Southern Tier's Hoppe Imperial Extra Pale Ale

Earlier this spring The Drunken Polack asked if I could get him a growler of Alpine's Nelson IPA when I picked up my growler of Nelson. I sent him a growler along with a bottle of The Bruery's Saison de Lente. In return I received five bottles of East Coast beers that I will try over the next few weeks. Two of the bottles were bombers form Western New York's Southern Tier Brewing Company. I have been wanting to try Southern Tier beers for a while because I have read so many positive reviews and they are not available in California.

I opened Hoppe Imperial Extra Pale Ale first. I noticed the smell first, a strong Northwest hop aroma, which surprised me. The beer poured cloudy and its color was a deep orange. It had large white foam that dissipated quickly, almost before I could even snap a decent picture. Hoppe's hop aroma matched the taste. It had a sharp bite and reminded me of beers from Rouge. The bite mellowed out into the aftertaste as the malts provided balance. The alcohol, noticeable on the initial taste, becomes muted in the finish. Hoppe did not drink like a 10% abv beer.

This beer disappeared too fast. It was one of the most drinkable "Imperial" beers I have had. I am looking forward to trying Unearthly Imperial India Pale Ale.