Cuvée Series 1

First, a note on the packaging - this bomber comes in a flimsy, drab brown, cardboard box, with the name of the beer written in low-rent, ghetto t-shirt store font - it looks like really well-packaged malt liquor - it doesn’t really inspire one to shell out the 13 bucks for it - when a brewer releases a special marketing ploy (oops, I mean beer), I come to expect a certain level of quality in my extraneous packaging, not to mention a certain re-usability factor - for example, the canister that once housed my Dark Horizon 1st Edition is now holding pencils - what am I going to do with this box, guys? - it will fall apart if I get it damp! - anyway, why am I wasting so much time writing about the packaging? - because I’m trying to get up the courage to trash a beer from a brewer I generally respect - this beer has potential, don’t get me wrong, but it just doesn’t come together well - the aroma is quite honey-sweet, with strong notes of apricot, some peppery hops, and touches of vanilla - their is a noticeable, and fairly astringent alcohol presence underneath all of this - the appearance is fizzy after the pour, but quickly starts to look completely still - the mouthfeel is thick and syrupy - the flavor starts off very sweet, with notes of apricot and peach - then comes strong notes of vanilla and honey, with very faint toasted almond - gets a little tangy late, with some spicy hops popping out near the end - the alcohol manifests in the finish, but isn’t all that powerful - my description so far doesn’t sound so bad, but with each sip the parts start to work together in bizarre ways - the sweetness, vanilla, and almond remind me of the syrups yuppies put in their coffee at Starbucks, and the texture of the beer in the mouth just serves to enhance this sense-association - there are some interesting elements, but it really lacks depth, and the sweetness just gets more cloying with every sip - sadly, I would call this a failed experiment. - dear Southern Tier, please give me better packaging with your next overpriced beer offering, that way, at least I’ll get something out of the deal, like a box to store condoms in, or something.

Pours deep amber into a Trappist glass. Pancake head with good retention leaves spiders as it recedes. No carbonation from the scoring. Caramel and oak aromas. Sweet and sticky oak upfront. Syrupy and nutty through the middle with an alcoholic hop burn in the finish.