Iniquity (Imperial Black Ale) - Southern Tier Brewing Company

cratez

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

650ml bottle from Ryan's Party Store in Port Huron, MI.

Pours pitch black with a thin ring of beige head and stringy, webbed lacing on the tulip.

Huge hop nose has spruce, ethanol, melon, mango, burnt sugar, caramel, chocolate cookie dough, leather, licorice, vanilla, floral and citrus aromas, and green banana.

Taste is rich pale and roasted malts, dark chocolate, caramel sweetness, citric, grassy and spicy hops, more spruce, green banana, and mango, juicy and acidic bitterness on the tongue, burnt toasty finish with Oreo cookie and some alcoholic warmth going down. A touch too sweet for my liking, and for the style.

Mouthfeel is fuller than medium bodied, smooth and syrupy middle, prickly bitterness on the palate with a slight burn in the throat.

Overall, this is an excellent DIPA, but it lacks the full on roast, chocolate, toast, and ballsy hop bitterness that I expect from a Black IPA. All of these elements only show up in trace amounts here. Ironically the label states that Iniquity is "the anti-thesis of Un*Earthly," yet aside from a few flavours brought out by the black malts, I find the two beers to be almost identical. Granted, that's not a bad thing, as Un*Earthly is one of my all-time favourites.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2010 18:30:50 | More by cratez

rodlavers

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

05-24-2013 03:09:35 | More by rodlavers

JamLand

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

05-23-2013 23:55:06 | More by JamLand

sgregory

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

05-22-2013 22:54:39 | More by sgregory

ThirdEyePA

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-22-2013 19:59:38 | More by ThirdEyePA

ncstateplaya

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

05-22-2013 18:57:25 | More by ncstateplaya

smccann

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-22-2013 00:22:49 | More by smccann

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-21-2013 19:57:39 | More by InspectorBob

fredmugs

Indiana

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-21-2013 18:08:14 | More by fredmugs

seplo

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-20-2013 23:19:12 | More by seplo

cwd

Kentucky

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-19-2013 14:53:17 | More by cwd

greg4579

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-19-2013 12:59:01 | More by greg4579

tattoopunk031

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-17-2013 19:38:20 | More by tattoopunk031

twenty5

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-17-2013 14:51:03 | More by twenty5

CanisMajor

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-16-2013 21:29:34 | More by CanisMajor

magictacosinus

California

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A big thanks to angrybabboon for sending me a bottle. Poured from a 22oz into a tulip glass. Shared with others. No bottling or freshness date, unfortunately. My first Southern Tier beer. Consumed on 05/12/13. Review is from my notes.

Pours a thickened, blackened beer with 2-3 fingers of a khaki colored head that never completely dies down. Bubbles are scattered about the bottle, and given the relatively high ABV, this is a well done feat indeed. As indicated by the pour, this is pretty viscous, often resembling imperial stouts or dessert beers of sorts in its solid, robust appearance. Nearly opaque, but some light reaches around the edges. Never seen a black IPA quite this before - menacing, full-bodied, and yet intriguing.

The aroma is chock filled with all kinds of dank earthy, roasted, herbal, and floral notes, all which come and go in spades. Immediately I'm getting a pine resinous flavor, coated with slight honey (signs of aging), as well as all kinds of different flavors that a beer in this style should offer. Mint leaves, rosemary, roasted biscuits, a touch of dark chocolate, woodiness, maybe a combo of plums and raisins added in there as a finalizing element. Totally vibrant and bright, but also pretty dank and robust given the roasted character and strong hoppy presence. Surprisingly, none of this is too explosive, and does not overwhelm the senses throughout.

Wow, given the context of the initial aromas, this is fantastically easy to drink. At first, you get an immediate roasted barley character that quickly turns towards a piney, dried citrusy, hop resinous flavor. The bitterness lingers on and finishes once again with the honey, cracked barley notes, and a lot of the herbal and floral phenols I described earlier. The centennial hops are definitely doing their job here, although the cascade prevents it from going overboard. This is exactly how I like black IPAs - piney and oily, yet filled with a roasted robustness. Super earthy at that end, almost as if you're right where the harvest of the ingredients starts as soon as you take each sip. Carbonation is solid, and provides an extra kick to all of these flavors. Chewy, syrupy, and very robust. Excellent stuff.

I haven't had a black IPA I enjoyed this much since Stone's 15th Anniversary Ale. I should have had this a little fresher, but it should hold up well given the thick malts and high ABV. However, the earthy flavors are a plus here, and it's all owed to the dank yet vibrant hop profile. Can't wait to try more beers from these guys!

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 17:37:56 | More by magictacosinus

Omnium

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottle > Pint Glass

A - Pours a rich dark brown/ruby hue, one finger of tan head, moderate lacing.
S - Wow, lots going on here, you get some sweet malts, chocolate, and vanilla, and it transforms into some fresh almost grassy hop aromas.
T - Those sweet malts come at you up font, very rich and creamy, and a little bit of spice kicks in and then you get some of the fresh lemongrass, mild citrus and some hop oil.
M - Very full and rich, lots of body, but is exquisitely smooth and finishes nice.
O - Outstanding beer, always a delight to have.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 01:36:09 | More by Omnium

jkane101

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-15-2013 00:40:42 | More by jkane101

vrbulldog22

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

05-13-2013 18:56:15 | More by vrbulldog22

purdueflyguy

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-13-2013 01:33:59 | More by purdueflyguy

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-12-2013 20:25:14 | More by BeerForMuscle

Whiskeydeez

Kansas

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

05-12-2013 16:04:48 | More by Whiskeydeez

hollywood_15063

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-12-2013 04:54:58 | More by hollywood_15063

estlinska

Arkansas

4.73/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured from the bottle into a tulip. Pours a deep, dark color of charred wood and allowing just the faintest amount of light through its belly. The head is big, two to three fingers high and cloud-like. There is lacing all over the glass as the beer disappears. The nose is a huge citrus hop blossom. There are all the usual offenders of bright oranges, grapefruit, lime and citrus zest. The black malts impart the very faintest of a Hersey chocolate bar, but gives much ground to the dry hop additions. The taste is incredibly smooth. The hops take all of the glory of this show and have all the fresh orange zest, fresh oranges...just a lot of orange flavor all over the place. There is a good bitter profile to the beer, but in no way astringent or overbearing. The malt gives good backbone to the beer and the creamy and roasty characteristics of a good black malt without any of the sometimes bitter component that comes across unnatural to some black IPAs. The mouthfeel shows none of the 9% abv and has good body. My only complaint would be a little bit of a syrupy feel at times. Notwithstanding, this beer is a fabulous black IPA that really features the late hop additions and pulls off a wonderfully balanced beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 23:17:25 | More by estlinska

woodchipper

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-11-2013 19:58:43 | More by woodchipper