Oak Aged Unearthly (Imperial India Pale Ale)
From a trusty 22 oz. bomber into a Portsmouth snifter/tulip... Pours a gentle copper color. First pour is pretty devoid of any head but this snifter does that to even the spriteliess of beers. Little if no carbonation at first. There are those wonderful floral/citrusy C hops. Styrian Goldings (hopback) too? I could see it. They meld nicely with the vanilla of the oak and the sweet boozy caramel malt. I have to say, I like this better than the 2 cuvee series (1 and 2) that I've experienced so far. The vanilla in the oak is a little buttery but it isn't bad and the mild grapefruit on the hops keeps it in check. The slight boozy butterscotch caramel sweetness balances this out as well. Not a worldbeater but not bad. It gets better and more synergized with warmth. After this warms up a little bit the palate feel really evens out - it's quite decent I'm afraid. Definitely has a little booze and vanilla but that's as advertised. Finish is slightly sweet as expected but the citrus cleans it up very well. Y'know, at first this reminded me of cuvee #1 and I was afraid, but then the hops took over and it balanced out well. Still a little uneven but it keeps Southern Tier from the "brewdog" zone of imbalance and confusion. Nicely done.