One of the beer that I brought back from Boston this summer was Southern Tier Unearthly Imperial IPA. I picked it up because Southern Tier has a killer reputation and I have never sampled one of their beer. For those who don’t know, this New York brewery has a reputation as one of those quintessential hoppy American craft brewers. Of course they make other beer, but they are known for their biterness. I couldn’t help myself but bring one home just to try.

And try it I did the other night.

It pours a dark gold with a thick, dense white head. Nice clarity and a classic pale ale appearance. The aroma is sharp grapefruit and pine hop, along with an earthy, grassy accent. Underneath I detect some light toffee malt and a bit of fruitiness.

I take a sip and can tell there is some malt in the beer, but it is rather fleeting as the hops rushes in quite quickly. For the record the malt offers toffee, biscuit and some soft graininess. Now for the hops – as that is what this beer is about. It is a resiny, sharp, piney, citrus hop character. There is a big tropical note to the hops – grapefruit, pineapple, passion fruit. I find the hops offer a complete hop experience, meaning we get not just the bitterness but a sense of the hop cone itself, which comes across as leafy and earthy. The body is substantial, but it seems to be more from hops than from malt, although I am sure that is a mis-direction. the linger is a citrus, earthy hop that coats the roof of your mouth.

Many people argue that this is a fairly balanced Double IPA, but I don’t agree. This is a hop-dominated beer. That is not a criticism but just an acknowledgement of what I found. In comparison to other big Imperial IPAs, such as Russian River’s Pliny the Elder or Stone Ruination, I find it has less of a malt character and more a one-dimensional hop feature. It is a rich, complex, enjoyable beer by any stretch, but having finished the big bottle I remains unsure whether it was worth the trouble of getting it across the border.

In the end I feel like this is a good reminder that, for the most part, the reputations of the “classic” craft brewers is deserved, but that it doesn’t mean their beer is heads and shoulders better than beer from lesser-known breweries. I enjoyed this Imperial IPA, but I have had better – even some made right here on the prairies.