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

budgood1

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22 oz. bomber.

pours out a hazed bronze/copper colour. thin light tan head with accompaning slim lace. malty aroma...brown sugar, toffee and caramel. spicy hops are subdued, and i can detect a whiff of alcohol. flavour profile is malt forward with a good deal of spicy bitterness and boozy punch. the problem is since there are freshness dates on these ST bombers, i don't know how old this bottle is and the nuances i'm getting from this beer is that's it's definitley past it's prime. wet cardboard and apparent oxidation are prevalent, but i'll do my best to pick out some accentuating characteristics. besides the muddled sweet maltiness, a beer with an agressive hopping schedule should have a much more vibrant hop profile and all i get is some spiciness and bitterness. no real hop flavour to be had. full bodied but it has a slick and slippery mouthfeel. drinkability suffers becasue in my opinion this is not what i should be tasting.

overall this is a disappointment because it's obviously old or bad in some way. i'll try to get another review done with a fresher bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 23:01:42 | More by budgood1

philbe311

Pennsylvania

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

A - Slightly more than a fingers worth of billowing slightly rich khaki colored head comprised of medium and large sized bubbles... Modest at best retention gives way to a thick full rich creamy lacing and thick collar... The color is a warm slightly glowing amber color... A mix of moderate and sluggish paced carbonation... Looks slightly thick and viscous in the glass... A good bit of lacing clings to the glass after each sip...

S - Much more subdued than expected, but still rather pleasant... Fresh earthy whole flower hops... Slightly resiny... Some faint floral notes as well... The complexity of the hop is undeniable (chinook, cascade, styrian golding, and centential all added at various times using various methods)... A little bit of malt lies beneath the surface in the form of bread dough and very light caramel... Flour...

T - Good complexity... The hops will a bit subdued overall come in varying waves that make for wonderful complexity... Earthy... Floral... A bit citrusy... Crackers... Some very faint candied sugars... Each sip reveals a new layer of complexity... Rather quite unique and tasty...

M - Medium to full bodied... Lightly carbonated... Dense and slightly thick... A bit sticky... Sleek and sophisticated... Very smooth... Different from most other American Double / Imperial IPAs that I've had (in a good way)...

D - A very nice offering from Southern Tier... Much better than average, but not quite at head of the class for the style... Good hop complexity and excellent mouthfeel are the stars...

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 02:04:42 | More by philbe311

bryehn

Ontario (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a golden-amber colour with a slight chill haze and a relatively small white head that gets retained as a collar, without leaving much lace behind.

Deep and complex aroma. I get sweet caramel, a lemony citrus, cherry and pine accented by floral and peppery notes. There is a hint of diacetyl and it really takes on a boozy tone near the end of a glass.

The taste is pretty intense and quite bitter. Grains, caramel, citrus, pepper and berry collide and then fade at different points on the tongue.

Full-bodied with a low carbonation, but the ber has a yeasty pop on the tongue before giving way to a nice, oily sensation. The finish is dry and the aftertaste peppery.

Excellent example of the style, I hope to see it in my area again. Very smooth and drinkable, but also assertive. Great effort from Southern Tier.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 01:44:06 | More by bryehn

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

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

Appearance: It has a nice golden/orange/copper color to it. It has a nice off white head that dies down moderately and leaves some lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitly give out hints of piney, earthy and citrusy hops with some toffee and caramel notes.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a nice hop character giving out a piney, earthy, citrusy and maybe slight tropical hop flavour with some caramelly malts mixed in.

Mouthfeel: It has a medium/high carbonation with a very nice overall balance and feel. Nice lingering bitterness too.

Drinkability: It's a smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good solid flavors and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 19:17:10 | More by SebD

Stocean1

Ontario (Canada)

4.48/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a one finger head on an aggresive pour, patchy lacing, amber burnt orange colour

Big malt scent with some caramel, pine resin, dark fruit

Taste follows the nose with plum, grapefruit, papaya, caramel, mineral note, some ethanol in the finish

Full bodied with some carbonation, nicely bitter throughout, oily quality, belly warming booze is welcome

Best from Southern Tier for me so far, a complex brew that can be sipped for an hour

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 20:23:01 | More by Stocean1

schoolboy

Ohio

4.93/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This currently is one of my favorite brews in the world so I really wanted to try it on tap. It tastes the same, I think.

It is a sublime brew. A perfect blend of hops, malt, yeast and more hops. It smells amazing. I want to rub it all over me.

It looks nearly perfect. The head lasts a long time and leaves a lovely lace. It is clear and the perfect IPA color.

Serving type: growler

03-10-2012 01:47:07 | More by schoolboy

rappmann

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber into duvel tulip. No bottle date.

A - orange/amber. An aggressive pour yields 1.5 fingers of white head, which receeds quickly and leaves a nice rings of medium white bubbles around the ring of the glass.

S - Slight floral and piney hops with a huge amount of burnt caramel malts shining through.

T - The hops are much more pronounced than in the nose, and the malt isn't as prevalent. It's definitely balanced. Bitter all the way to the end.

M - Perfect for this style, medium bodied with a solid amount of carbonation.

O - A really good DIPA but at $9/bomber, I don't know how frequently I will seek this out.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 01:36:45 | More by rappmann

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I poured this beer into a pint glass from a 22oz bottle. It has a nice bright orange color body with very little head that layed down to a nice thin lace. The smell is of citrus and floral hops. The taste has a nice hop flavor that pops when it hits your taste buds. It has a nice bitter finish to it. The mouth feel is great and overall a darn good ipa.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 20:31:31 | More by chefhatt

metter98

New York

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

A: The beer is clear orange in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger off white head that quickly faded away, leaving delicate lacing covering the surface and a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light to moderately strong aromas of citrus and floral hops in the nose along with notes of caramel malts.
T: The taste is similar to the smell but the flavors of caramel malts are more apparent and also contribute some notes of sweetness. There is a moderate amount of bitterness from the hops.
M: It feels medium-bodied and crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There is some dryness in the finish.
O: This beer has a good balance between the flavors of malts and hops and hides its alcohol very well from the taste. All in all, it’s a solid double IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 02:48:12 | More by metter98

Thingus

California

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Live tasting bomber into Duvel tulip...

Appearance; pours a gorgeous, perfectly clear amber orange with two fingers of lush straw colored head. Retention is good, and after a couple minutes there is still a decent blanket coating the top of the beer. Lacing is good with sticky clumps of head clinging to the glass.

Smell; aroma is dominated by a mellow orange aroma with notes of tropical fruit such as pineapple and mango... Hints of honey as well.

Taste; starts right off with orange, and includes good tropical fruit notes, pineapple, and mango... Hints of honey interweave with a lingering floral flavor in the finish..

Mouthfeel; is on the full side of medium bodied, sticky and hangs around for a minute or two.

Overall; I really, truly enjoy this beer... I wish it was more readily available (I'd like to thank MicroFanatic for these!!) and I could definitely drink this a couple times a week and not get tired of it.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 06:16:39 | More by Thingus

piakiev

New York

3.88/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into a us pint

A- Crystal clear golden-bronze, with a thick off white head that lasts for some time

S- slightly hoppy, with no malt to speak of, very muted

T- starts off sweet and spicy, tasting slightly like honey. The taste travels down the sides of my tongue becoming pleasantly bitter and a little spicier, and ends at the back of the tongue with only a nice bitterness.
There is a lot of hop flavor and bitterness but it is not overpowering.

M- bitterness travels through out my entire mouth leaving a pleasant yet slightly dry sensation.

O- I like it, not overly bitter but a nice hop flavor. Not nearly as much aroma or hop flavor as I would have expected from an iipa. Way too expensive for a single 22oz bottle of beer, even though I like it there are plenty of iipas that are much cheaper that are just as good, worth a try but I probably won't get it again because of the price.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 21:48:01 | More by piakiev

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

650ml Bottle - from the lcbo for around 9$

Appearance - Clear copper colour with a large size fizzy off white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for over 5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Malts, hops, grapefruit, caramel, pineapple, apricot

Taste & Mouth - There is a lower than average amount of carbonation and most of the taste is made up of caramel, hops, and malts. There is also some grapefruit flavours mixed with apricot and pineapple. It ends with a hoppy and malty sweet aftertaste with some lingering bitterness.

Overall - Definitely a great beer that has some of the qualities found in the west coast DIPA's. While it's not as sweet as some of the other Southern Tier beers, it's still pretty sugary and I don't think I could drink any more than 650ml. It also packs quite the punch at nearly 10% alcohol. While it is a very good beer, the bottle size and price will prevent me from stocking up.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 18:22:16 | More by spinrsx

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Copper/amber colour, one finger of white head, some lace left. Smell is hoppy, loaded with citrus, pineapple and mango, pine as well, malt is tucked away but still present, certainly smells like a hop bomb. Taste has a little more malt than the nose would tell you, lots of hops, quite bitter throughout, citrus, grapefruit, light sweetness, some pine, pineapple in the finish. Medium carbonation, med-full body, fairly oily, quite a nice feel for a DIPA. Quite satisfying and something that I could revisit again but for nearly $10 a bomber it wont be all that often.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 12:51:53 | More by peensteen

mrasskicktastic

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Rich amber, caramel color on the clear brew with a big frothy head and thick webs of lacing all down the sides of the glass. Appearance is really top notch.

S - Potent grapefruit and pine resin. A caramel sweetness is present. Peppery alcohol, especially as it warms. It is a little abrasive on the nose, increasingly so as it warms. The initial whiffs while inside the bottle were delightful, but the more exposed it gets the worse it becomes.

T - A bit of citrus pith, but mostly a sweetness that lingers through the finish. There is a touch of anise, A bit of a peppery alcohol flavor. Aftertaste is a lingering sweetness with The Nice, but not great.

M - Smooth and very thick to the point of being gummy. In spite of the gumminess it does an okay job at being refreshing, but the lump of gum in my throat is trying to thwart that at every turn.

D - It is pretty good. As far as double IPAs go, it is just okay. It is never bad, but the taste is just wanting. In the future, I'll be sure the have the vastly superior 2X IPA from southern tier for a fraction of the price.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 00:09:38 | More by mrasskicktastic

toca

Connecticut

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Very nice copper colored beer with a wonderful head. Carbonation bubbles noticeable

S- Not much to the nose, perhaps some sweet, citrus notes.

T- sweet citrus and pine. No bitter notes detected. Hoppiness blends nicely with the beers sweetness.

M- Very smooth with a medium body and touches of syrup that I find enjoyable. Refreshing finish.

O- This is a very good beer. Not over the top hoppy and easy to drink. This one will be on my drink again list.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 21:43:43 | More by toca

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bomber from the Conestoga LCBO. No freshness date on this - not sure where this came from, but I'm happy to see it all the same!

Poured into a tulip glass. Slightly hazy amber-peach in colour, with a half inch of head that recedes into a thick ring. Some icicles of lacing.

Nose is biscuit, citrussy hops, orange, mango, a bit of earthy quality as well, and a slight booze wafting in the background.

Took me a few sips to get this brew figured out. The malt profile in this is quite something, almost overpowers the hops with its malty, biscuity goodness. I'm starting to find this to be characteristic of ST brews. Another example of where the line between DIPA and American Barleywine blurs, in my opinion. The hops are there, of course, and are more fruity than tart and juicy. The malt gives the fruit flavor an almost 'candied' quality - very intriguing. Finishes earthy, as per the name.

Full bodied, mild carbonation. Sweet - the earthy hop bitterness does not linger.

Interesting DIPA - I have to say I'm digging it, and I might pick up another bottle just to age. Packs a quiet wallop. As I'm finding, the maltiness of a DIPA such as this tends to overtake the hops that my tastebuds were expecting. So, if I'm in the mood for a DIPA or Barleywine, this brew would probably satisfy both urges sufficiently. Price tag is typical for ST in Ontario.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 21:23:54 | More by JohnnyBarman

heebes

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

650 ml bottle.

Pours a hazy orange amber with a good bone white fluffly head, leaves a little lacing. Nose is sweet citrus, bready malt base, floral. Taste is decent, good hop profile, citrus and grapefruit notes, certainly malt is dominant but remains mostly balanced. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, wet and satisfying.
Overall, a good double IPA - not a hop bomb, just a well balanced DIPA with a malt backbone and hop bitterness on the sip.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 18:46:06 | More by heebes

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Apple-cider/copper colour with a thin head that quickly recedes to a ring. Very good lacing.

S: Pine, grapefruit pulp, bold bread-like malt, floral elements, and a lingering earthy musky aroma. Alcohol detectable but decently hidden. Aroma is heavy and agreeable, and suggests large quantities of hops and malt.

T: Similar to aroma, with a strong biscuit malt backbone, bitter floral and citrus hop elements, toffee, and a healthy fungi earthyness. Smooth and mellow. Very good.

M: Medium bodied with a low-medium carbonation. Thick, oily, sticky, and plenty of resins. Quite a bitterness to this, yet finishes with a sweet kick.

D: Very delicious double IPA offering that is big on both malts and hops. Will be picking up more of this.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 01:08:38 | More by Digimaika2

Scotchboy

Idaho

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber, date of birth unknown because of a smudged out stamp, poured into a pint glass.

A: Hazed gold (tons of sediment in the bottom of this bottle, and I'm not sure thats normal) with a quickly receding off white head.

S: Interesting, lots of toffee and floral hop notes, giving the impression of an English Ale...earthiness, citrus notes, hints of alcohol, vanilla and spices...the nose doesn't really scream 'DIPA'.

T: Smooth, sweeter malt presence and a high dose of bitterness; caramel, toffee, fruitiness, alcohol burn, floral notes, faint citrus.

MF: Medium to light mouthfeel, good bitterness and dryness.

O: I think this is a pretty old bottle from the amount of sediment and sugary malts coming through. Lots of English Strong Ale/Barleywine characters. Decent.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 15:56:59 | More by Scotchboy

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Curious that I hadn't reviewed this yet, but this reappeared in the LCBO system so I thought I'd revisit. 650ml bottle lacking a bottling date, poured into a tulip.

Darker orange body that is perfectly clear, offwhite head of great density and lacing that's sticky and webbed as heck. Nose has some flesh citrus notes with a good dose of pine and resinous hop notes. Really sweet and sugary malt notes - perhaps 'over'-balanced in terms of malt character, a tad much for what I'd prefer in a DIPA, but not bad by any stretch. Taste has more flesh citrus, pine, honeydew melon and some sweet sugary cookie/biscuity malts with a lot of sweetness to it. Alcohol is meshed in with this. Full bodied for the style, and carbonation remains low and smooth; harder to finish as it warms due to the sweetness however. Filling and easily destructive of sobriety, but I don't think I enjoyed this much as I have previously. Perhaps bottle freshness was the culprit.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 04:31:29 | More by liamt07

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beer is an orange-caramel colour. A nice white head on top, moderate size. Good retention, good lacing.

Smell is full of c-hop scents. Citrus fruit, particularly grapefruit and lemon. Caramel malt is noticeable as well.

Taste is nice. Moderately bitter, grapefruit, lemon, orange. Caramel malt in the background, a nice contrast.

Moderate carbonation, full bodied. A bit oily.

Overall, really quite a nice DIPA. The malt component plays a nice role. Good stuff!

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 02:52:30 | More by jrenihan

Mit

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a blonde amber, decent head.

Sweet malts at the front followed by the heavy hops. Very balanced beer as far as odour so far.

Again the sweetness is prominent but it's even more balanced than the initial smell would indicate. Tastes like a strong beer without hitting you in the face with alc.

Mouthfeel is good but def thicker as one would expect.

Great beer... Kinda pricey at nine bucks a bottle but I would buy it again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 04:25:03 | More by Mit

kimbo33

Pennsylvania

4.98/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Perfect American Double, bursting with hop aroma and flavor. Perfect carbonation helps this high alcohol beer go down smoothly. Wish I got more than 2 bottles when i stopped there! Taste is a perfecct balance of malt, hops, and booze. Love it and you should seek it out!

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 05:32:04 | More by kimbo33

TheMultiYeast

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz. Bottle ---> Glass

Hazy dark orange with a thick white head and seafoam lacing.

Grapefruit sweetness in the nose balanced nicely by malts. Layers of hop complexity with resinous oil and fresh earthy pine upon cascade citrus. Aromas linger and stir around in the nose. Hop aroma is dank and moist.

Flavor is basically a hop bomb without the striking bitterness. This is truly an "infusion of hops" as the label indicates. Balance is present in taste too with pine/citrus hops dominating slightly. Caramelized malt, slight touch of burnt sugar beneath oily, prickly hop resin.

Very smooth and drinkable for an IIPA. Lots to enjoy here.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 05:10:55 | More by TheMultiYeast

haazer

Pennsylvania

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

A- A golden beer with orange highlights. Carbonation evident, due to the filtered beer...Booo!! Ah it still looks good. Bubbly white head that leaves lots of lacing.

S- Very earthly hops(obviously). Grass, slight pine, big hop cone profile. Smells dirty.

T- Good bit of cantelope, honeydo, and sticky malt. This is a bitter bomb. No pine but I definitely get tree sap. The abv tries to rear it's ugly head but it's kept in check on the finish.

M- Medium bodied with mid level carbonation. Lip smacking and sticky.

O- I definitely dig this from Southern Tier. It's name definitely fits description, and will have this in the future. Definitely recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2012 20:22:58 | More by haazer