Brewery Visit: Southern Tier Brewing Co.-Nature's Friend

On my recent trip to New York to visit our friends we looked on the map, as we usually do, for the nearest baseball team or brewery and plan our schedule out. I saw two breweries on the map, but my direction finder put us extremely close to Lakewood, New York, home of Southern Tier Brewing company, a beer I had tasted before that I purchased in a Craft Your Own six-pack at my local Binny's. I thought that beer was good so we went to this brewery. The reason I mention this is because fellow beer drinker and brewery visitor Mark recommended another, Ellicotville, but my GPS placed it 100 miles away. Little did I know I had entered it wrong and it was only 20 miles. I think maybe we will try that one next time.

Me, wood wall

This brewery was not too far from the Penn-NY line, and was only a short jump from Lake Chautauqua, a large lake frequented by thousands each summer. Southern Tier boasts of using solar power and being a friend of nature. From their website I read:

Southern Tier Brewing Company is committed to providing delicious, accessible and unique products. In doing so, we aim to change the way people drink beer. 

A close look at our logo reveals a brewers star. It may be just one diminutive graphic, but it plays a huge role in our brewery. The star represents purity in six crucial facets of our work; water, hops, grain, malt, yeast and brewer. We believe that by maintaining the highest quality possible in these areas, we will produce world-class beverages.

Nice to hear. Let's see what that all means when it comes down to their beer.

They try to make it interesting, I think. They put on a little different face when they are out in public, but I really don't mean that in a bad way. For example, Mark picked up a 12 Variety pack at the local beverage store, which included their Phinn and Matt's Ale, 422, and IPA. I thought all three were quite tasty. Not overdone, smooth and balanced. I even tried a 422 on tap at the local pier-bound restaurant on Lake C. It was good again (look for a review).

But at the brewery it is a different matter. The brewpub itself is quite small (I think they are increasing its size-some construction is happening), and you have to walk up to the counter and get your beer and food and bring it back. We each went with a flight, and it worked out pretty well-since there were 4 drinkers we tried pretty much all they had to offer, which was a lot. The flights themselves were made of steel and only held four glasses, but the glasses were kind of big, especially since a few of them were not exactly what we were into. 

Among those we tried included: 
1. Creme Brulee, a super sweet creamy ale that packs a punch (9.5% ABV) 

Dessert maybe?

2. 2X Stout and 2X IPA, both bigger offerings of regular releases, bold but consistent (7.5% and 8.2%).
3. Backburner, a knockout bold slow sipper, not too enjoyable we agreed, an Imperial Aged Barley Wine (9.6%!).
4. Harvest Extra Special Bitter, I thought was little too sharp and almost skunky. I did not like this at all (6.7)
5. Pumking, seasonal pumpkin beer. I wish I enjoyed them more than I do, kind of popular somehow (8.6).
Plus a cider, called Mckenzies, which, as it turns out, is not made by them at all. But really kind of good I thought.

Maybe I am getting older, but I liked the variety pack beers really well, not too crazy with the tastes and bitterness, and the knockout tastes did not terribly impress me. I think it was an interesting place and one worth returning to.