2XIPA - Southern Tier Brewing Company

distantmantra

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Quinn's. Seattle, WA.

A: Straw yellow with a hint of orange. Tiny head of foam with heavy lacing that does not dissipate.

S: Fantastic pine hop smell with some grapefruit and other citrus fruits.

T: Very strong pine flavor from the hops, but there is a nice secondary citrus taste in there as well. Nice sweet aftertaste with very little alcoholic flavor.

M: Nice medium carbonation. Very smooth.

O: Wonderful Imperial IPA that goes down smooth and hides it's ABV quite well.

Serving type: on-tap

07-18-2011 04:57:23 | More by distantmantra

surprenant1138

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours into a snifter a light golden/amber color with approximate 3/4pm creamy white head with sticky lacing. Aroma is of hops, flowers, fresh cut grass, some pine, some spices. Mouthfeel is fairly light, with fair carbonation. Taste is of all the aromas with slightly more spice. Excellent DIPA.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2011 21:03:28 | More by surprenant1138

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Brick Store Pub. Pours a very slightly hazy golden with a scant head and pretty nice lacing. The aroma is slightly sweet and beguilingly piney. The taste is similar- sweet malt base folowed by a pine slam. Not wxactly balanced, but the malt and pine play off one another nicely. Nice bitterness and very smooth in the mouth. Nice beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2011 02:11:57 | More by Georgiabeer

beertunes

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in bubble pint glass. Poured a light golden straw color with about 3/4 inch of white head that had good retention and lacing.

The scent was a nice, mellow, balanced aroma with mostly pine hops upfront and a bit of graininess in the background. The taste was pretty similar, pine upfront with a citrusy finish and an underlying grain taste. This was a much more even an balanced version than most of the style.

The body was good, crisp and clean, not thick or sticky like a lot of examples. Drinkability was very good, the beer went down easily and I had a couple. Overall, a very nice brew. If you're looking for an ImpIPA that doesn't kill the palate, this is your beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-01-2011 19:47:36 | More by beertunes

Groomsy

Kentucky

3.93/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at Mellow Mushroom in Lexington, KY. Served in a pint glass and consumed on 16 May 2011. Review taken from notes and recent memory.

Appearance: The body was a burnt golden/slight orange, topped by a thin wispy head of bone-white foam. There was just a little bit of hop residue in suspension, and a medium amount of carbonation bubbles floated to the top of the glass. The beer left behind some occasional strings of lacing down the glass. Looks more like a regular IPA, but still nice.

Smell: First thing that leaped into my mind - mango. Tons of mango, like I'm walking through a mango field. There are some other tropical fruits in the mix too, notably grapefruit, pineapple, and a little bit of orange in there too. For a hoppy beer, this smells remarkably sweet, but not too sweet for its own good. There's a VERY subtle note of caramel malt and honey - as well as some pine resin - lingering behind all the fruit in this beer. Less brutal than other double IPA's I've had, but this smells amazing. I was vaguely reminded of Hawaiian Punch?

Taste: Fruit and citrus are what display the hops in a beautiful and mouthwatering sweetness. The tongue is dominated by flavors of mango, pineapple, orange, grapefruit, and who knows what other tropical fruits are in there. There's a small backbone of caramel malt sweetness to offset the fruity flavors of the hops, and the beers finishes on a bitter note of pine resin. A very solid DIPA, if a little sweeter than what I expected. Almost tastes more like a souped up pale ale, but still done very well. Low alcohol flavors, hidden very well by other flavors.

Mouthfeel: Very smooth in the mouth and medium-bodied, not as aggressive as other imperial IPA beers. Well-placed carbonation leaves some lingering flavors of warming alcohol and pine on the palate and creates a slight drying sensation.

Overall: A great IIPA, though much sweeter than I expected. It was nice to be able to try this on tap. I can't say I would drink this regularly, but it was a darn good beer and works very well in the IIPA style.

Serving type: on-tap

05-17-2011 15:07:34 | More by Groomsy

nc41

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Really a surprise brew, I've had Unearthly and it's decent stuff. Nice and fruity, lots of citrus. fairly light for a DIPA, but I like that it's not over the top sweet. Never read a bio but it does taste like they use a little honey in this one. Really a very nice DIPA that won't dissappoint, and it's not really expensive. Really worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2011 22:15:02 | More by nc41

Reaper16

Alabama

3.58/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

served on-tap at Flying Saucer, Kansas City, MO, into a tulip glass

Pours a typical orangeish color that so many beers of this style are. It's a little bit lighter than that, I guess; some yellow shows up around the edges. Minimal white head, adequate lacing.

Nice nose; it isn't nearly as malty as I expected (given Southern Tier's other, malt-heavy, IIPAs). Oranges and nectarines scream up out of the glass. Pine resin and Pine-Sol bring up the rear. Maybe even some white grapes opening up as the beer warms. It's straightforward but intense.

The taste doesn't quite follow through on the intensity of the nose. Some light, clean malt flavors make for a flimsy skeleton as the hop bitterness does its own thing. Pine-Sol for days, oranges too. Lots and lots of top-end bitterness. While I am fine with the degree of bitterness here, I feel that it somewhat compromises the other flavors that could be here. 2xIPA seems to be going for tons of bitterness rather than a cohesive flavor profile. Still, this is above average for the style simply because it isn't malty.

The mouthfeel could use a little bit of work. I'm scoring it a 3.5 just because the carbonation level is on-point. The thickness of the body, especially on the finish, is not something I'm very fond of, however.

Overall, this is not the Pliny competitor that some think it is. It's a bit too one-note to compete in that realm. It tastes pretty good, but it wears thin quickly.

Serving type: on-tap

05-10-2011 07:21:47 | More by Reaper16

Gambrinus1184

Connecticut

4.2/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-tap at The Cask Republic in New Haven, Conn.

A: Deep, golden amber color under a thin veil of sudsy white foam. Retention is decent and clarity on this brew is fine; slight chilled haze.

S: Floral, citrusy and pine needle hops tingle in the aroma which is a little more rounded and fruity rather than an onslaught of hop resins. That said, still a bit skunky and delightfully hopped out.

T: Well-rounded, buttery biscuit flavor hits the palate first, leading into a juicy malt center showing hints of spiced, tropical fruits and grassy hops. The hops come on strong at first, with bitter tangerine rind and herbal, leafy flavors. Things balance out nicely, though, and the finish is bittersweet, fairly clean and without a trace of high alcohol.

M: Medium-full bodied, smooth and well-balanced. Not too sticky in the hop department which is a plus for a higher ABV DIPA.

O: A nicely balanced imperial IPA topping out just over 8% ABV. There's a lot to like in the malt bill on 2xIPA, especially if you like a bit of buttery diacetyl with your hops. Hops seem a bit stepped on in areas where you'd hope they'd punch your tongue, but there's something to be said for modesty and achieving a balance. Very good stuff, I'd surely pick up a bomber.

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2011 00:43:00 | More by Gambrinus1184

Durge

Connecticut

4.22/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Yet another quality brew discovered at Mikro in Hamden, CT. It shows a clear yellow amber color with a modest white head and decent lacing. The aroma offers a pleasant lemon-pine idea with a bit of apricot wheat in there perhaps. The flavor says big pine and citrus hops with some banana oak. Bright and reasonably drinkable for the style. Slightly cloying, medium plus bodied with modest carbonation. A quality brew with good hop satisfaction.

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2011 01:10:35 | More by Durge

IchabodcraneIpa

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at latitude 42

The color of this one was a bright clear amber color with a nice inch and a half of foam head on top.

The aroma of this IPA was a huge nose of grapefruit and pine.

The taste was very similar to the nose with a huge grapefruit and hop bitterness that is balanced well by the malt backbone that makes itself known after the bitter hops hit your palate.

The mouthfeel of this one was more syrupy and dry.

Overall this one is pretty damn good to me and it was the first in a night of great beer. Very balanced hop flavor on this one, would definitely pick it up again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-19-2011 20:25:47 | More by IchabodcraneIpa

JordoBeerlady

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer changed my friggin life! Had it on tap at Blue Monkey. The smell alone let me know that it would be good. White grape. A harmonious blend of hops. Perfectly filtered. Alcohol content not too high. So unbelievably lovely :) I only wish it was on tap EVERYWHERE! Get it in a bottle if you can find it. And buy LOTS of it!

Serving type: on-tap

03-03-2011 12:26:37 | More by JordoBeerlady

Zadok

Kansas

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a crisp golden hue with a frothy white head. Lacing hung around pretty much throughout the consumption period.

Smell is delicious, fresh crisp hops with a light citrus aroma. Very crisp and clean fragrant aroma.

Initial tastes resembled the aroma. Crisp hop flavor, not over the top but favorable balanced with citrus arrangement. As the consumption continued the flavors really mellowed out.

Mouth feel is nice, carbonation on par. Medium bodied mouth feel.

Overall a pretty tasty brew. Alcohol is hidden very well and hops and alcohol become even less conspicuous as the volume retreats.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2011 18:36:32 | More by Zadok

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

on tap at pope in philly. served in tulip glass.

Pours a clouded golden orange with a frothy white head. Fades slowly into solid film with accumulating lacing on the glass.

Strong scents of citrus and grapefruit in the nose with some tropical fruit. Light sweetness and a bit of malt as well with some faint booze.

Plenty of citrus bitterness up front with grapefruit and orange. Pineapple and tropical fruit sweetness runs throughout. A softer malt backbone is present with some caramel and doughy bread. Finishes with dry bitterness and alcohol flair.

Medium body, decent carbonation, some sticky and dry feel. Drinks nicely for a DIPA, the alcohol is in check, and this is definitely something I would drink in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2011 05:21:15 | More by xnicknj

dlmccabe1

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Straw color right out of the tap which is lighter than I would have anticipated for a 2xipa. The hop aromas hit you right off the bat with a lot of grapefruit and citrus wafting around.

It's a really interesting beer that focuses on hop aroma and flavor more than bitterness. I don't find it bitter at all but I think it has lots of other hop characteristics.

Not a huge malt bill here, but it still remains a well balanced beer. Easy to drink and perfect for warm weather days. I could probably knock back a few in a sitting before moving away from the citrusy-ness of this DIPA.

Serving type: on-tap

01-24-2011 04:22:23 | More by dlmccabe1

clickpush

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours golden yellow to pint glass. Crystal clear, very few bubbles. Small cap of lace. Smells hoppy (duh)... Piney, resinous, grassy, lemons. Flavors are similar. Lots of lemon flavors and some malty, reaidual sugar to balance the IBU. lemon drop candies? Nice, tasty, well balanced IPA. Mouthfeel is confusing... Somewhere between creamy and sparkly.

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2011 22:18:37 | More by clickpush

PhageLab

Virginia

4.35/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a goblet!

A - Golden amber brew with a nice 2 finger head. Nice retention and lacing. Beautiful.

S - Grapefruits mostly, with some more flowery hop notes shining through.

T - I'm pretty sure my pupils dilated every time I took a sip. Remarkable. Floral and bitter with some citrus and sweetness. Balanced enough to enjoy, but nothing gets in the way of the hops here.

M - Medium bodied with a mild carbonation level. Slightly oily feel with a nice bitter aftertaste.

D - I told the bartender that this was (Expletive Deleted) delicious, and he agreed wholeheartedly. One of the best Double IPAs I've ever encountered.

Serving type: on-tap

01-16-2011 15:01:14 | More by PhageLab

TriGuy20

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from tap into tulip glass.

A: Light gold with very good clarity and a nice two finger white head. The lace sticks to the glass slightly; I would have expected more from the initial head.

S: Grapefruit/ Pine/ Orange/ Spice

T: The grapefruit hits you up front with an orange rind finishing you off and a slight alcohol edge.

MF: This beer displays a solid mouth feel with a medium finish.

D: This goes down fairly easily, however, I was not compelled to drink more than one.

Overall:

A solid DIPA, however, I would probably seek others out first.

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2011 01:30:31 | More by TriGuy20

Bmoyer0301

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance:

Poured into a standard pint glass. Comes off the tap a bright golden straw color with some hues of light amber. A very thin cloudy white head was patchy at best and seemed to fade awya quite quickly as I drank the beer. I held my glass up to the light and noticed that this is very very clear with not a drop of haze of yeast chunks floating around. On the swirl the viscosity appears to be light to a hair below medium.

Smell:

Loads of bright citrus, some pine and lots of tropical fruits going on here. Bready biscuits and toasty notes all wrapped around something that comes off slightly like corn. No heat alcohol at all.

Taste:

Very fresh! Simcoe hops goodness which leave you with a very piny initial taste. Some earthy notes, complimented by pineapples, peaches, lemons, white pepper, and just a tinge
of heat alcohol that accents the hops. The malts remind me of fresh baked croissants. Very dry long finish which is enjoyable.

Drinkability:

Another work of art from southern tier, I know I am going to get burned at the steak for saying this but I think this is the East Coast Pliny. Solid beer when fresh and will be one of my go to's

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2011 16:45:01 | More by Bmoyer0301

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this on 2010-12-28 at Al's of Hampden in Enola, PA

A - Clear straw with a short, white head.

S - Floral hops, citrus, grassy

T - Sweet mildly-roasted grain, moderate grapefruit bitterness and orange. Partially dries out but there's a lingering sour/bitter flavor that was decent but not great.

M - Medium body and high carbonation with a mouthfeel like drinking a can of sparkling cream soda.

D - I enjoyed this brew but the aftertaste and very high carbonation cause me to knock off a few points.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2010 13:12:06 | More by Tucquan

oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the monkey well I guess you gota give nj one thing.

A- comes to me with a small cap of bright white head that settles quickly to leave a few spots of lace and a good skin on top. Crystal clear golden orange in color.

S- sweet citrus and tropical fruits with a dry scone like malt sent.

T- hop forward with lots of citrus and some mango and papaya. Malts and light and sweet with some honey and toasted italian bread. Bitterness is light but it does just enough up against the light sweetness. Super clean finish.

M- a step or so less then medium in body and a mid level carb.

D- I love this ipa. Crisp and clean with all the things ya look for in a brew. Is it the best in show, no but its up there.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2010 04:06:08 | More by oglmcdgl

ferb99

California

4.9/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is an amazing Double IPA. It is super well-balanced with a bit of citrus flavor from the hops. The aroma may be the only thing slightly lacking, but it's by no means detrimental to the experience of drinking this beer. There's plenty of bitterness to rate the Double IPA moniker and it's all extremely well-balanced with the malt backbone. I really couldn't say whether this is an IPA dominated by malt or by hops because they both work so well together. No off-flavors of any kind. This is a world class Double IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

12-27-2010 04:28:51 | More by ferb99

thedoubler55

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- A nice clear amber base, with a slight head and bits of lacing around the glass as the head dissappears

S- Distinct hint of citrus hops with apricots and peaches at the tail end

T- Very bitter with first sip, as it warms up it gets better, very orangey taste and some hints of pineapple as well

M- Thick Mouthfeel

D-This is not a beer I would try again, I was expecting A lot from southern tier with this beer, it was kind of a let down as far as taste and drinkability.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2010 18:31:03 | More by thedoubler55

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at my boy Lackeys place.

Pours a clear yellowish golden, nice and bright, thick and tight white head forms, slowly settles to a thin ring around the glass, some lace spots stick, looks nice.

Smell is solid, some caramel sweetness, a touch of biscuit, big floral hops, a touch of grapefruit and pineapple, light pine, some alcohol, light orange peel, nice balance.

Taste is similar, sweet and malty up front, caramel, biscuit, nicely hopped, big floral, some grapefruit and pine, light pineapple and a touch resiny, solid bitter finish, well balanced.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low to medium carbonation, a bit of warmth going down. Nothing fancy but a solid DIPA. Thanks Mike!

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2010 23:47:38 | More by Viggo

Hojaminbag

Colorado

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2XIPA definitely has the look that a IIPA is going for. The body is light copper in color with a good amount of active carbonation bubbles. The white head is creamy with great retention; it blankets my glass with lace.

The aroma has mostly juicy hops, with loads of fruit and some resin.

2XIPA tastes really good. A solid bitterness from the hops is dwarfed by hop flavor. A plethora of fruit and citrus flavors that are sweet, bitter, and juicy all at the same time attack the palate. Underneath the fruit from the hops a hint of fruity ale yeast can be found. The malt stays in the background, adding just a little bit of sweetness and allowing the hops to go to work.

I like the dry finish on 2XIPA, which I would guess comes from a lower malt base that doesn't leave a bunch of residual sugars hanging around.

Very drinkable and very reasonably priced, I will be having this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

11-11-2010 23:14:09 | More by Hojaminbag

Seanibus

California

3.25/5  rDev -20%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear golden with a lively white bubbly head. The aroma is sweet and super hoppy - citrus and pine. Very grapefruity. The flavor is typical hopbomb - grapefruity and sweet, though there is a strange watery thinness in the middle that is unsatisfying. The bitterness on the end is slight. The mouthfeel is weirdly thin and watery, though there is some sharp stingy bitterness deep in the throat.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2010 00:05:19 | More by Seanibus