A Southern Tier Imperial Triumvirate

This little brewery pours massive beers in Western New York along the Southern Tier Expressway, and deserves admiration far from the shores of Chautauqua Lake.

I grabbed three of its high-octane craft brews on my last northern journey. Only their brewery - and high quality - binds them. All three own alcohol contents that plead the drinker to take care with them (Heavy Weizen is lightest at 8 percent) and there's not a clunker in the bunch. All come in 22 oz. bomber bottles, and I sampled the trio on Sunday, Nov. 25 at lengthy intervals to ensure a clean palette and a clear head.

Drink cautiously but joyfully. This is fine-tuned beer experimentation.


Big Red Imperial Red Ale
All red, all the time - surprisingly, that is fine, because Southern Tier produced a smooth complex ale that avoids the trappings of "extreme" American brews.

It signals "red" on all fronts - cherries, apple, oak tones emerge in the nose that's amiably perfume-like. A host of red fruit flavors pop up, with a bitter grapefruit taking the reins immediately, then tapering into a slightly sour finish. Big Red certainly doesn't go down like an ale with 9.5 percent ABV.

There might be copyright trouble if a certain chewing gum maker ever gets wind of this beer's name, but Southern Tier never struggles to back up that name. Not my regular pour, but a pleasantly strong take on an overlooked style.
Rating: 7.5/10

Heavy Weizen Imperal Wheat Ale
Heavy Weizen tempted me to knock off points because its brewers recommend a lemon wedge when served, but this wheat has no need for accompaniment.

The nose erupts with orange, but passion fruit quickly tempers it - mango, strawberry, and bananas march in, with vanilla and peppermint oil flavors on the finish. Heavy Weizen sometimes taste more like a fruity wine than a wheat ale; its alcohol content creeps in early and hangs out for the duration.

Incredibly sweet but not obtrusively so, Heavy Weizen curls innocently from all those strong flavors into the finish's well-matched malts, where the clove taste isn't over the top.

Drank on the same day as Pyramid's Imperial Hefe Weizen, I'm comfortable saying Southern Tier has a strong wheat success on its hands and not everyone can churn out one of the same quality.
Rating: 8/10

"Unearthly" Delights
Hopheads love the Imperial India Pale Ale designation and so do I - but not for the extreme beer reasons usually offered. To my taste buds, they're similar to barley wine yet more flowery, complex and subtly strong. Southern Tier's Unearthly Imperial IPA is among the more stellar examples.

Reddish-brown in color, From the initial floweriness comes the flesh of apples, plums, then a massive wave of alcohol content; you can only hide 11 percent ABV for so long.

It's almost shocking that a beer this strong retains its drinkable nature. I don't get to make paint thinner analogies, but that's a bearable trade-off. It eschews the orangier directions of many Imperial IPAs, staking out firm ground in red fruit territory. Unearthly ventures into parts unknown to most craft brewers, and those who imbibe will be thankful for the ride.
Rating 9.5/10