Backburner (Imperial Barley Wine Style Ale) - Southern Tier Brewing Company

Brouwerij78

New York

3/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

One word...Meh...too pricey. I would probably not buy again but would be interested to see what it tastes like on tap. It is a heavier beer, with a bit of an aftertaste (not a particularly pleasant one). Overall, save your money - there are better barley wine style beers out there...try Victory Old Horizontal instead.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2011 00:09:59 | More by Brouwerij78

bierguru

Florida

2.98/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

- clear amber body no head pours with a slight bubbly head but fades quick

- smells of rich dark fruits with a hop backbone

- big dark fruit sweetness right up front malty middle with a citrus hop ending maybe some slight cherry flavors no booze backbone

- slightly carbonated and some prickleness in the mouth

- decent beer not really the best american barleywine out there very mild in both flavors and booze flavor

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2011 05:38:12 | More by bierguru

biglite351

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A - cloudy golden honey with a tall creamy near white head.

S - sweet caramel, fruit and yeast. A non so bitter hop scent in the finish.

T - a hop hit up front that is pushed by a caramel and fruit flavor through the middle. Slight roasted after taste.

M - medium coating with a mild tingle on the sides of the tongue.

O - not bad but not my bag.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 21:45:16 | More by biglite351

beerhan

Ohio

2.88/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Ah 2008 bottle poyred into a wine glass. Very little head with an orange color. Super thick and creamy. Smells veru fruity and tastes kind of bitter and reallt malty. Kind kf hurts going down. Thus is a real sipper that takes a while to drink. Decent beer for the price

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2010 05:56:53 | More by beerhan

charlesw

New York

2.78/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

It's brown. Today it's listed as 'merican b'wine but it's obviously not one. Smells like a Hardy clone. Mouth and taste more like ol' lighthouse (sic).

Low head, low carbonation in general. Which is really too bad 'cause what this really needs is to be lighter, you know? I mean, it's syrupy like underatenuated extract homebrew. Very unfortunate. Just like ol' lighthouse. Bleh.

Smells like Hardy. Prunes and brandy and caramel malt... Whoa! Heady stuff! But the flavors of a Hardy just aren't there. A little bitter at the end, but lots of syrupy sweetness. It's an English style, eh? And not one I'd seek out again.

Suggestions: dry it out a little, up the carbonation, up the bitterness, make the grain bill a little more complex.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2008 01:46:32 | More by charlesw

ChadQuest

Illinois

2.78/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

This is a touch sweet for the style, with less of a hop bitterness bite, maybe falling closer to the English side of the spectrum. The fruity presence in this beer is massive and juicy. much caramel going on in the sweetness. Such an easy drinking 10% BW alcohol wise, but its getting kinda cloying after half a 22oz. There is a light hop touch of predominently citrus notes to help the balance but it's not the amount you'd expect from an american BW. Dinkability is great during one glass but suffers after that point from the sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2010 07:10:08 | More by ChadQuest

chugalug06

Colorado

2.68/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Update: One year aged - VERY sugary, this may be my last ST brew... Very bland and heat filled and non-unique, no loger fits a B-Wine. Mouthfeel is metallic and papery. No longer recommended.

A - Very little head rises... A nice cream colored ring forms around the perimeter of the brew. Color is very caramel with poor clarity.

S - Interesting. Very malty. Slightly metallic. Doesn't really smell like a IB-Wine... Vaguely fits the style... Not too much hop in this one. Lots of sweet caramel too.

T - Very smooth and well blended. A unique B-wine. Lots of grape and caramel. Slightly on the overly sugary side.

M - Near perfect. Good carb, no heat, and gentle smoothness.

O - Not quite what I was expecting, but still a nice brew. Worth finding and trying. Not sure what the price on this was, but I would think twice before paying over $8

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 04:00:14 | More by chugalug06

klewis

Ohio

2.38/5  rDev -40.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

A: Pours a deep garnet color with a small bubbly head. Moderate lacing.

S: Small but balanced smell with both a fruity malt character and a dry hoppiness. Noticable alcohol presence.

T: Malty with brief fruit flavors that quickly yield to a taste of burnt plastic and chemicals. Bitter, hoppy, and alcoholic in the finish.

M: Full-bodied, chewy, and sticky with light carbonation.

D: Not bad, except for the disgusting taste of course. One of the worst tasting barleywines that I've had.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2007 22:02:06 | More by klewis

ktrillionaire

Florida

2.35/5  rDev -41.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A - It pours a big and sticky looking red hue, with large soapy bubbles in the plentiful froth. This thing screams 'big beer'.

S - The smell is quite alcoholic and malty-roasted in a vaguely unpleasant way. The hops are grassy, but they are not enough to compensate for the lesser aspects of the nose.

T - I was hoping for an improvement in terms of taste, but alas, 'twas not to be. The beer is a big burnt grainy alcoholic mess. Again, the hop is not enough to save it.

M - Not that good; similar to malt liquor.

D - Not that good; similar to malt liquor.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2010 02:16:49 | More by ktrillionaire

Arbitrator

California

1.93/5  rDev -51.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Lightly chilled bottle into a glass. Received in a trade from busch03. Thanks Waylon!

A: Pours a clear mahogany in the glass with ruby highlights when held against a lamp. The pour produces a light tan-colored head of two fingers' worth, but it slowly recedes into half a finger on the brew, and leaves some flecks of lacing down the glass. Really impressive for a 10%er.

S: Sickly sweet. Oh god. I was getting worried upon smelling this, thinking it was going to wind up tasting like the Cuvee One, which was a total sugar bomb. Caramel malts, toffee, honey, brown sugar, and fruits: pineapple / citrus and apple. Hugely complex, but it has me scared this is going to turn into an oversweet drain pour. Too much.

T: Surprisingly, it is not oversweet. Definitely caramel and some chocolate on the initial taste, but they're not out to make this a total malt bomb. Citrus hops make themselves known as grapefruit, orange, and pineapple flavors atop the malt backbone. Their bitterness carries toward the finish, where they work to blend with the more unrefined sweetness of honey and brown sugar. The finish is faintly grassy with a lingering bitterness. Some booze.

M: Viscous and thick, suggesting a lot of residual sugars, but the hops do well to fight them off. I'd be very worried about having this aged, though -- with faded hops, I think this would quickly become an imbalanced sugar bomb. Creamy carbonation. Slightly boozy.

D: I have another one, but I'm not looking to drink it anytime soon. I'm a little apprehensive about what it will turn into, but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt since it is fairly good right now.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2009 07:56:59 | More by Arbitrator