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Imperial Iniquity Black Ale
Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, NY

Style: Black Ale
Glass: Tulip

Pour: Not much of a head grew during the pour. The ale poured thick like Port Wine. The small head that evolved, rims around the glass atop the beer surface, is beige.

Appearance: Black with slight dark purple hue.  Not translucent.

Aroma: Purple grape and yeast meld together creating an aroma similar to Port Wine. The difference is other fruits evolve such as plum and dark cherry. There are underlying scents of wheat toast, alcohol and oakwood.

Taste: The taste is similar to the aroma. The plum and dark cherry are the dominate tastes but give way to a sour grape taste. Oak and alcohol is the finishing tastes to this ale. Underneath all the flavors the hops break through along with a balance of malt. Coffee and wheat toast are also present but slight.

Palate: The mouth feel is thick, smooth, and tingly. Most of the taste sensors are stimulated. A slight tingle of sugar on the tip of the tongue similar to mild dark chocolate is present. Before the final taste, sour grapes is the forefront of the palate, a mild bitterness evolves and dissipates into the sour grape taste. 

Reviewer’s Notes: If you enjoy a mild Port Wine with oak wood characteristics, Imperial Iniquity Black Ale is suggested to drink in place of Port Wine. In theory, Iniquity could be drunk as a dessert beer or as a digestif as is Port Wine. However, if you’re matching it up with food parings, it could be either an aperitif and/or a main course drink. After finishing the glass, a slight lace was left clinging to the sides of the tulip glass.

Brewer’s Notes (via www.stbcbeer.com) : Iniquity, depravity, sin, wickedness. The opposition to goodness. Iniquity is an ale as dark as night, hops and malts conceding the victory over conventional standards with this unapologetic black ale. Why do we call it Iniquity? It’s to what one would expect from an IPA. A dark, malty ale with a huge hop profile seeping forward. A blackened ale, the antithesis of Unearthly.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Particularly tasty when paired with roasted or smoked foods, blackened fish, oysters, steak.
AVAILABILITY: Year-round / 22oz / 1/2 keg, 1/6 keg
STYLE: Imperial Black Ale
BREWED SINCE: 2009
ABV: 9.0%
FERMENTATION: Ale yeast, two types of malt, four varieties of hops
COLOR: Black
EFFERVESCENCE: Light carbonation
NOSE: Roasted malts, dark fruits, coffee, cocoa, hops, bittersweet chocolate, caramel, coffee, piney, citric hops, burnt toast (in a good way)
BITTERNESS: Medium
BODY: Velvety smooth, medium-full body
SERVING TEMPERATURE: 42°F
GLASS: Tulip or pint glass
AVAILABILITY: Year-round / 22oz / 1/2 keg, 1/6 keg
CELLARING: 35-40°F
ALLERGENS: This beer contains wheat





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