Special thanks to my brother Adrian for providing the three above beers to complement the Father's Day meal I had prepared. He makes an annual trek to Western New York and always comes back with a full supply of Southern Tier brews. After the so-so Porter that Southern Tier provided he was determined to prove the quality of the Southern Tier brand. I'll play along. Who can turn down free beer?
The Big Red is a nice Imperial Red Ale. Certainly it poured like a red with a beautiful color that sit nicely in both of our glasses. The big hop aroma attacked my nose and I knew this was a beer not to be messed with. That really doesn't mean anything. The beer was smooth and had a nice array of bitterness. Southern Tier took great pride in the type of hop used for this beer. They add a dry hop step to their brewing process akin to Sam Adams and their lager. This beer was definitely better. At 9% it also packed a punch.
The Farmer's Tan is an Imperial Pale Lager. Now, I think it is silly to throw the word "Imperial" before any beer type, much like it's silly to throw the word "Senior" in front of a job title. Miller Lite is a pale lager; ok, technically a light lager. The only thing that Farmer's Tan has over Miller Lite is twice the alcohol and a heavier taste. Now, it may have been the burger I was eating that affected this beer, but it was not good.
Finally we ended the evening splitting the Back Burner, a nice barleywine style ale. It was good. One thing in this trifecta is that Southern Tier loves their hops. Back Burner had a subtle pineapple aroma and flavor that allowed the hops to be tempered so that the beer was palatable. Much like the other beers, the alcohol content was around 9-10%.
Overall a good showing by Southern Tier. 2 out of 3 is not bad. I'm hoping my brother can score the beer that they only offer the locals. Hopefully they bottle it or he can grab a bomber at the pub.
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