cloying side after awhile making this a little hard to finish.

Overall, this is really a sweet, sticky mess. I can't stand sweet IIPA's so this one is not a favorite of mine. So many other better options out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 02:38:36 | More by rangerred

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A-deep orange amber, color with a nice light tan head and good lacing

S-sweet malt, orange, lemon, slightly herbal

T-big sweet malt flavor, lemon, pine, herbal, mild bitter finish

F-medium body with mild to moderate carbonation, smooth and slightly viscous mouthfeel

O-too sweet for my taste and not enough hop character, like this less than the Oaked

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 16:14:56 | More by MDDMD

JG-90

New Jersey

2.05/5  rDev -50%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Bottle into glass

A - Clear copper color that pours a small off white head. leaves moderate lacing

S - Strange smell, malty and an over-the-top sweet/floral, does not smell like any beer ive had

T - Sickly sweet. Tastes mostly like overly ripe (or perhaps rotted) fruit. Also has a large caramel malt presense.

M - Medium body with average carbonation. Sweetness leaves a coating on your mouth

O - Extremely dissapointed. I am a big fan of Southern Tier's IPA and 2XIPA. This is one of the most unpleasant beers I have ever drank. The extreme sweetness hides the ABV, at least.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 21:49:55 | More by JG-90

GPHarris

Alabama

3.41/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

a - poured a two-fingers thick off-white fluffy head into a tulip glass that left great lacing and sheeting throughout. the body was a bright amber color.
s - piney hops.
t - nicely balanced with pine and floral hops against a caramel backbone. the hops seem somewhat dull though (bottle date was late february so it's fresh) and had a slight peppery finish.
m - medium.
o - reminds me of oskar blues gubna and i'm not a huge fan of that beer either. worth trying but doesn't stand up to my favorite DIPAs.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 15:14:10 | More by GPHarris

mpedara429

Massachusetts

2.74/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.75

A: A deep amber color that is mostly clear. Two fingers of off white head. Rings of lacing around the glass.

S: A mild smell of dank pine, and bread. Catching subtle tones of booze and fruit in there.

T: Herbal and boozy with hints of fruit and pine.

M: Medium and smooth/creamy body. Carbonation is on the lower side.

O: I'm not sold on this one. The hop profile is extremely weak. It feels as if they brewed a double batch worth of malt with a single batch worth of hops to make this beer. Not at all what I would expect from an IIPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 02:55:00 | More by mpedara429

rodlavers

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured form a 12oz. bottle, DOB 01/11/13, into a snifter. Not much of a head, but what's there is white, with some bits of chunky lacing on the glass that slowly drips down the side. Deep ruby red coloring, almost glowing, with some dark/burnt tangerine as well. Super clear, very unique appearance for a IIPA, in my experience.

Smell is OK. It does not smell particularly hoppy, per se, but rather I notice some organic onion odor, almost like a burp, if that's possible; I've smelled nothing like it before. Well, I actually take that back. Founders Devil Dancer is oddly similar, I suppose. I guess with Unearthly, I get some serious malt character blended with a variety of hops (admittedly do not know the standard for IIPA style, but this works).

Taste is similar (minus the burp), but better. It's sweeter to the taste, more hop-forward, and overall more complex than the aromas. I get pine resin mixed with an OK bitterness and malt on the end.

Feel is smooth up front, but gives way to a drier, more bitter, finish. Definitely resinous.

Overall, this is an interesting example of one of my favorite styles. It's very good but not my favorite. Prefer the Oak Aged Unearthly. This is good and certainly worth a try, if only to experience something slightly different than the norm. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 02:57:06 | More by rodlavers

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.96/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

DOB 01/10/12 - so has aged longer than it should have - shame on me for not treating a DIPA of this caliber properly. Bomber pours a luminescent pumpkin orange colour - hazy but very visually appealing. Reasonable head and lacing that lingers down the glass.

Aroma has faded, leaving only stilted hops and caramelized malts. The flavour has held up much better, with the initial malted sweetness transitioning into a full hop bitterness - citrus and tropical fruits and a delightful puckering that lingers. The 9.5% ABV is very well hidden, with only a hint of warmth in the finish.

Definitely a well brewed DIPA and I wish I hadn't "cellared" it by mistake.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 21:04:43 | More by hopsolutely

oline73

Maryland

3.63/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear red amber with hardly any head. The nose is really sweet and malty with some fruit and hop notes. Smell isn't super impressive. There is more bitterness in the taste, but the sweetness overwhelms a bit. The bitterness just pops up in the finish. Notes of pine and mild citrus peel. The carbonation is sharp and tingly. Flavors could blend better.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 04:48:42 | More by oline73

tectactoe

Michigan

3.93/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a murky amber, copper color, highly opaque with an off-white, two finger head. Decent lacing is left along the sides of the glass nearly all the way down. Aroma is heavy on hops, of course, of the spicy variety, resinous and piney, backed by some caramel, toasted malts. Mouth is big and heavy, kind of sticky and thick - hops up front with a nice spicy character, white pepper, coriander, grapefruit rinds, oil and resin, and light pine needles. Lemon and orange zest are abundant, as is the powerful alcohol character, think PineSol. Malts are used liberally and do a fine job of clashing and balancing the heavy hop bill. Caramel malts, light toffee, molasses, high sweetness, and a touch of some medicinal and metallic flavors. Carbonation is a little lower than I was expecting; thick, almost syrupy body.

Solid DIPA, reminds me a little bit of Weyerbacher's Double Simcoe. Nice spicy hop profile and a good balance with plenty of caramel malts.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 21:30:40 | More by tectactoe

AC-Mivsek

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a traditional pint glass.

A- Pours a slightly hazy amber/copper with about a 1 inch white foamy head which dissipates fairly quickly, leaving a bit of lacing.

S- Smells very malty and sweet. There are some earthy notes as well, mossy-like.

T- Malts seem the over-ride the hops. It is less hoppy than I would have expected for an Imperial IPA. Quite sweet and caramely. A bit woodsy. Very interesting.

M- Consistency is on the thick side. Medium carbonation.

O- Overall this is a very good beer.It was nothing like I expected it to be, which is not a bad thing. I enjoy interesting brews and this is surely one of them. I would recommend trying this, although when it comes down to it I would probably take Southern Tier's 2XIPA over this.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 22:54:18 | More by AC-Mivsek

BuxMontBeerLover

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle was part of the Southern Tier "SuperPack" variety case which included 2XIPA, Unearthly and Iniquity.

Poured and sampled from a DFH Pint Glass

A - Beer pours a slightly hazy, golden amber color. A fluffy, one-finger head on the initial pour that fades to a skim. Large amount of sticky lacing left after sampling.

S - A mix of pine, hops and malts. Smells a little on the sweet side.

T - A really smooth DIPA. The brew is well balanced between a piney, citrusy, pineapple (?) taste and the caramel-like sweetness of the malts. It's moderately hoppy and leaves a lingering bitterness after drinking. It's a thicker beer so it's not one you'll be downing several off. The ABV is well disguised but it does begin to poke through as the beer warms a bit.

M - Thicker consistency. Medium carbonation.

O - I enjoyed this DIPA quite a bit. Unlike others, I don't think it's overly sweet. It's a well crafted beer that I'd recommend to any IPA or DIPA lovers. Well done, Southern Tier!

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 19:27:18 | More by BuxMontBeerLover

SkeeterBoganski

Colorado

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I poured this bad boy in to a fluted pint and discovered some serious olfactory joy. The beer smells like fresh hops and sweet malt, with the latter coming through almost moreso upon consumption. Unearthly poured almost deep copper...practically redish but still retaining some shiny hues. The head was perfect...a solid one-inch of lacy goodness. The beer is balanced, complete, sweet and bitter...one of the best IPAs have tried 'new' in a long time. If you happen upon one of these, definitely pick it up. I can only imagine how good the oak-aged Unearthly is...

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 01:19:07 | More by SkeeterBoganski

BGDrock

Ontario (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: amber colour; clear; egg white head, full and average length

Aroma: caramel malt, some citrus hops - orange; something earthy like a damp forest floor

Taste & Mouthfeel: heavy, sweet, caramel and molasses flavour coupled with a thick, syrupy body; finish lends some bitterness, but the malt weighs it out; slightly medicinal in the end - like a light version of Buckleys (pine or spruce); over time begins to grow more balanced on palate, but still too sweet

Overall: a woodsy syrup that would go well with savoury dessert; could be improved with more balance

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 00:59:45 | More by BGDrock

hustlesworth

Ohio

4.68/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A- awesome hazy unfiltered looking apricot orange. This one looks beautiful in the tall, gracefully shaped stone levitation silver rimmed tulip. The foam is remarkable. It has the color and texture of whipped butter (like if you put cream in a jar and shake it) and the lace is just shoooo all over the place all drippy and sticky and whatnot. Haven't seen anything finer and this review is bound to be full of extraterrestrial and supernatural metaphors.

S- this one has the ideal nose to suit my standard for a DIPA. It's got that stellar marshmallow toffee wonderbong, baby!!!! Run through goldings in the hop back? Whaaaat?!?! Usually can't go wrong with 3 of the C's IMO and the nose is full of unexpected creamy fruits and berries like melon and strawberry with undertones of sweet pipe tobacco, vanilla, cedar, mushroom and cured hardwood. When cold, the hops really only come through in a lemony orange dish soap kinda way but as the beer warms just a bit watch out.. Grapefruit, peach, pear, mango, passion fruit, tropical outer space madness-- but not at all harsh and nostril ripping. Fermented tartness like full sour dills with a coriander spice note add another sprightly layer to what is already an amazing aroma.

T- so as my beard nears the lip of the glass and my lips protrude toward it, I begin to feel some apprehension, as if this beer will be so hoppy that it will slaughter me, leave me on the floor twitching in ghastly agony, aware of my former existence but unable to return to it. So I take a small sip and feel the sting. Just a precursor, I say to myself, just like licking the cut half of a scotch bonnet just to see what you're in for. Then a full and hearty draught. This is actually quite tame! And balanced! And, at first maybe even a little too sweet! My dog, laying at my feet raises her almond eyes to me and then adjusts her position into a big curled up ball, as if a cold wind had suddenly blown through the dining room. The beer is sweet. Very sweet and woodsy and burboun barrelish. Toffee and cashew brittle. Caramel and obnoxious fun. Very fresh barley malt with a tart fermented edge, same as the aroma with subtle hints of caraway and the creamy light nuttiness of pinoli with brown sugar and faint sweetened peanut butter. Then sha-BAM, POW, WAP! Hi, I'm the hop poltergeist and I'm here to f#%k your shit up. Spiraling into another dimension, I try to grasp the concept of, and ultimately put into words, how the hops transform the cloying sweetness into a balance that the scales of Themis would struggle to achieve. I, however can tell you who the perpetrator is: chinook. His astringent bitterness long outlasts the sugary malt and the wonderful tropical pineapple grapefruit orange like mango 'fruity' hops and rasps away any sweetness that is brave enough to linger. Hell, there's even hints of motor oil. But there IS NOT any trace of alcohol.

MF- this other struggle happens in the feel. There's a slickness, an oily alpha acid tongue roughening numbing bitterness altogether with sugary somethings and cheek drying alcohol. No burn in the chest, no sense of sipping a cocktail, only the buzzing of your body and the awareness in your mind that you've damn near written a novel to review a beer. Lip stickiness I can feel my mustache and beard hairs sticking together. I feel proud.

D- overall, southern tier is my new favorite American brewery, at least for its imperial series. I'm embarrassed at how many times I've passed them by. Unearthly, mokah, java, creme brulee, and pumking all deserve a plot of land on the moon. Or mars, whichever we get to first. The play of sweet on bitter here astounds me. Like I don't know whether to 5 it or not. BUT-- if there's question, it must not be the one. Damn close though.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 01:17:56 | More by hustlesworth

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

3.48/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Consumed 10/13/12

Appearance: Dark orange, with some red highlights - decent size white head, leaves some nice spots of lacing - very clear

Smell: Hoppy and malty - lots of citrus - not particularly distinct - oranges and grapefruits - sweet, oily pine - caramel and amber malts - very sweet, as unfortunately expected - leafy mint

Taste: Sweet and hoppy - somewhere between a DIPA and an imperial amber - sweetly malty with lots of caramel and amber malts - biscuits with powdered sugar - overripe oranges and sweet grapefruits - oily pine and mint - about as sweet as fruit punch, with about average bitterness, and some booze

Mouthfeel: On the heavy side of medium, nicely carbonated, a bit cloying but not awful

Overall: Good, better than I expected

Southern Tier has earned quite a reputation for making some really sugary beers. Personally, I think this works for some of their stouts. But I was dreading Unearthly. To my surprise, this is more pleasant that I remembered. Yes, it's overly sweet, but it's worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 18:35:21 | More by angrybabboon

diddly

New York

4.6/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 oz into a fluted glass

Color is a beautiful light amber/copper, with a nearly-white, fairly thick head. Disperses fairly quickly, but leaves behind some beautiful lacing.

Aroma is strongly hoppy - woody, citrusy, and beautiful. Slight alcohol aroma, but mostly hops, with a little bit of sweetness for balance.

Flavor is bitter, with huge hop flavor - pine and grapefruit are the strongest characteristics. Some good sweetness to attempt to balance, but that's not happening. There's a slight bit of alcohol flavor that comes through at the end.

Mouthfeel is full, with low to medium carbonation, and some alcohol warmth.

Overall, a great imperial IPA, and I hope to see it on tap somewhere soon.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 02:08:00 | More by diddly

BasterdInABasket

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

DOB:09/04/12 (one month old), 22 0z. bottle poured into a ST Tulip
A- Off-white 1.5 finger head forms,slightly cloudy, amber/reddish in color, some decent retention and little lacing
S- Caramel malts, pine and a little cherry and tropical citrus, aroma reminds me of GL Nosferatu with some pine added, alcohol as it warms
T- Nice caramel malt sweetness, a nice sharp bitterness, resinous pine, flavors linger in mouth
M- Full and creamy, coats the mouth, carbonation carmael sweetness and a lot of bitterness hit the tongue and linger nicely
O- A really nice IIPA, alot of balanced flavor with a sharp hoppy bite to it, I recomenend any IPA fan to try this one

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 00:50:08 | More by BasterdInABasket

smcnulty1981

Rhode Island

4.43/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: copper orange color with a good amount of haze and 1 finger of a bright white head some alcohol legs on the glass

S: leads with a very resinous earthy dank hop smell followed by lots of oak from the barrel although there was a fairly high abv there wasn't any smell of alcohol on the nose

T: bitter hop flavor up front followed by some vanilla and bourbon from the oak a very interesting take on an ipa and barely any alcohol on the taste

M: fairly heavy mouthfeel the bet coats the mouth well with a great finish

O: this was a great beer my first barrel aged ipa although ipa's are meant to be fresh the barrel aging and the dry hopping that would have to go along with it adds a great complexity which makes this an outstanding beer

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 05:15:34 | More by smcnulty1981

mvanaskie13

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into pint glass, color is copper with off white head that is pretty dense and laces very well - color is a minus to me and the thinner head presentation as well.

Smell is resin, pine, citrus hop flavors blended well, followed by some solid caramel sweetness and lighter biscuit malt notes.

Taste is sticky, resiny, pine and citrus bitterness upfront quickly followed by some decent malt sweetness - this beer really hides the strength, there is some alcohol coming through, but the sweetness really over powers.Its just a touch to much for me, i like a big ipa to be a bit dryer, less caramel

Mouthfeel is a bit cloying, again from the pretty strong caramel like sweetness and strong bitter flavors - it really sticks to the tongue and checks.

Overall, this beer starts well and has some amazing hop presence but maybe a bit too much bitterness with too much sweetness leaves a less pleasant flavor lingering.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 01:29:34 | More by mvanaskie13

circus_cat

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: A hazy dark orange/amber body with a soapy, thick, beige head. The head dissipated at a moderate to slow rate, leaving some awesome lacing.

S: This is straight up east coast style pine IPA aroma. Caramel malts balancing it out and holding it up well. Lots of earthiness and a great floral character.

T: Big on the malts. I get mostly caramel sweetness. There's lingering, bitter stickiness on the back. Maple syrup, pine. Very complex beer.

M: Heavy body, coating mouthfeel. Little carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 02:12:03 | More by circus_cat