Southern Tier Oak Aged Unearthly
It’s been a while since I’ve had Southern Tiers hopped up Unearthly, but I remember it liking it a great deal. So seeing this “oak aged” variety on the shelf and tossing it into the shopping cart in front of me was a no-brainer for me.
Looking at the list of hops used in the brew (Chinook, Cascade, Styrian Golding and Centennial) you know this is going to be a hoppy brew for sure. The addition of the oak proved to make the brew something truly wonderful and somehow squeezed out an extra 1% ABV over the normally 10% ABV Unearthly.
Appearance
The beer poured a golden amber in color with a quickly dropping white head.
Aroma
There is a ton of floral, citrus and pine resiny hop goodness packed into the nose on this beer. There’s only the slightest hint of some woodiness to the brew along with a light alcohol note.
Taste
Perhaps I was expecting something a bit more aggressive like an Oak Aged Arrogant Bastard, but this one didn’t have as much of an oaky punch as I would have thought. Then again, Arrogant Bastard is an over the top beer. This bottle of Oak Aged Unearthly, however, is a bit more refined with a great hop character, slight sweetness and quite the warming finish that leaves a lingering burn on the first few swallows. The oak actually makes more of an appearance in that slightly bitter finish.
Overall
Like I said, I think I was expecting a bit more woodiness from the barrel aging, but even with the lighter character this is an excellent brew. It’s warming, flavorful and tasty.
Rating: 4/5