The Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Co. (Lakewood, NY)
The Brew: Iniquity (Imperial Black Ale)
Availability: 22 oz., 12 oz (Superpack only) & draft (year-round)
ABV: 9.0% // IBUs: 50
Rating: 10/10
Location: Home
The Story? If memory serves, Iniquity was my gateway to dark beers. Southern Tier's Unearthly and Gemini (RIP) were heavy favorites of mine at the time and the promise of another girthy brew from STB, this one touted as the "antithesis of Unearthly", was too much to keep my curiosity at bay.
Launched not too far back in 2009, Southern Tier describes Iniquity as "contrary to what one would expect from an IPA. A dark, malty ale with a huge hop profile seeping forward" and an "unapologetic black ale". Indeed.
The Beer? Big, dark nose with nods to the booze to come. Dark, dark brown color, but not quite black, topped with a small amount of off-white head.
The taste? There's nothing quite like this one. It's like some dark, dank IPA / Barleywine hybrid with scorched, earthy coffee on the finish. It's quite wet and boozy up font, but changes character nicely through to a dry finish. Medium-heavy body with balanced contribution of piney, sticky hops.
Steadied by a sweet, malty backbone and threaded with thick, herbal characteristics and hop spice, while hints of citrus, coffee, and burnt toast sneak in the back door; Iniquity is a dark-beer-lover's IPA - the anti-IPA if you will - and highly recommended for any adventurous beer enthusiast.
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