Quick Sips: August 2010

Here is our first entry of Quick Sips, a super condensed and brief synopsis of some beers that we've had in the last few weeks. This one will include thoughts from the last few months.

• Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA tastes amazing fresh (less than 2 1/2 weeks old)
• Weyerbacher Tiny is incredibly delicious (on our fourth bomber)
• Dogfish Head SahTea isn't as good as last years (not enough cinnamon, clove and ginger spices)
• Southern Tier 2XIPA is amazing (but make sure it is fresh.) Blows away most IPAs.
• Bell's Hopslam wasn't as good as last years. Like most IPA's- Make sure it's fresh.
• Great Lakes Holy Moses was a great choice for a spring beer. Glad to see it back.
• Thirsty Dog has come out with three new crap beers (Barktoberfest, Whippet Wheat and Twisted Kilt) and one decent one (Cerberus)
• Some batches of Founders Devil Dancer taste like a THC producing plant.
• Heavy Seas Below Decks Cabernet Barrel Aged is probably the best fresh barleywine out there.
• Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale (Pub Exclusive) is just plain gross.
• Heavy Seas Smoke on the Water wasn't as generic as it's name. Worth the buy.
• Lagunitas A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale is a refreshing summer IPA.
• Great Divide Brewing has some great beers out there (Colette, 16th Anniversary, Titan, Yeti.) We're excited to try more
• Dark Horse has yet to come out with a beer I thought was above average (Crooked Tree, Sapient Trip, Scotty Karate)
• Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster was great fresh but had a tinge too much alcohol flavor.

Southern Tier Farmer's Tan Imerial Pale Lager

Farmer's Tan- check. It is the season where pasty human beings get their first prolonged exposure to the sun to leave some unsightly color lines on your body. Southern Tier celebrates such an event with their new summer seasonal bomber, Farmer's Tan. Farmer's Tan is an imperial pale lager weighing in at an impressive 9% ABV. In theory, it is a perfect summer beer for the lazy- crisp and light yet higher in alcohol- best suited for an evening hanging out on the porch.

Farmer's Tan pours a slightly more carmel color than a typical pale lager yet has a floral pale ale smell. This medium bodied beer is well balanced with little alcohol taste left on the tongue. It is not a beer that typical lager drinkers would enjoy- in other words, it doesn't taste like urine. There is a bit of sweetness that lies in this brew that eventually leaves the tongue to give a more traditional lager aftertaste.

This beer lived up to the promise of a lazy summer night. Southern Tier took a traditional style and grew it into something of their own. While many breweries try to lighten their load with a more traditional pilsner or wheat ale for the season, ST took a great summer style beer and made something that could pass the piss test.

Oz Scale: 7.4

Mike Scale: 7.7

Southern Tier Pumking

Though it's brewery is only 80 minutes away from the house of beer (blog), Southern Tier has not become one of our top breweries to try. Unearthy was delicious but the oaked aged version tasted like a tree with hops somewhere in the middle. Since it is now October, we have decided to get more festive than a Governor Mark Sanford hiking trip. We are infected with the fall spirit like it were crabs. It may itch a little but we decided to give Southern Tier Pumking a try.

With a basic amber color, it is Pumpking's smell that foreshadows what lies ahead. If you ever wondered what beer pumpkin pie would taste like, this would answer it. The essence of this brew is far more present than other, watered down versions of this style. It has more body than Jessy Ventura. The 9% ABV is not completely hidden but balanced as part of this complete breakfast.

This brew is great for what it is, a spiced fall seasonal. It conveniently comes in a 22 oz bomber, as a six pack would be too much of it. At the end of the glass, it became a little too sweet for our liking. This being said, two bombers a year (and possibly one to cellar for nostalgia) would be sufficient for our needs. It holds its place as one of the best pumpkin beers we have tried, but still less superior to Dogfish Head and Weyerbacher's versions. It may have been the first sip, but we we got punk'ed.

Oz Scale: 7.2
Mike Scale: 7.3