Iniquity (Imperial Black Ale)
Southern Tier Brewing Company

Iniquity (Imperial Black Ale)Iniquity (Imperial Black Ale)
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From:
Southern Tier Brewing Company
 
New York, United States
Style:
Black IPA
ABV:
9%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.13 | pDev: 10.9%
Reviews:
616
Ratings:
1,528
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 01, 2021
Added:
Jan 12, 2009
Wants:
  169
Gots:
  151
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by prototypic:
Photo of prototypic
Reviewed by prototypic from Ohio

4.17/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Appearance: Iniquity isn't quite black. It is very dark brown and a bit of light cutting through gives it garnet highlights. It's topped with a modest off-white head that's lucky to reach a finger deep. It wasted no time fleeing the scene and left a sticky lacing in its wake.

Smell: The nose is stacked with citrus hops. There's the usual suspects of grapefruit, pineapple, orange, and mango. A light dose of pine is in there, as well. There's a little malt that's noted. But, I'm not picking up any caramel which is definitely a good thing. It's a little yeasty on the tail. Alcohol surprisingly goes unnoticed. Very well done in this department. Really nice smelling beer.

Taste: The flavor isn't quite as good as the nose set my expectations. It's good, but not elite by any means. There is a really nice citrus hop flavor. It's bitter and features the usual wave of citrus flavors. The downside is that the there seems to be a really spicy hop flavor that consumes the citrus variety. It's good, but it negated what potentially was an excellent hop flavor. There's a little pine in there, but it's predominantly spicy. There's enough malt to hold it together well, but not too much. It is a tad yeasty. Alcohol is noted, but I wouldn't have guessed it's 9%. Finishes spicy and bitter.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: It has a smooth, creamy medium body. Carbonation is light and doesn't offend. Southern Tier really nailed the feel on this one. Drinkability is good, but falls short of great. I like the flavor quite a bit, but can't say that I love it. It's also weighs in at 9%. Not exactly a lightweight.

Iniquity is quite the interesting beer. It's good. Perhaps very good. But, I can't help but think about what could have been. The spicy hop flavor really cuts into and overtakes a more appealing citrus flavor. It's interesting. The citrus hops just begin to take hold...and then they're gone. Iniquity is injustice or an immoral act. Perhaps suppressing that really nice citrus hop flavor is Southern Tier's poetic (in)justice. All kidding aside, Iniquity is a nice beer. It really is very good. But, it's not quite as good as it could've been. Just sayin'.
Mar 28, 2009
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.66/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Dark brown colour, nearly black. Low beige head. Nice aroma of moderately roasted malts, tobacco and some citrus. Flavour also of moderately roasted malts, and fruity and slightly resinous hops. The alcohol is well hidden. Good, but does not blow my socks off.
May 01, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Aug 06, 2019
 
Rated: 4.23 by Reggie_Dunlop from Pennsylvania

Dec 15, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Kurzman from Rhode Island

Apr 18, 2017
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.47/5  rDev -16%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Dark brown pour yields about 1.25" head, tan in color. Aroma was why black ales never took off, too much roast, not enough hops. Gotta use that dehusked malt. This was less roast and more 'nothing' in terms of aroma.

Taste was a lot of brown malt, some hops, but not the amount I've come to expect from Southern Tier. Kind of felt like a hodgepodge recipe where they threw a bunch of leftover stuff together and still managed to salvage a decent beer. Efficiency!

One of the better black ales, but still behind their regular ipa/dipa lineup.
Aug 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.44 by JDW4195 from Florida

Jun 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by StoutAtTheDevil from Alabama

Apr 06, 2016
 
Rated: 4.18 by Zazzi82 from Tennessee

Jan 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4.26 by WastingFreetime from Wisconsin

Dec 28, 2015
 
Rated: 4.34 by DASA10 from New Jersey

Dec 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.2 by steve419 from New York

Dec 13, 2015
 
Rated: 3.78 by MasterRigger from North Carolina

Dec 09, 2015
Photo of DavoleBomb
Reviewed by DavoleBomb from Pennsylvania

3.69/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a snifter.

3.25 A: Black color. One finger of beige head. Retention is below average and just a few wisps of lacing are left.

3.5 S: Floral hops with pine and citrus underneath. Pithy grapefruit and clove honey. Earthy with bready malts.

3.75 T: This is a black IPA done well. It's not overly bitter, indeed, it has just a light bitterness. Good mix of earthy, citrus, floral, and grassiness from the hops. Honey comes through fairly strong despite it not being in the recipe. Bready maltiness with a pleasant spicy finish.

4.0 M: Heavier medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Very nice creaminess that makes this super smooth. Alcohol super well hidden.

3.75 D: Very good example of the style.
Sep 27, 2015
 
Rated: 4.03 by mytu420 from Romania

Sep 06, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Magister_Beav from Vermont

Sep 06, 2015
 
Rated: 4.05 by PhysicsBrew from Texas

Sep 06, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by leitmotif from Romania

Sep 05, 2015
 
Rated: 4.56 by mpmcguire11 from Rhode Island

Sep 04, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by MidwestBA from Illinois

Aug 29, 2015
Iniquity (Imperial Black Ale) from Southern Tier Brewing Company
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 1528 ratings