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

CosmoHopHead

Kansas

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: pours a very dark ruby brown with a one finger off white head. Very thick lacing coats the glass walls

S: smells like a very nice barelywine. Malts are dominate but blend well with the potent earthy hops. Hints on pine, biscuits, yeast, lemon zest and tart fruit

T: tart fruits mixed with a bready, buscuit undertone. Earthy, piny hops come through on the backend. Alcohol warms the throat as it goes down.

M: light carbonation with a heavy feel on the tongue and bitter to the cheeks

D: at 10% abc it's pretty easy to drink. Alcohol is well hidden at first but comes on as you drink it. Probably couldn't drink more than one glass.

Overall a very nice barleywine. Not one of my favorites but I wouldn't shy away from having again.

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2010 00:46:51 | More by CosmoHopHead

DmanGTR

New York

4.08/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Review from notes on 3/10/10. On tap at MacGregor's, I believe it's the 07 vintage.

A - Clear dark ruby/garnet with a well formed and retaining beige head. Very nice lacing. 4.5

S - Sweet muscat grapes, light caramel, hint of currants. Touch of carob. Wish the nose was stronger. 4.0

T - Big malty backbone, lots of caramel and a bit of figs followed by a healthy dose of bitterness and citrus. Finishes long with a touch of roast. 4.0

M - Crisp and medium bodied, well carbonated. A bit light for an American barleywine. 3.5

D - Too drinkable. Excellent. 4.5

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2010 12:47:56 | More by DmanGTR

DawnL

New York

3.75/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

True amber with a little sticky lacing at the rim.

Pleasant hops with some alcohol on the nose.

Lots of alcohol heat. A cross between fine whiskey and beer. Wooden quality - not oak and not pine - more like bramble. Very intense, especially the alcohol.

This brew coats the palate. Has some residual sugar that collects around the lips but is not evident in either taste or aroma.

The drinkability suffers just because of the massiveness of this brew.

All in all - I love this beer!

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2009 14:26:26 | More by DawnL

keaston

New York

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Visited the brewery, tasted this and brought home a growler of it. I figured I'd review it while doing some homework.

A - Poured into my Middle Ages imperial pint glass. Mahogany brown with ruby highlights. A 1-finger tan head quickly gives way to a thin lace on top.

S - Rich and inviting. Caramel and dark fruit underneath a floral and citric hop aroma. I could smell this beer all day.

T/M - Toffee sweetness, almost like malt syrup, is first and foremost. Hops are there for balance and linger for a bittering finish. Alcohol is very well hidden, mingling with the bitterness only at the very end. Definitely can feel the 10% more than I can taste it. All around a very tasty barleywine, though not as complex as the nose might indicate. Mouthfeel is very good, with just the right amount of carbonation that is gentle on the tongue and does not obscure any flavors.

D - Since the alcohol is so well hidden for the style, this gets a high drinkability mark. Goes down very smoothly and quite tasty, nothing except the sheer inebriation would keep me from drinking more of this but alas, not today.

Though not saying much, this is probably the best barleywine I've had and I'll definitely look into getting a bottle of this sometime in the near future. If you have a chance to visit the brewery, do it.

Serving type: growler

04-26-2009 22:32:38 | More by keaston

aerozeppl

New York

4.45/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: A very dark brown color with quite a bit of red highlights. An impressive half finger of slightly off white head as well. Excellent lacing that was the first indication of how hoppy this beer is.

S: Hops. Just a wonderfully pungent hop nose. You do get quite a bit of malt and even a hint of raisins and molasses but damn was this hoppy.

T: Just a nice hoppy American barley wine. Tons of piney citrus hops. The malt was interesting in that there was quite a bit of other elements besides just the sweetness. Some dark fruit towards the end. Really nice and complex.

M: Heavy side of medium bodied that was fairly heavy on the tongue.

D: Damn this was quite a bit better on tap than it was in the bottle. The hops really shone though. It is a damn shame that we cannot get more Southern Tier stuff on tap being in the same state.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2009 20:47:13 | More by aerozeppl

Jayli

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had at The Abbey in Worcester 2/13
This beer pours a a mahogony color leaning more towards a plum color with an off white half finger head that holds nicely. Thick lacing that are present throughout. Nose is a big malty presence with hints of sweet caramel and sugar. Hops are also present with pine and floral fruit aromas. Alcohol is also very present in the nose. This is the first barley wine that I've tried and based off the nose, I thought that I would not like it. I was wrong! Taste is way more mellow than the smell - in a good way. Caramels, chocolate, brown sugar mixed with pine and floral hops. I found this to be very well balanced. Somewhat thick and juicy in the mouth. This is definitely a sipper, and with the high ABV not one to sit with for a session - however definitely a beer that I would have again!

Serving type: on-tap

02-14-2009 18:21:53 | More by Jayli

deanhead

Vermont

4.25/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Brilliant amber/copper color
Smells of earth and horseblanket, with slight hint of fruit.
Sweet and malty, but well balnce with a dank bitternses that rides it's way thru the finish of the beer. It's a nice medium bodied, dank and sticky beer, yet Highly drinkable as far as barleywines go. This is great beer. Sek it out!

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2008 20:35:40 | More by deanhead

EPICAC

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Burp Castle in NYC.

Pours a clear, deep amber. Topped by a beige head that fades to a patchy film leaving spotty lace. The aroma is malty and very fruity with notes of caramel and cherries. Swirling brings out hints of hops.

Malty: caramel and a bit of chocolate. Toasty with a bit of citrusy hops and a nice bitter finish. Full-bodied, moderate to low carbonation and smooth.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2008 19:10:56 | More by EPICAC

morebeergood

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Tried this big beer on tap last Saturday night at Deep Ellum. Came served in a Unibroue tulip glass. It was dark red, bordering on mahogany in color. Not much head or carbonation to speak of. The smell was really piney. The taste was very good. Sometimes I am not a fan of certain barleywines because they border on firewater, but this was a tamed inferno that I'd have no trouble enjoying. Very smooth in both body and taste, and very satisfying. Only thing that I noticed was that the alcohol really kicks with this one, so I am glad that it was acting as my dessert after dinner. No more beer after that one.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2008 23:41:15 | More by morebeergood

tprokop7

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Reviewing this one from the Dive Bar. Poured from the tap into a snifter. I had a bottle the other day, and I was excited when I saw it on the chalkboard.

A - Pours copper with a one finger whitish head.

S - Smells sweet and hoppy. Definate bitterness, with some floral and citrus as the main influences.

T - Nice, sweet flavor quickly backed up with floral hops.

M - Smooth, with pleasant moderate carbonation.

D - This one really wins here. Despite the high abv, it goes down smooth and pleasant overall. I've always thought ST's regular offerings were pretty average, but I've loved their bigger stuff so far.

Serving type: on-tap

03-03-2008 02:16:11 | More by tprokop7

imaguitargod

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was on tap at La Cave Du Vin so I ended up getting a snifter of it. Burgundy in color and a little less opaque than most barely wines I've had. There is not much carbonation and is your typical barley wine in taste except when it comes to the hops. There is a lot of hops here but they come in as a background flavor and aftertaste making it a bit bitter.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2008 00:27:21 | More by imaguitargod