Choklat a.k.a. ChocoBeer a.k.a. Evil Bosco is part of the “Black Water” series of Southern Tier Beers, the others being the Oat Oatmeal Stout, Jah-Va Coffee Stout (my favorite coffee beer, I think), Choklat, and the recently released and getting cold in my fridge right now Creme Brulle Vanilla Milk Stout.  These beers are all notorious for their boundary-pushing use of the adjunct ingredients the name highlights, and Southern Tier is one of the few breweries who truly excel in the art of making “flavored” adjunct beers — a complex equation that is difficult from the sourcing of the right amount of excellent ingredients to finely meshing their unique flavors with that of the beer.  And the “base” stout better be good, too.  Southern Tier succeeds here in all kinds of ways, and drinking this beer is a real pleasure.  It pours dark brown with a big brown and tan head, and immediately smells of chocolate in a huge way.  Drinking it takes you from roasted coffee and malt smells to flavors and smells of chocolate that are a real knockout.  This isn’t an overly syrupy or heavily bodied beer, which contributes to its drinkability.  An awesome amount of carbonation that kind of reminds me of the Choloate Soda my Safta (grandma) used to drink, only not saccharine, sweet enough, and … gets you completely buzzed.  A true winner and one I hope they make again.

The Gemini is inexplicably capped with some sort of strange concrete/wax hybrid that was annoying to get off, even after utilizing various kitchen tools of various sharpness and flexibility.  It was a fork, I beleive, which dealt the seal it’s death blow, and I was finally able to crack this fucker open.  I didn’t quite know what to expect from this brew, but it was definitely surprising on a few levels.  Poured a beautiful color that’s a bit darker maybe than the average Double IPA, but had a nice huge head and had a big variety of hop flavors going on in the nose.  I was pleasantly surprised that this beer was lighter in body than the Unearthly, and lacked a bit of the somewhat excessive sweetness of that brew.  The Gemini is therefore a more balanced Double IPA, but I would hardly call it restrained.  At a whopping 10% ABV and in a bomber, this beer set me straight almost immediately.  I took some time with it and drank it over the course of about an hour, and the warmish end of it was very intensely flavorful.  Sometimes I drink these beers too cold, especially on hot days, and I’m glad I took my time with this one in front of the AC.  The malt flavors were great, very drinkable and this pleasantly carbonated Double IPA is probably even better if it’s super fresh, and without the physical challenge attached.

I had seen Brooklyn’s BLAST! on the list but hadn’t heard about it previously, which is odd for a hometown brewer that I keep an eye on. Calling your beer a “San Diego Style IPA” is pretty bold, which is never a problem for Garrett Oliver, but delivering on such a claim is a whole ‘nother thing. I was definitely psyched to check it out since Green Flash’s IPA has been in heavy fridge rotation for me lately, but sadly this guy didn’t come close. There was enough hop aroma on the nose for sure, but mostly piney, and there was a woody and musty undertone that was immediately unsettling. Hop flavor was piney as well and very bitter, not balanced at all by any malt sweetness, and there was a bit of sourness to the brew as well that didn’t play at all. Total bummer vibe.

Another interesting item on the brew list for me was Magic Hat’s “experimental” Berliner Weiss, which they were serving with a squirt of either raspberry or woodruff syrup. I’ve been trying to get a handle on this style lately so I was definitely interested to see the perspective that an American craft brewer could bring to it. I tried it first without the syrup and had to take 3 sips to be sure I tasted anything. It did smell a bit sour, but the flavor was insipid, mildly wheaty if anything. The woodruff syrup wholly obliterated any flavor that might have been present and didn’t add to my enjoyment of the brew at all. Oh well, back to German Berliners.

I decided that giving the previously reviewed Southern Tier Cherry Saison another shot on draft would be a good way to see if the other brew dogs’ opinions about this one still held true. They did. On draft the oddness of the cherries on the nose seemed to be magnified. Flavor was still pretty straightforward saison, but I couldn’t get past the nose. Perhaps it was mental, but now that I’ve given this one it’s fair shake I’m ready to move on in the Southern Tier world. (Perhaps to this years Uber Sun, where is it guys?)

Stay tuned for the good stuff. And damn was there some good stuff.

I figured a nice tart low ABV brew like the Bayerischer would be the perfect way to ease into the day, and indeed it was. It poured a cloudy pale pale yellow with a light foamy white head which had some serious staying power. The nose was grapey and yeasty, almost like a crisp champagne, with hints of sourness and sweetness. Flavor was mellow mellow mellow; there was some citrus up front and some subtly complex tartness and it felt somewhat astringent. Definitely a refresher and one of the few beers I think I could drink a case of in this summer heat. I don’t have much experience with the Berliner Weiss style but I’d love to check out some more if anyone has an recommendations.

Continuing my Southern Tier kick, I chose to sample their just released Imperial Cherry Saison next. This one poured copper with a nice off-white head. I got a cocktail of fruit on the nose, dominated by cherry and banana, with some subtle spice, but nothing overwhelming. Nice balanced saison flavor without either the oak or the cherry coming on too strong, or very strong at all for that matter. Not too sweet, not too sour, not to spicy, just right for a saison, but not really as crisp or refreshing as i would have liked on such a hot day. A little stronger sour cherry profile might have helped cut the heaviness of the 8% ABV somewhat. I’m going to give it another shot when the heat is less oppressive to see what it does for me.

It poured a rich and cloudy gold, but with nearly no head, even with a heavy pour down the middle. Banana and bubblegum dominated the smell with a little malty sweetness behind them, but where were the hops? Sadly this one didn’t deliver for me. Flavor was good, even balanced considering the high ABV, with a solid dose of spice to cut the sweetness. A few drops of lemon in the second half of my glass actually brought the spice further forward and helped tame the mildly metallic finish.

Really this is a good example of a traditional weizen done with a little dramatic flair, but I had hoped the dramatics would extend beyond the alcohol content. My girlfriend is a weizen fan who doesn’t like hoppy beeers, and she thoroughly enjoyed it, so I’d definitely recommend you try it if you’re looking for something slightly off-kilter. For me, however, the search for inspiration goes on.

Our arrival coincided with a show being held at The Montague Bookmill, which is up a flight of stairs from The Lady Killgrew Cafe, where we had heard they pulled some nice pints. We were super psyched to see this Imperial IPA from Southern Tier on a small but impressive tap list and both ordered one to take up to the show. Southern Tier brews some seriously huge beers and this one is no exception. It poured rust red and rather thick into the huge snifters it was being served in and it had a nice and light half-inch head. You could smell it before you even got it near your face and once you had your nose in the bowl it was enough to make your eyes water. Fruit, hops, and alcohol all came on strong, and the insane hop additions really came through in the flavor as well. It’s certainly robust and really highlights how these modern hop bomb beers are not just one note brews but can really bring a lot of complexity to the table with their intricately structured hop profiles. There was fruity citrus and resinous pine as well as a nice balance between the hops’ bitterness and subtle spice. The malt backed things up nicely and helped keep the 11% ABV from being too overt.

We always have great beer when we come up here (looking forward to grabbing a few People’s Pint bombers tomorrow) and it was nice to see one of my favorite New York brewer’s beers on tap. It was also so effective in making me forget the pain being seated for hours had caused me that I proceeded to sit through the entire show while drinking it.