Southern Tier Brewing Company in Lakewood, NY

Happy new year, readers! I brought mine in with a bang, good company, and a nice bottle of beer down in Idaho. Southern Tier Brewing Company makes a Cuvée line of beers. The series consists of three iterations of the same beer. They are all aged in oak bourbon barrels with the second in the series being aged a few months longer than the first, and finally the first two are blended together to make the third and final release in the series. The best thing about this beer was the balance. The brewers have really figured out how to make a nice batch of beer with a good sweet/bitter balance and don’t forget the booze, either (11% ABV). Usually when drinking a beer this strong, it is either dominated by sweet flavors–a result of needing the sugars to get the alcohol content up–by just the boozy flavor.

The Cuvée Series Two is the most balanced high octane beer I think I’ve ever had. Pouring a toasted ruby walnut color, it emitted a sweet and boozy aroma with hints of roasted barley, vanilla, and espresso. It was a very thick, creamy beer that blanketed the mouth. The flavor was really the best part of this beer. It started off with a roasted caramel sweetness and booze that was well balanced with augmenting bitterness and finally finished with a bourbon aftertaste that lingered for just long enough to warm the tongue. Some of the drinkers mentioned they tasted hints of nutritional yeast, although my favorite description was from Matt Robbins, who described it as a “bitter bowl of Grapenuts and half and half.”

I found the Cuvée Series Two to be a delightful little treat of a beer. I would say the 22 oz. bottle would be great for 3-4 people to split. I’m not sure what this beer costs because I got it as a gift, but I imagine it is more on the expensive end judging from the packaging: a bottle inside a box with tasting notes and such on it. A few friends and this beer made for a delightful start to a new year!