Iniquity (Imperial Black Ale) - Southern Tier Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
92
outstanding
-
1,068 Ratings

THE BROS
100
world-class
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rAvg: 4.14
pDev: 11.35%
Reviews: 576
Hads: 492

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Brewed by:
Southern Tier Brewing Company

New York, United States

Style | ABV
American Black Ale | 9.00% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (519), on-tap (50), growler (7).

Notes:
No notes at this time.

View: Beers (38) | Reviews (27) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by beagle75:

beagle75

Iowa

3.7/5 rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber into a tulip pint glass.

A: Clear, ruby-tinted dark brown color with one finger of beige foam head. lacing remains on the glass.

S: Piney hops outdistance the dark bitter chocolate in the smell, but not by a lot. It seems restrained, compared to the intensity of the flavor profile, but does not truly lack intensity. Spectral dark fruit also lurks, barely showing itself. No alcohol is detected.

T: Begins off-dry, with fairly mild pine and dark citrus hop aromatics and a refined combination of richly toasted malt and English yeast esters. Acidity is moderate, yet unable to scatter the intense host of appropriate flavors. Malt shines in the middle, appearing simultaneously refined in its smoky quality but also husky in the quality of dark roast it presents. The finish is reflective of the dominant components from earlier in the profile, with hops and dark malt each continuing to contribute. Bitterness is kept in check, appearing restrained compared to the other qualities demonstrated. No alcohol is detected.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, simultaneously wet and slightly creamy on the palate then developing slight stickiness later, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: For a big black IPA, this beer is fairly palate-friendly. Flavors are balanced, with just a slight edge given to the layered dark malt qualities over hop influences. It is notably similar to Stone's Sublimely Self-Righteous ale, a beer that arguably founded the imperial black IPA sub-style.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 00:29:20 | More by beagle75

More User Reviews:

jaxon53

Connecticut

3.75/5 rDev -9.4%

06-17-2013 08:46:23 | More by jaxon53

bcsbeer

Florida

4.25/5 rDev +2.7%

06-16-2013 20:40:25 | More by bcsbeer

JMUbrewz

Virginia

4.25/5 rDev +2.7%

06-12-2013 17:37:38 | More by JMUbrewz

lndsy

Texas

4.75/5 rDev +14.7%

06-12-2013 00:44:13 | More by lndsy

goblin7704

Ohio

4.25/5 rDev +2.7%

06-11-2013 22:18:47 | More by goblin7704

utopiajane

New York

3.54/5 rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours black with a ruby undertone. Two fingers of sturdy foam from a vigorous pour that fell unwillingly to some sticky lacing. Nose is muted dark fruits, citrus hops and roasted malt that’s a little burnt. The forward hop nose is contrast to the dark color. As it warms the malt comes forward even more, a little coffee, more earthy hops and slightly boozy. First taste is a surprise. I expected very sweet but what I got was smooth, burned toast and bitter. The chocolate comes out a little and the alcohol is warming. It finishes big and heavy, bittersweet and smoky. Well made.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 16:49:27 | More by utopiajane

coz

Illinois

3.75/5 rDev -9.4%

06-11-2013 01:23:31 | More by coz

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.9/5 rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours very dark brown with a light tan head.
Nose shows roasted malt, coffee, sweet bready malt, resinous hops, booze and pine.
More roasted malt and booze as flavours but also fruity confectionery, pine and lots of sweet malt.
Too highly carbonated.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2013 08:32:23 | More by CrazyDavros

jreindl

Wisconsin

4.25/5 rDev +2.7%

06-08-2013 14:23:44 | More by jreindl

tjsmith910

Florida

4.75/5 rDev +14.7%

06-08-2013 01:45:28 | More by tjsmith910

girlbrew

District of Columbia

4.08/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle into pint glass

Head is a thick light tan that dies down to a thin bubbly ring.

Color is a lighter and more transparent brown than a usual black ale, more of a lager color.

The nose on this is very nice; lots and lots of sugar up front then strong caramel and toffee scents. With all the sugar, the aroma has more than a passing resemblance to sticking your nose in a bag of fresh caramel corn at the fair.

Taste is assertively sweet, almost barleywine level sweetness. Why does Southern Tier make such sweet beer? Its a very good beer that could have been so much better if they had better balanced all those sugars. Faint hops at the end but too little too late.

Mouthfeel is an appropriate level of carbonation that can't cut through the slick sugary coating left behind.

Overall its a quality beer made with real skill but falls short due to Southern Tier's sweetness problem. This is where personal preference comes into play; someone who likes a nice barleywine or quad will love this but those of us who love crisp pilsners and dry stouts will feel compelled to brush out teeth afterwards.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 00:39:12 | More by girlbrew