For our on-going "what to try" series of suggestions, beer blogger Neil Sando (at our MLK Dr store in St. Pete) tasted these Southern Tier beers a while back.

2x IPA: This near imperial offering from Southern Tier is a very drinkable IPA. The fruit and pine characteristics from the hops are well balanced with sweet malt. In the glass, the beer has a hazy golden color with only a little bit of head. As the beer enters the palate, your taste buds detect notes of apricot and grapefruit. The malt notes taste a little bit like caramel. The best part of this beer is the aroma. Southern tier offerings usually have a wonderful bouquet and this beer is no different. You can smell the hops more than you can taste them which is probably what makes this double IPA so easy to drink. This however can be a bit dangerous because it’s over 8% abv! Overall, it’s a great brew!

87/100

 Iniquity: This is an imperial black ale with an almost intimidating appearance. Staring into this beer is like looking into the dark void of space on a starless night! The rich foamy head takes on a lighter toffee color which beautifully contrasts the darkness of the beer. The nose of this beer has what you would imagine; notes of caramel, coffee, and chocolate. As you take the first sip, the intimidation leaves your mind and it’s like your tongue has had a reunion with all of its friends. Everyone is there. Caramel, Coffee, Dark chocolate. Citrusy hops even stopped by for a second. The mouth feel is outrageously smooth, and surprisingly, lighter in body than you would expect. This beer definitely deserves a visit, promptly followed by a revisit. 93/100

 Unearthly: I was extremely excited to try this beer. It is the antithesis of Iniquity, and if that beer was good, this offering had to be an instant legend. Opening the beer, the bottle veritably screams floral hop aromas. There are some piney notes but my nose mainly detected grapefruit as well as AMAZINGNESS. As it poured into my tulip glass, the reddish hue splashed along the curved side and the beer relinquished the carbon dioxide that the yeast had worked so hard to produce. As the bubbles rose to the top, the creamy head of foam laced the sides of the glass like a sheer tapestry. After the necessary respects had been paid to the brew, I took my first sip and I was nigh speechless. As the beer enters the palate, you experience a wonderful caramel candy sweetness on the mid palate and a dry hopped bitterness with citrus and a smidge of heaven… just a smidge. Each sip is better than the last. The mouth feel is lighter than one might expect, but still has a bit of viscosity and the smoothness of a silk blanket woven by cherubs. Now I understand why this beer is “unearthly.” Not only is it out of this world, but there is no way a mere mortal crafted this fermented combination of grains and hops. The brewer must have slid down an angelic ladder to bestow this recipe to us earth dwellers. This beer is by far one of the best imperial IPA’s I have ever had the pleasure of imbibing. The craftsmanship and balance knows no bounds in this 22 oz beauty. 98/100

 Mokah: I saw this offering from Southern Tier roll into my store a while back and I was compelled to give it a shot. So far, Southern Tier’s beers have rubbed me the right way and I decided I would take it to my family reunion last Saturday. As the party got started, I procured some wine glasses (I didn’t have my tulip glasses with me) and opened the bottle. Immediately this beer’s true colors shone through. The rich brown cascade released notes of (obviously) coffee, dark chocolate, and bit of alcohol. This beer is a blend of Chokolat and Jahva, two of Southern Tier’s well received offerings. My first sip was wonderful. It would be an excellent dessert beer, paired with some vanilla bean ice cream or perhaps even pumpkin pie (who doesn’t like pumpkin spice coffee?) Being that this was a party and I always strive to introduce people to the world of craft beer, I walked around and gave taste tests to several of the guests and, of course, my family members. Their first reaction was “wait… this is beer?” The unfortunate mantra that beer need be a light bodied refreshing (or, as I call it, “wimpy”) carbonated beverage plagues many people. I could see their eyes lighting up as they enjoyed each sip. It was a unanimous success in my mind as well as the collective minds of the Sando Clan. I will certainly be revisiting this beer (perhaps in a culinary sense.) 90/100