Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company
ABV: 6.7%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: It's "DOB" was 0?/29/11... it was partly scratched off.
Apparently Southern Tier actually does put dates on their bottles, but they come off very easily. As in just rubbing my finger against the date makes it rub off. What kind of adhesive are they using, wishes?
Harvest Ale is a copper-colored beer that pours with a light head (just under half an inch I'd say) that quickly fades, leaving a light lacing pattern behind. The aroma is fantastic, with citrus hops, mainly grapefruit, and caramel maltiness. If the flavor is half as good as this aroma is predicting, then this beer will be... well, pretty average. Maybe I should be shooting for at least 3/4 as good.
Well, I'm not sure I can be exact with the percentages, but this is a pretty tasty beer that doesn't quite live up to the aroma's hype. Although it's classified as an ESB, it drinks like a mild IPA. It has a light hoppiness to it, but it's balanced nicely by the malt. The finish is slightly bitter, with an aftertaste that lingers a bit, but not too long. There's a little carbonation, probably just above what I'd consider "light" carbonation. The overall bitterness increases as it warms up, so take that into consideration depending on your enjoyment of hops.
Final thought - I enjoyed this beer, but I think it would have been better paired with food. It seems like the perfect beer to drink with a meal, as it has a good flavor that wouldn't overpower any foods, but also wouldn't be covered up. I'm not really an expert on food pairings though, so I don't know what it would work with. Probably something with BBQ sauce.
-Jon
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