2XIPA - Southern Tier Brewing Company

DerekCarruth

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

08-17-2012 20:28:24 | More by DerekCarruth

barnzy78

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, "DOB 3/7/13" stamped on the bottle
Pours golden with stunning clarity, and has a frothy, white head that holds good retention. Both citric and caramely malt on the nose with some tropical notes to boot. Nice meld of juicy tropical hops, citric grapefruit, pine, bready malt, caramel, and honey on the palate. Mouth-feel is medium-full with nice carbonation. Overall, a solid DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 03:31:40 | More by barnzy78

Kam

North Dakota

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-24-2013 23:34:05 | More by Kam

Fusion_Pirate

Michigan

4.65/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Purchased from a local beer/liquor ship in a six-pack. I gave their standard India Pale Ale a "3 out of 5" a while back, so I honestly don't have huge expectations for this one!

A: Poured carefully into a chilled weisen glass, Southern Tier 2XIPA yielded a half-finger of bone-white head which quickly dissipated. Pretty good lacing and retention thereof. The beer itself is a fairly translucent, pale amber color. Elegant-looking, but nothing that knocks me out at first glance.

S: Gorgeous. Rich pine needles, citrus notes, banana bread, and caramel maltiness all hit the nose in a strong, yet balanced fashion.

T: The taste almost matches the olfactory preview, which is saying a lot! A strong, hoppy bitter front end, with a generous, warm malt finish. Very balanced, although some of the definition is lost in translation from smell to taste.

M: This beer is very smooth on the tongue, especially for a DIPA- it actually offers a smoother drink than many standard IPAs I've had, which is a testament to the balance of flavors and the moderate carbonation level. Almost dangerously effortless! haha

O: Definitely a winner. While you can't judge a book by its cover, it's too bad that the appearance is so unremarkable, especially when the imbibation process is ultimately so righteous! All in all, Southern Tier's got the right idea with their take on the American DIPA. My advice: Skip their underwhelming standard IPA and go straight for the 2X!

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 23:31:56 | More by Fusion_Pirate

jricharc

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%

05-24-2013 21:22:59 | More by jricharc

robertmitchum

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-24-2013 10:56:58 | More by robertmitchum

HiWire

Florida

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-24-2013 05:17:50 | More by HiWire

Hydes

Kentucky

4.75/5  rDev +17%

05-24-2013 01:22:59 | More by Hydes

TranceTF

Maryland

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-24-2013 01:08:14 | More by TranceTF

maDUECEgunner

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-23-2013 23:19:31 | More by maDUECEgunner

Alextricity

Michigan

4.36/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottled 4/4/13 and poured into a shaker pint on 5/23/13. $2.19 bottle.

Appearance: Looks like a Miller Lite -- CRYSTAL clear yellow color. An aggressive pour gave me almost a fist full of white, fluffy and soapy head, but it ultimately went down to and stayed at about two. Ridiculously nice lacing.

Smell: Floral, spicy, earthy, delicious. Very West Coast-esque.

Taste/feel: Like the smell. Surprisingly, there's actually quite a bit of body to this. While I'd expect that from the style, this poured looking rather thin. A good bit of sweet, hoppy, resinous flavors on the front, and a super tasty bready flavor from the malt on the finish. There's also a slight grainy flavor during some sips that I'm not much used to in IIPAs, but I enjoy it. Well balanced, easy drinking, refreshing. Very "juicy" tasting, with just maybe a slight drying on the finish due to the bitterness. Excellent body, and perfect carbonation. One of the most easy-to-drink IIPAs that I've had... no alcohol in the aroma, taste, or feel. Tasty as all get out.

Smells great, tastes fantastic ... screams West Coast IIPA for me, and I think it tastes a bit like a sweeter Torpedo by Sierra Nevada, if I'm remembering that beer correctly. Mind is blown that this beer *only* has a 91 rating, because this is outstanding... everything about it is right. The appearance, the smell, the taste, the feel, and even the price, even though it's a bit more expensive than some other similar beers.

TRY THIS BEER.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 20:58:44 | More by Alextricity

magictacosinus

California

3.99/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks angrybabboon. Poured into a tulip glass from a 12oz bottle. Bottling date is "02/21/13." Consumed on 05/19/13. Review is from my notes.

Pours a surprisingly golden yellow color with slight amber-ish tones, but in a way that would easily mistake someone of this being a pilsner or something. The head is good, in a way that rises about 2-3 fingers high, but it eventually settles down and leaves a ring behind. Not too many bubbles, although pretty mellowed out for a beer this high in ABV. Definitely a very different look for beers of this style - but its clear, down-to-earth appearance is definitely winning me over.

The aroma is not as hoppy as I expected it to be - but the lack of resinous oils from the hops should have been a first indicator of what I was getting myself into. Light graininess with a touch of sweetness, and then there's a bit of pine, some citrus, apricots, definitely a lot of cider, but otherwise super pleasant and not stinging on the nostrils at all. It's pretty impressive how well hidden the alcohol is here, and while this does smell at all what I'd expect a DIPA to typically be, it's not anything offensive either. Simply a tad underwhelming.

The flavor is similar, but luckily a little bit more of a desired hop-focused character seeps through on the palate. This is very similar to Arctic Panzer Wolf only far more toned down - by that, I mean that there's a far more present grainy, crisp, and refreshing flavor, some butterscotch from the malts, and traces of dried pine needles, oranges, pineapple, and a bit of grapefruit. Not very astringent or explosive, but rather more even leveled - the crisp sensation adds a bit of charm to otherwise tame hop profile, and makes this particularly easy to drink. Over the course of consumption, I began to enjoy this more based on its balanced nature - in a way, it's almost like a dry hopped pale, but it's more than that. The extra alcohol adds consistency to the body, and the golden pale grains make this refreshing in midst of any dryness from the hops. Very, very drinkable, actually - this is still thickened enough, semi-wet, and fruity and dried at the finish to hold interest throughout.

It is so refreshing to see a DIPA that brings forth any nuances from the grains and malts like this one does! The hops are without a doubt a bit more subtle than I expected them to be, but their presence makes itself known throughout, with the solid grain backbone soon following. It's not necessarily the most complex DIPA on the block, but it's undeniably easy going and perfect for even the most casual settings. Not my favorite in the style, but definitely one that I can commend for its original recipe that breaks the mold for once.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 06:35:03 | More by magictacosinus

UWBadgerFan4Life

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-23-2013 01:52:00 | More by UWBadgerFan4Life

Wally

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-23-2013 00:34:44 | More by Wally

DeekNayvuz

Montana

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%

05-22-2013 19:34:32 | More by DeekNayvuz

dcloeren

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-22-2013 19:26:54 | More by dcloeren

scottyu27

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-22-2013 13:08:04 | More by scottyu27

justinm4bama

Alabama

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-21-2013 22:45:03 | More by justinm4bama

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-21-2013 20:33:20 | More by InspectorBob

fredmugs

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-21-2013 18:08:42 | More by fredmugs

joshbrink

Alabama

4.04/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Serving type: 12 oz bottle poured into IPA glass

A: Lighter golden color. Lighter than I would have expected for this style. Still pretty to look at. One finger head, left small amount of lacing on the side of the glass.

S: Definitely can smell the hoppy content of the beer. Noticed the aroma well before I poured it. Very nice citrus and grapefruit aroma. Some floral notes as well.

T: Moderately bitter. Not quite as much bitterness as i was hoping for. Slightly mislead by the great aroma. Slight caramel taste to it. Definitely taste the citrus, fruity flavors, some grapefruit. Masked the higher abv quite nicely.

M: Generally good carbonation. Mouthfeel was not disappointing. Medium body.

O: A good beer, but with so many other rather outstanding IPAs out there, this one may not be one i will go back for on a regular occasion, but definitely glad i grabbed a sixer of it. For I will definitely want more than one glass.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 15:56:01 | More by joshbrink

Josiah2729

Tennessee

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-21-2013 03:25:13 | More by Josiah2729

nick_asian

Nevada

4.75/5  rDev +17%

05-21-2013 03:07:52 | More by nick_asian

swanson45

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%

05-21-2013 02:33:00 | More by swanson45

johntfox

Florida

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-20-2013 22:17:33 | More by johntfox