Southern Tier Will Add New Seasonals in 2016
08 Dec 2015 --- Southern Tier brewing is proud to announce the arrival of two great seasonal beers. Beginning January 2016 the brewery will add 2XSMASH and Back Burner Barley Wine Style Ale to its robust seasonal catalogue.
2XSMASH is a Single Malt And Single Hop Double IPA, and it’s the brewery’s newest single varietal offering. With Southern Tier’s single varietal beers (formerly called 2XONE), brewers can explore just how complex flavor and aroma profiles can be using just one variety of hop and one type of malt.
In 2016, 2XSMASH will return to one of Southern Tier’s most popular combinations, Mosaic hops and Special Pale malt. Relatively new (only having been named in 2012), Mosaic hops are known for their luxurious tropical juicy citrus notes like passion fruit, mango & papaya, and they work absolutely brilliantly with the caramel richness of Special Pale malt.
Quality Manager, Matt Dunn describes 2XSMASH as a “big, juicy, oily & resinous IPA with a lightly caramel malty backbone.” This combination was last brewed as 2014 2XONE, and it was rated a “96” by Ratebeer users.
The new year will also see the return of another familiar face with the release of Back Burner Barley Wine Style Ale. Last brewed in 2012, Back Burner will now be available in 12oz. four packs in addition to its traditional 22oz. bottles. This well-aging brew returns with luscious blackstrap molasses and maple syrup from a farm directly across the road from the brewery. In addition to these new ingredients, its purposeful grain bill includes 4 types of malts, which gives Back Burner flavors of brown sugar, raisins, molasses & caramel maltiness to balance its noticeable hop presence. Hop bitterness fades and flavors evolve over time, so Back Burner adds to the list of Southern Tier’s highly rated, cellar-able offerings. When last brewed in 2012, nearly 1,000 craft beer enthusiasts at Ratebeer marked this seasonal favorite at a “98.”
Southern Tier CEO John Coleman notes, “These seasonal releases fit our expansive and unique portfolio. We want to push the creative limits of brewing while making beers we want to drink ourselves. We believe that ‘Craft is the Endless Pursuit of Creativity,’ and we work hard to provide top-class beers you’ll love to experience again and again.”
