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

heysuz

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Intro: 64 oz. growler poured into a tulip glass. Shared with a friend.

Appearance: Poured a moderate two inch off-white head that remained through half the sample. Thin sparse lacing forms on side of glass. Color is deep amber with slight haziness.

Smell: Slight aroma of hops with a sweet note. The overall aroma is somewhat stronger than other brews in this class. The malts and sugars are more pronounced in this beer than some other DIPA's I've tried.

Taste: Good, rich, deep flavor that seems to smooth out some of the sharp hoppiness. It is dry but not as much as HopSlam or Dreadnaught. The malts stay in front of the hops throughout and provide a creamy flavor.

Mouthfeel: It has a creamy feel that coats the tongue but at same time is has a hoppy, resin aftertaste. The alcohol tends to leave your mouth dry.

Overall: At 11% ABV it's a quite drinkable beer. It's in the same league as HopSlam and 90min. IPA although I would prefer HopSlam if I had all three sitting in front of me and I could only drink one. I've had the 2XIPA also but prefer the taste of this. It just seems a little more complex and interesting.

Special notes: We did a side-by-side comparison with the regular Unearthly. Here are the comparison notes:
* Slightly (about 2 shades) darker in color.
* Slightly stronger aroma than the regular Unearthly. Just seemed to expand a little more.
* Slightly smoother than the regular Unearthly. The oak aging tends to knock off some of the sharp hoppiness and bring out the malts and sugars a little more.
* The regular Unearthly seemed drier and doesn't have the same creamy feel.
* Richer and more complex flavor than the regular Unearthly

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2011 16:27:57 | More by heysuz

tobelerone

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -2%

05-18-2013 23:19:43 | More by tobelerone

andruke

Michigan

4/5  rDev -2%

05-18-2013 23:14:42 | More by andruke

bluestar0828

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -14.2%

05-18-2013 21:06:44 | More by bluestar0828

hinemk76

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

05-18-2013 03:42:52 | More by hinemk76

Trifecta1

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottle during finals week to take the edge off.

A: An amazing crystalline golden orange color, pours with a small head. Enticing lacing as the head fizzes away. Looks incredible, world class.

S: Not very hoppy, but full of citrus fruit notes and caramel.

T: Totally off guard. Very sweet caramel flavors with a monstrous oak bite. Citrus flavor stays in the back with mild bitterness and slight alcohol flavors come in last. Was expecting some of the hop flavor to fade due to the aging, but not this much. However, that doesn't mean it's bad, it is actually very tasty, but not the hop bomb one may be looking for.

M- Very sticky, velvety, full bodied, definite sipper.

O: Took me by surprise. Was expecting it to be OK for 6.99, but turned out great. Will definitely be buying one again in the future, but there are other beers to tackle first.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 02:37:10 | More by Trifecta1

teromous

Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -11%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: It pours a light brown color with an orange hue, and transparent. The head is very thick, eggshell-white, and leaves good lacing on the glass.

S: Clean hop smell with a little bit of pine and some tangerine scent. It smells very nice like fresh fruit.

T: The oak hits first, then some malty flavor. There is some hop to the taste but not very much! After drinking, more of the oak character comes out. There's some bitterness along with a woody flavor. I appreciate how the alcohol flavor is burried in this beer. Aging worked well in that respect. (re-reviewing had the same tasting notes)

M: The mouthfeel is medium bodied and mellow. No alcohol burn and the hop bitterness is very tame. Easy to drink.

O: This is a re-review. The beer looks and smells much better than it used to, but it is still relatively tame on flavor and bitterness. It's a good beer but it needs more punch. It's still an enjoyable beer to drink, and that's the most important thing.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 01:29:29 | More by teromous

basickness

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%

05-18-2013 00:40:05 | More by basickness

russwilliam

New York

4.75/5  rDev +16.4%

05-17-2013 05:32:49 | More by russwilliam

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pours a clear copper color, with a white foam and some lacing. More than a little lacing, leaves a whole sheet of lace. Smells of grapefruit and tropical hops. Tastes like grapefruit and a small dry oak. Piney, resinous bitterness. Full bodied, well carbonated, fairly dry from the oak. Citrusy, oaky, boozy, what you would expect. A seasoned beer for seasoned beer drinker. I like this beer, and if you like IPAs you will like this too.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2013 22:24:19 | More by Stinkypuss

Thickfreakness

New York

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

05-15-2013 03:08:08 | More by Thickfreakness

Drucifer

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%

05-14-2013 13:47:11 | More by Drucifer

imyourhero21

California

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

05-14-2013 05:37:46 | More by imyourhero21

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -2%

05-13-2013 22:35:03 | More by mikeincharleston

vrbulldog22

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%

05-13-2013 18:56:51 | More by vrbulldog22

leftstagebrew

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -14.2%

05-13-2013 15:40:59 | More by leftstagebrew

kustard

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%

05-13-2013 04:05:39 | More by kustard

amcaleh

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

05-12-2013 16:24:30 | More by amcaleh

Hallertau

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

05-11-2013 03:47:34 | More by Hallertau

ToddHolder

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%

05-11-2013 01:38:16 | More by ToddHolder

Casey3236

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%

05-10-2013 01:34:26 | More by Casey3236

Andrew61923

Connecticut

4.24/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from 22 oz bomber into my Tree House tulip. Bottled April 8, so this is a little less than a month old.

A: What a gorgeous pour. Clear honey color with a small white head that slowly dissipates to a halo along the glass and a thin film on top. The lacing could be a bit better, but this is really inviting.

S: A big hop presence up front that is mellowed out nicely by the barrel. A really balanced aroma.

T: The taste pretty closely follows the nose. I get a lot of American hops that give way to the barrel on the back of the tongue. A tad sweet, but the higher ABV makes this not a surprise.

M: This is pretty drinkable for the ABV. It may border on syrupy a little bit too much, but it drinks really well. Carbonation is just right.

O: I really enjoyed this beer. It was a pleasure to drink and try to break down the different nuances that make it such a solid brew. I'd recommend drinking this soon if you have it.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 00:58:30 | More by Andrew61923

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a Surly Darkness chalice glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep copper golden orange with a moderate amount of bubbles. Solid two fingers of off white head that recede into a thin creamy layer. Leaves a decent amount of lacing.

Smell: A dank hoppy aroma with big hints from the barrel aging. Barrel characteristics upfront with big hints of oak and wood as well as a little vanilla. Big earthy hop aroma with lots of dank and spicy pine resin and grass. Herbal and floral hints. Also hints of citrus grapefruit, orange peel, mango, and lemon. Bready malt background with hints of biscuit, sweet caramel, grain, and yeast. Pine and oak stand out the most. A very solid smell .

Taste: Like the smell, a grassy and spicy hop driven taste with a big oak barrel profile. Big notes of oak and wood along with a little vanilla. Big taste of hops leaning to the dank and spicy side. Notes of pine resin and grass as well as some floral notes. Citrus notes of orange, grapefruit, lemon, tangerine, and mango. Solid bready malt backing with notes of biscuit, caramel, toffee, yeast, and grain. The oak notes play off well with the piney hops. A pretty good taste.

Mouthfeel: Body is on the heavier side of medium. Carbonation is moderate. Juicy and fairly oily. Drying finish. Alcohol is masked by the hops.

Overall: A very good aged IPA. The oak adds a good and interesting kick.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 06:46:00 | More by MattyG85

Cdunk11

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

05-04-2013 03:38:41 | More by Cdunk11

smutty33

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -2%

05-01-2013 17:31:53 | More by smutty33