2X Stout - Southern Tier Brewing Company

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle - no date.

didn't know this stuff existed, but based on the fact that I love most of Southern Tier's stuff, I picked it up.

poured mostly opaque black, with brown around the edges. thin off-white head that fades quickly. mild roasty aroma. toasted marshmallow, vanilla.

the taste definitely sticks to the style of milk stouts. sweet, but not cloying. with just a bit of roasted character. maybe some oats too? very smooth body. thicker body, mild carbonation. drinks easy.

overall - a solid example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 02:33:19 | More by jmdrpi

budgood1

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours out a nearly opaque brown and black mix with some garnet hues peaking through. tan head rises and falls leaving a bit of clinging lace. dark roasted malt aroma with a surprisingly girthy flowery hop aroma. a touch of lactic and milk chocolate for good measure. a good dose of charred malt flavour with residual acrid bitterness is dominant. a slight boozy kick intrudes...then there is a tame lactic aspect whispering some ripe fruity flavours and hints of yeast, cocoa and nougat. floral hops do more than enough to tame any cloying aspects with some welcome back end bitterness. really surprised that this seems more stout than milk stout. it is sweet, but not as much as i was anticipating. nevertheless it has a full, rich body and a pleasant, sturdy, semi-slick mouthfeel. this stout is just plain solid and a has nice drinkability...especially on a blustery january evening.

overall i'm impressed with this stout. the sweet and sour lactic notes are muted, it certainly has a double stout taste and feel to it, and it never comes across as cloying or syrupy. after being underwhelmed by previous southern tier offerings, i would consider this a definite must try and would highly recommend for winter time consumption.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 01:09:12 | More by budgood1

HopNelius

New York

4.22/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served out of a 12 ounce bottle and into a traditional American pint glass.
Appearance- Dark brown with a nice brown head and some lacing.
Smell- Smells of chocolate milk.
Taste- heavy notes of milk chocolate but is not overpowering, cannot taste the alcohol coming through either.
Mouthfeel-creamy goodness.
Overall-Very impressed with this beer, not your everyday stout, has a great drinkability. I will be seeking this out again.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 02:43:29 | More by HopNelius

EJLinneman

New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up at the brewery on December 23rd 2011. The bottling date was December 19th 2011. I haven’t seen this around where I live and with good reason. It hasn’t come to New Jersey yet. Needless to say, I was pretty happy to get my hands on a 6 pack.

This pours a deep brown and black color. While putting it up to the light, you can see the brown shine through in the background. I tried to produce a head and although I was able to get 1 finger out of it, it still disappeared pretty quickly and left a very small amount of lacing around the glass.

The smell is predominantly chocolate and roasted malt. It has a creamy background which softens the smell and brings the two together nicely/.

When I tasted this beer, I knew what to expect. Milk stouts typically all have the same profile. This had a creamy chocolate taste married with roasted malt. However, the one main difference with this as opposed to others is how hop forward it was. After the initial sweetness, you’re hit with bitterness and a slight alcohol burn. The bitterness lasts long into the finish.

This beer has a medium mouth feel and is very creamy. Although it’s not a heavy beer, it’s still pretty filling. Not sessionable but you could get away with having a few.

All together I think this is a decent milk stout, but the bitter finish sort of threw me off. I would have liked to have kept the sweetness throughout. I did it in enjoy this though and hope that Southern Tier continues to make more beers in this 2X series. I’m currently drinking this the day after a snow-storm and it’s doing a good job of hitting the spot.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 02:11:16 | More by EJLinneman

beergod1

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep chocolate brown with a very thin beige head, not much lacing at all. Smell of Chocolate and roasted malt on the nose, toasty and nutty. Medium bodied, nice and creamy, but just a touch of hops. Nice chocolate sweetness, the lactose is nice with the bittering hops. Seems like a dry finish, but how can that be with a sweet Stout? It works.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 17:34:37 | More by beergod1

mattcrill

Ohio

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Aroma: Dry cocoa powder, licorice, and dry roasted grain aromas up front. Earthy hop aromas in the background. Clean fermentation character.

Appearance: Dark shoe leather brown pour with a low off-white head that retains well. Appears still in the glass.

Flavor: More licorice flavors and dark bread crust on the palate. Like chocolate notes open up as the beer warms. More earthy hop flavors provide the counterpoint. Balance is toward the rich dark and roasty malt flavors. Finish is clean and dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium high carbonation. Slightly creamy on the palate.

Overall impression: A big, roasty milk stout. Seems a little hop forward for the style and definitely too big but enjoyable and well crafted.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 02:05:20 | More by mattcrill

BB1313

Ohio

2.73/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle poured into a snifter. Pours dark black with brown hues; head doesn't really stick around and there's not too much lacing and retention to speak of. The aromas are kind of fain and subtle. There are hints of milk chocolate and malts, but once again it's not pungent. I'm actually even less impressed with the flavors. Something is off. This one leaves a very bitter and unpleasant after taste. Metallic notes? I was expecting this one to be sweeter, but it's not. There's a nice roastiness and a touch of smoke. There's just something off with the flavors, and I can't put my finger on it. Mouthfeel is alright, light-medium bodied, lots of carbonation. Not the tastiest stout I've ever had.

Overall, the flavors didn't do it for me. I guess I expected a little more from Southern Tier. I'll pass on this one in the future.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 18:42:52 | More by BB1313

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into an overshaped chalice, I get deep dark abyss absorbs all visible light in the body. Big mocha tan head forms thick like a barista just made me something special with extra froth. Fine even lacing between sips pretty nice looking effort from upstate NY. Arom I get dusted cocoa, creamy milk chocolate candy offerings, with some dry roasted malt notes. Flavor is super sweet coats the sides of the palate rushes you with a sweet chocolate syrup notes, enough dark roasted malt character to balance it out to keep it from becoming sickeningly sweet. Dark chocolate dry finish with a hint of creamed coffee, herbal hops barely linger in there. Mouthfeel is medium to fuller bodied definitely sweet to round out the palate but it's not cloying in anyway. Overall it's a 12 ounce offering from Southern Tier that represents something different than their mainstream diabetes inducing blackwater series which started out amazing as a beer called IS that to this day stands out as an amazing Imperial Stout that they've never recaptured since the first year I tried that beer. This is a step in the right direction away from Creme Brulee, Choklat, Jahva, and Mocha.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 16:37:08 | More by WVbeergeek

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

Capping the day off with a new brew to the area. It pours a dark black-brown topped by a finger of sandy tan foam. The nose comprises roasted malts, cocoa, vanilla bean, and the lightest possible touch of molasses. Everything's kinda laid back, not wanting self-expression to get anywhere close to out-of-hand. The taste brings in more of the same, with some darker roast, some sweeter cocoa, some bitter dark chocolate for the sake of it, a touch more vanilla bean, and a stronger (though still relatively subdued) vein of molasses. Right on. The body is a light-leaning medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a slightly dry finish. Overall, a nice little cream stout, something I could actually see as a go-to milk stout (along with Left Hand and Young's). Good times.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 08:04:23 | More by TMoney2591

macjam22

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Definitely sweet, and definitely better on draft than in the bottle. More carbonated than I would have expected, but terribly so. Chocolate flavor mixed with a slight roast. Finishes fairly smooth with a hint of bitterness. Overall a solid stout but not up to par with Southern Tier's other bombers.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2012 20:34:21 | More by macjam22

Dope

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: A very dark brown pour with a hint of red in it. Big fluffy milk chocolate head. Great retention and lacing.

S: Smells a lot like milk chocolate. Very creamy with a hint of chocolate and roast.

T: Roasted malt and chocolate. Pretty strong lactose presence, very milky and creamy. Almost overly so.

M: Smooth, creamy (duh) and medium bodied.

O: Not bad, just a slightly stronger milk stout than most. Lactose is a bit overpowering but not unpleasantly. Like drinking chocolate milk beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 05:24:05 | More by Dope

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I tried this on tap at Brass Rail.

The color is cocoa black, opaque with a thin light tan cap with tiny bead and accent of dark brown at the base. The smell is of strong malt presence and slight cocoa accent with subtle tinge of coffee and light caramel odor. The feel is a medium body with roated texture and moderately high carbonation with slightly dry texture and subtle sweet malt accents with light earthiness and very dry finish.

the taste is a little more dry than expected with light toasted flavor and gentle cocoa expression with a mild caramel tinge and slight woody taste with light hop accent and tinge of coffee roastiness w/ a semi-sweet note as it finishes. Overall this is a better than average stout but it loses me on the 2x concept - I understand it is bigger than most sweet stouts, though. It is good for the style but could use more body to be more 'stout-like' IMO.

Serving type: on-tap

01-19-2012 17:34:37 | More by Slatetank

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle, 7.5% abv. Very dark brown, nearly black color. Mahogamy edges. Good looking tan head disappears quicker than I hoped, leaving nothing in the way of lace.

Roasted malt, with some coffee tones. Chocolate smells a bit darker than the milk chocolate I thought would be present. A twinge of citrusy hop aroma.

I found some milk chocolate in the mouth. The roasty flavors are not very strong. Plenty of sweetness to go around. Chocolate flavor is nice, but the finish has an earthy, herbal and ashy harsh flavor.

Lighter to medium body, with lower carbonation. A thin, creamy feel. Alcohol is hidden well. Not bad, until you get to the finish. I was expecting better.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 01:14:21 | More by Bierguy5

rlee1390

Indiana

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Black with a one tan finger head

S-Coffee, roasted malt

T-Coffee, roasted malt, overly sweet and sugary. As it there is a boat load of lactose that never fermented just sugaring up the beer.

M-Medium bodied and creamy.

O-The sweetness needs to be toned down a little bit. ST usually hits the mark with their stouts but this one seems to have way too much sugar.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 05:16:43 | More by rlee1390

argock

Virginia

3.2/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz brown bottle into a Duvel tulip. No obvious freshness date. Purchased as a 6-pack at Market Street Wineshop (Charlottesville, VA) for $10.49.

A: Black with dark brown edges, beige-oatmeal colored 1-2 finger foamy, frothy head with good retention and lacing.

S: Strong tobacco almost ashy aroma off the bat but settles into more chocolate, lactose, and coffee tones.

T: The flavor, unfortunately, plays on more of the ashy and less of the milk chocolate and coffee notes. There is some lactose milk stout sweetness, but it is not able to overcome the tobacco, earthy, and ashy components.

M: Medium-bodied but drinks thinner.

O: Not one I will be going back to -- sweet but not much depth of flavor and the tobacco/ash really has no place in this style.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 04:00:08 | More by argock

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a very dark brown, almost black. About a 1-1.5 finger head, light brown. Fades fairly quickly. Slight lacing around the edges.

S- Typical stout smell- malts, chocolate, and slight coffee smell. Definitely smell a little bit of the alcohol, but not too boozey.

T- Slight chocolate/milk taste, roasted malts apparent.

M- Pretty smooth and drinkable throughout. Not too heavy for a stout.

O- Not quite as sweet as a lot of stouts that I've had. Nowhere near as sweet as the Southern Tier Creme Brulee. Overall not bad, would consider drinking again but definitely not my favorite milk stout that I've had.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 00:50:44 | More by jaasen64

merc7186

New York

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Dark Opaque Hue, Passes Almost No Light, Mild Off White Head, No Lacing

S: Cocoa, Lactose Sugars

T: Milk Chocolate, Lactose Sugars

M: Okay Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Semi Sweet, Mildly Dry

Overall, a decent beer but no better than an average milk stout, but drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 01:18:10 | More by merc7186

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into snifter.

Appearance - Pours a very deep brown, almost black. A head is basically nonexistnat and not a whole lot of lacing either.

Smell - Some chocolate and cocoa aroma with a very small amount of a sweet caramel like aroma. Overall for its style I would have expected a bit more.

Taste - Up front you are hit with a big sweet-chocolate (like chocolate milk) flavor. While paling in comparison to the cocoa, a little bit of roasted malt, coffee, and dried fruit flavors work their way toward the end. A very nice flavor profile.

Mouthfeel - It has a thinner body then would be expected, but not by too much. The carbonation was possibly a bit too high, but again not bad.

Overall - The taste of the brew makes of for some lacking in other catagories. A nice stout to try.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 01:42:11 | More by Darkmagus82

suspect

New York

3.93/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Jester King stemmed glass.

A: Pours a dark brown opaque liquid. Normally aggressive pour leads to a 1 finger light milk chocolate head that disappears pretty quickly leaving a thin ring around the outside of the glass. Lacing is almost non existent, but is present.

S: Definitely picking up lactose sugars, toasted malts, some darker fruits present as well. A pretty nice, typical milk stout smell. Alcohol not really present in the nose.

T: Nice flavor mixture here with all of them subtly mixing together to have a well balanced taste. Malts roll first followed immediately by the lactose sugars and then some hop bitterness.

M: Good feel, not thin, medium bodied. Not overly carbonated but that's preferred in a milk stout.

O: A really solid milk stout. I'm glad I got to try this one it was very enjoyable. I wouldn't turn it down but there are much better beers made by Southern Tier.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 01:40:08 | More by suspect

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by Steve, 12oz into a snifter.

Poured a dark brown/black with an off-white head. Little retention and a tight collar. Nose has some coffee grain, dry and chalky dark chocolate notes as well. Taste has dark toasty grains, bran (?), light smoke, coffee and some toasty/chocolate notes. Medium mouthfeel, medium-low carbonation. A good but not great stout. Lacks any substantial complexity or thickness in the body - left me wanting much more.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 16:06:12 | More by liamt07

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer poured out as a nice looking dark brown color with a moderate mocha colored head on top. There wasn't much lacing, the retention wasn't too bad though. The smell of the beer has a nice mellow roasted aroma with a bit of chocolate on the nose also. The taste of the beer was sweet upfront with a solid bitter roasted dark chocolate finish. The mouthfeel was creamy, medium amount of carbonation and smooth. Overall this beer was pretty good in my opinion, I liked the mouthfeel the most I think. I can definitely see myself having this beer again one day.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 20:35:49 | More by Knapp85

jmarklan

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. This is the first beer i've tried from southern tier so i'm kindof excited.

A: Pours a deep black color that lets very little light through it, a little red around the edges, nice color. Not much of a head though, quickly dissipating and virtually no lacing.

S: Slight chocolate, dark fruit, molasses? Touch of alcohol as well. Smells good, just a little weak.

T: Roasted malt throughout, chocolate up front. Dark fruit and some molasses in the middle with the roastiness rounding up the finish with some sweet, fruity alcohol as well.

M: Pretty smooth, nice feel, nice carbonation, but for a stout of above average stregnth i'd like something a bit heavier.

Overall:Not as sweet as i'd expect, not as thick as i would have liked. Not what i hoped for, but still good. I've heard really good things about this brewery so i'll keep trying their brews out.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 01:36:59 | More by jmarklan

kbutler1

Minnesota

2.83/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Bottle. Poured into a tulip glass a dark brown color with a thick light tan head. Slight roast and chocolate in the nose but nothing over the top like some of their other beers. Medium, velvety mouthfeel. Slight roast with a dark chocolate sweetness. Almost has a little smokiness to it as well. Ends with a lingering bitterness and leather taste. Overall, not as good as I expected from them.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 16:30:04 | More by kbutler1

Gatch

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Dark black but a deep red when held up to light. A light brown, bubbly head with no retention and no lacing.

S: Not much here. Light, watery roasted malt and chocolate. A little milk sugar and cream.

T: Heavily roasted malt with milk sugar in the finish. Pretty nice for the style. No alcohol presence.

M: Smooth, lightly carbonated, and pleasant roasted flavors. Not too cloying and the right amount of sweetness.

O: A solid milk/sweet stout that I wouldn't hesitate to order on draft but once from the bottle is enough for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 04:33:44 | More by Gatch

horshack7

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: On top is a beige head that is about two fingers thick. Beneath that head is an abyss of wonderful darkness.

Aroma: Espresso notes, molasses, roasted malts and hops. Dark fruits are in the back. Touches of milk sugar in the end.

Taste: Silky smooth mouthfeel. Molasses, brown bread and sugar, roasted hops almost burnt but certainly not. Cocoa is mixed in well amongst the dark furits.

Notes: Overall a very tasty an drinkable beer start to finish. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 21:33:03 | More by horshack7