Southern Tier Cherry Saison Review

Overall 2.00 of 5 (by 1 user)

Saxguy
Skokie, IL

Another disappointment from Southern Tier

a beer drinker, willing to pay for quality

Cons

cherry flavor is faint, sour taste

JUL

2008

Southern Tier Cherry Saison —

I am really intrigued with brews from the craft brewer, Southern Tier Brewing of Lakewood, New York. A dizzying array of brands, some seasonal have been showing up in Chicago in liquor and grocery stores.

I've enjoyed several of theirs, including Hoppe, Gemini, IPA and Choklat Stout. Others have been disappointments including their Belgian-style product, Tripel, and their Raspberry Porter. Still, I am an optimist when it comes to beer. I like high abv beers and, usually, fruit beers, so when I saw this on the shelf at the local Whole Foods, I decided to check it out, paying $6.99 for a 22oz bomber bottle.

Southern Tier markets this as a cherry wheat beer. The abv is a little high for a wheat beer and a fruit beer. Of course, that doesn't bother me at all. The oak aging was also a plus, as I've enjoyed oak aging in sone shouts I've had.

Initially, I was surprised that there wasn't much cherry in the nose. I expected more. The prevailing aroma on the open was bread-like malt.

This poured gold, with a fairly thin head. The aroma didn't change.

The taste was mostly malt, with only a hint of cherry. Light carbonation. This had a fairly boring taste, and a bit sour. Medium mouthfeel. I expected more cherry and at least a little more sweetness. I didn't taste any impact of the oak aging.

The finish was yeast, with more bitterness. I kept waiting for more cherry, but it never did arrive. In its favor there was no alcohol burn, which I usually expect in a beer with abv this high.

I could pair this with sandwiches and snacks. it wasn't particularly enjoyable but it wasn't offensive.

This was another Southern Tier disappointment. Not much cherry, kind of a bland, sour flavor.

2 stars. I won't buy this again