Spring Break
Ale caters to sweet tooth
Mike Partel
Issue date: 6/5/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
While making the usual round at the Foodery, a choice beer dispensary at Second and Poplar (which I heavily recommend to regular readers), I happened upon an eyebrow-raiser perched smugly beside others on the "new arrivals" shelf.
The brand was familiar, the Southern Tier Brewing Company, prompting me to drop a bottle, packaged neatly in its thin cardboard box, among the future reviews that brightened my make-a-six six pack. So, this week I give readers Cuvée Series Two, the second oak-aged ale that belongs in a run with two "sister" beers.
Southern Tier opened short of five years ago, operating out of Lakewood, N.Y., a small town plotted dangerously close to both Pennsylvania and Lake Erie. Phineas DeMink and Allen "Skip" Yahn founded the brewery in order to bring the small batch brewing tradition back to the region; they now produce almost 4 million 12-ounce bottles annually, claiming distribution to nearly a third of the United States and parts of Canada. In less that half a decade, the brewery has been ranked number thirty-five in the country ("BeerAdvocate," June 2007). Southern Tier has built this reputation on its flagship, "Phin & Matt's Extraordinary Ale," and a number of successful Imperial-style beers, including its signature IPA, "Unearthly," named 81st on a list of the best beers in the world (BeerAdvocate, May 2007).
To give an idea of Southern Tier's prodigious scope: According to online testimony, Cuvée Two is available on tap in Seattle, Wash.; "Quite Enjoyable," in Hazelwood, Mo; and "Solid," in Cambridge, Ontario. That's in Canada, for Natty Lite drinkers. You, dear reader, are eager to share the experiences of such far-flung brethren, however, so let's get to the beer.
The aforementioned cardboard box indicates that I've indeed purchased a 650 mL bottle (that's a bomber, if you're not familiar with the terminology) of Series Two. At 11 percent ABV, this particular brand of ale is an American Strong, a catch-all phrase used to classify a variety of American microbrews whose characters do not quite fit traditional, canonized styles. Some may resemble Barley wines and Old Ales while others are related to English Strong Ales and IPAs - you get the idea. Regardless, American Strongs are intense and potent: we like things big, and as the name suggests, this style relies on generous measures of hops and malt. Meanwhile, Cuvée Two is aged in American Oak, opposed to Series One, aged in French Oak, and Series Three, which blends the contrasting flavors of its predecessors.
The brand was familiar, the Southern Tier Brewing Company, prompting me to drop a bottle, packaged neatly in its thin cardboard box, among the future reviews that brightened my make-a-six six pack. So, this week I give readers Cuvée Series Two, the second oak-aged ale that belongs in a run with two "sister" beers.
Southern Tier opened short of five years ago, operating out of Lakewood, N.Y., a small town plotted dangerously close to both Pennsylvania and Lake Erie. Phineas DeMink and Allen "Skip" Yahn founded the brewery in order to bring the small batch brewing tradition back to the region; they now produce almost 4 million 12-ounce bottles annually, claiming distribution to nearly a third of the United States and parts of Canada. In less that half a decade, the brewery has been ranked number thirty-five in the country ("BeerAdvocate," June 2007). Southern Tier has built this reputation on its flagship, "Phin & Matt's Extraordinary Ale," and a number of successful Imperial-style beers, including its signature IPA, "Unearthly," named 81st on a list of the best beers in the world (BeerAdvocate, May 2007).
To give an idea of Southern Tier's prodigious scope: According to online testimony, Cuvée Two is available on tap in Seattle, Wash.; "Quite Enjoyable," in Hazelwood, Mo; and "Solid," in Cambridge, Ontario. That's in Canada, for Natty Lite drinkers. You, dear reader, are eager to share the experiences of such far-flung brethren, however, so let's get to the beer.
The aforementioned cardboard box indicates that I've indeed purchased a 650 mL bottle (that's a bomber, if you're not familiar with the terminology) of Series Two. At 11 percent ABV, this particular brand of ale is an American Strong, a catch-all phrase used to classify a variety of American microbrews whose characters do not quite fit traditional, canonized styles. Some may resemble Barley wines and Old Ales while others are related to English Strong Ales and IPAs - you get the idea. Regardless, American Strongs are intense and potent: we like things big, and as the name suggests, this style relies on generous measures of hops and malt. Meanwhile, Cuvée Two is aged in American Oak, opposed to Series One, aged in French Oak, and Series Three, which blends the contrasting flavors of its predecessors.
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