Southern Tier Brewing Company is a craft brewing company in Lakewood, NY, in the southwestern section of NY state known as the Southern Tier. They produce and distribute several year-round brews as well as some seasonal releases including the Blackwater Series.
Beer Type: Imperial Dessert Stout
Serving Size: 12oz. bottle
ABV: 10%
Website: stcbeer.com
I think my first Southern Tier beer was Pumking back in the fall of 2013. That first batch was truly something special. Then they released Warlock – the imperial pumpkin stout. That was off the hook. In recent years they’ve released quite a few variants and introduced their Blackwater Series which included the Warlock.
Some of my favorites over the years have been the Salted Caramel imperial stout, Choklat imperial stout, Crème Brûlée imperial stout, and Thick Mint (a take on the thin mint girl scout cookie) imperial stout. In case you haven’t caught on yet, I LOVE imperial stouts. Delicious, thick and creamy ecstasy in a glass.
I saw on Facebook that Southern Tier had released a new beer in the series, Peanut Butter Cup imperial stout. I kept checking my Untappd app to see if it was available in my area and I also order from a local beer and wine store (Total Wine) online and get it delivered. NOTE: how awesome is it to have beer and cigars (they have a walk-in humidor in the store) delivered right to your door?!?! Most of the time I have a promo code for free delivery so – hell yeah!
I had also seen that Southern Tier released a French Toast imperial ale as well so I had my eye out for that one too. Kept checking my app to no avail so eventually I gave up. Then one day I had to go to Wegman’s to pick up my cholesterol prescription. I used to live within walking distance of the local Wegman’s but when I bought my house it took me a little bit further away but only a few miles. So I ended up keeping my primary pharmacy as the Wegman’s pharmacy just so I would have a reason to go there a few times a year*. It’s worked out nicely.
On my recent trip I stopped by Wegman’s ample beer section and low and behold, in the Southern Tier section I spied both PBC stout and FT stout. Without even a consideration of the price I grabbed a four-pack of each. If I may digress (again) for a moment, I had not been to Wegman’s for a few months and found that they had totally rearranged their beer section – again. They kept the “Virginia” craft beer section but now they have the beers in alphabetical sections by brewery name which is nice. I hope they keep it that way.
So now we finally arrive at the tasting notes for the Peanut Butter Cup imperial stout. First things first. You need to drink this one (as with all boozy stouts) at a little bit warmer temperature than what your refrigerator is. I recommend between 55 and 65 degrees. A nice snifter or bell-shaped glassware is desirable. I’m not a fan of pint glasses.
You get quite a bit of peanut butter in the nose. The first sip seems a bit artificially flavored but as you settle in you start to get those notes of peanut butter and rich milk chocolate in the flavor profile. I even get some toffee and very subtle coffee notes. If you are a fan of deliciously decadent dessert stouts, Southern Tier will not let you down. Just be careful. I don’t think they brew anything below 8% in the Blackwater Series so it will jump on you quickly.
If you’re on Untappd, give me a friend request. I’m on Untappd as capsrock. Cheers.
This peanut butter stout has all the power of a high octane beer with subtleties of coffee and peanut butter! Yumm!