Southern Tier Compass
We rely on age-old tools in the brewery despite being surrounded by high technology. As a sort of compass, we use the six pointed brewer’s star to help navigate uncharted brews. The cardinal points of water, malt, grain, yeast, hops and a brewer make the baseline. From there anything goes. Sometimes the journey is as important as the destination.
You’ll notice a slight bitterness in Compass derived from our use of rose hips accentuated by high effervescence. Drink it cold from a fluted or tulip glass. And by all means, avoid sea serpents.
You’ll notice a slight bitterness in Compass derived from our use of rose hips accentuated by high effervescence. Drink it cold from a fluted or tulip glass. And by all means, avoid sea serpents.
3.6
333 reviews
Lakewood, United States
Community reviews
Shared from brown bomber bottles into Duvel goblets, thanks Scott! It poured a mostly-clear amber with sudsy, long-lasting beige foam and lace. Very nice appearance, great use of bottle conditioning. Solid malty characteristics: nutty, biscuity, bready, caramelly. Equally solid hoppy balance: fruity, earthy, a little peppery and woodsy. Subtle floral and cranberry tannin contribution from the rose hips. Not really any noticeable yeast esters and phenols, which makes me think Ratebeer should consider reclassifying it from Belgian Strong Ale to American Strong Ale. Ironically, we also shared a homebrewed Australian Sparkling Ale (all Australian grain, hops, yeast), which this Southern Tier Compass resembled more so than anything else I can think of. Medium body, spritzy carbonation, faint mineral water essence, lingering bittersweet aftertastes. No trace of the elevated alcohol in the aromas or flavours, but I definitely felt the boozy effects after awhile. Very tasty, I’ll look to buy more of this.
On tap at Hopjacks. Pours a cloudy orange with medium frothy off white head that lasts. The aroma is belgian yeast and grain. Medium mouth, fruity malt, strong yeast, light booze, decent.
Bright citrus, lemon, lime, slightly floral. Clear orange with a mostly lasting white head. Dry, hot, with a bitterness not unlikejuniper or gin. Light-medium bodied.
Pours straw yellow with big ivory head that fades quickly. Flowery, almost perfume-y aroma, the rose hips are there, but faint, the citrusy hops noted on the label are lost, at least to me. Taste is complex, almost like a wine, beer mix, especially with the bubbly carbonation still present five minutes after pour. Lemon, grape, rose, a little bit boozy. This was an impulse buy, but I’d pick this one up again.
22 Oz bottle pour shared. Pours a cloudy yellowish color with a floral hop aroma. Flavor is lemon, floral hops and some grassy hints. Pretty good beer here. Interesting. Tasty.
Complex aroma of hops, rose hips and malt. Cloudy gold color, short lasting white head. Dry hop taste with hints of malt and rose hips. Dry hop finish.
Pours golden / yellow with some floaties and a small white head. The aroma has citrus hops that are heavy on grapefruit and orange. There is also some stone fruit, smooth abbey-esque yeast, pale malt, mild caramel and hints of floral aspects. It has a medium rough body with some sharp carbonation. The taste starts with crackery dough, bright citrus, grapefruit zest, spice and mild Belgian yeast. The finish is dry and hoppy. Quite tasty.
22 Oz bottle. Pours a clear golden medium off-white head. Aroma is grassy, grainy, and yeast. Not overally strong smell. Medium sweet taste. Medium sweet taste. Body on the lighter side, stickier texture, light hop bitterness in a dryish finish. Alcohol well masked. Overall pretty good.
[7027-20150124] Bottle. Fragrant orange peel and fresh citrus flesh aroma. Hazy, orange brown body with a long-lasting creamy off-white head. Bitter citrus peel and toasted leafy cereal hops flavour. Medium body. Delicious, great balance. (9/4/8/4/16) 4.1+
Bière blonde aux parfums très sucrés de litchis, d’eau de rose de baklava aux pistaches et d’alcool. Le nez n’est pas déplaisant mais beaucoup trop chargé de sucre à mon goût personnel. La mousse se dissipe rapidement laissant à vif un liquide visqueux, lourd. En bouche, le sucre est très présent et le parfum d’eau de rose encore plus puissant, laissant une texture huileuse sur mon palais encombré de miel et de grains rappelant le pain doré du petit déjeuner. Pau mauvaise mais lourde, trop lourde à mon goût personnel.
Pours a sparkly gold. First whiff is pineapple and mango. Taste is more tropical with a bitter hop finish. A light burn let's the alcohol shine through. A effervescent beer good for a hot day. Would definitely try this again.
Bottle 66cl / Botella 66cl.
@ Maquila Bar
A: Hazy golden / Dorado turbio.
T/S: Malt, fruity, spicy, slightly citrusy / Malta, afrutado, especiado, ligeramente citrico.
Crisp, very hazy golden and light copper coloured body with a very thin, single centimetre tall pure white head. Aroma of alcohol, belgian yeast, light spices, some grass and hay and a touch of curacao and fruit sweetness. Full-bodied; Dense yeastie flavour with hints of biscuits and bread, some subtle grass and floral notes, a little sugars from apricots and curacao and a nice rich malt note on the end with a complex flavour. Aftertaste is relatively complex with most of the changes coming during the yeast portion and only a touch of sugars making it through the end, with the large alcohol presence. Overall, a nice and robust beer with a complex flavour profile and some nice tastes along the way, but not amazing and not worth doing stupid things for. I sampled this 65 cL bottle purchased from Total Wine in Chantilly, Virginia on 31-January-2015 for US$7,49 sampled at home in Washington on 12-April-2015.
Pours an almost clear golden. World class head volume, lacing and retention.
Light nose of rose hips and citrus over biscuit.
Light body that has smooth moments. Very well carbonated with a lively prickly effervescence from the middle on.
The flavor profile is laid back, but nicely balanced and has a bit of complexity. It begins with a mild mixture of slightly sweet citrus, that never separates. The middle effervesces into a mild bitterness that has both rose hip and hop qualities over a biscuit sweetness. The finish is dry and prickly had leaves you with a slight pucker. The 9% ABV is completely covered.
650ml bottle, hazy honey gold hue, with a thick pillowy white head, with a nice candyish honey and lemon lollipop nose, with some light lemon marmalade, candied lemon, grapefruit peel, light lemon pie crust, honeyed pale, pilsener, caramunich, toasted malt accents, and a mild floral herbal citrus, leafy hop, lemon cake, mint leaf note in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a warmth sweet honey, lemon candyish lollipop, lemon marmalade, fruity, citrusy, doughy, yeasty, candied lemon, grapefruit rind, flowery citrus, leafy, grassy hoppy character, with some lemon pie crust, panettone cake dough, subtle lemon pepper, lemon mousse, honeyed pale, pilsener, caramunich, toasted malty flavours, leading towards a warming fruity, citrusy yeast, panettone cake dough, candied lemon, grapefruit peel zestiness, candyish lemon, honey lollipop, lingering leafy, citrus hop bitterness finish.
650ml bottle, thanks Peter. First of all, this is by no means a Belgian Stong ale, at best it’s between a Strong ale and a IIPA. Aroma: citrus, orange, grain, caramel, floral. App: hazy orange small head, little retention. Taste and palate: medium body, lots of grain, light sweetness, light dry bitter finish, sparkling carbonation. Doughy feel a tad. Overall: reminds me of a session IPA but less bitter, more malted and with grain. With this citrus aroma, I was expecting something way more bitter but still.. A great and different product.
Aroma is floral, hoppy.
Taste is a little pasty. Sweet/sour.
Not bad. Needs some meat and potatoes.
Precious brilliant golden colour, it looks like champagne. Sparkling, white and shortlasting head. Elegant mouthfeel, plenty of nuances like citrics, pine, caramel or raw grain. The overall is perfectly balanced and delicious. Superb beer, really excellent.
Bottle- pours a clouded gold color - puts a rocky white 1 finger cap on the top, Lively effervescence, Bight fresh nose and flavor. Aroma is citrus-floral with a sharp spicy element to it. Flavor is fairly well balanced between fresh biscuit maltiness and bright citrus-fruity tones - finishes warn and dry with s muted soft bittering - very nice offering.
2015-01-24. Hazy dark yellow-orange body with a nice frothy off white head that fades. 3++ Aroma is mildly alcoholic, weaving around a hop character that is sufficently nuanced that it escapes my initial definition. It is fruit, with notes of guava or mango like tropical fruit, ubderpinnings of a more general ale yeast fruit character. Flavour is fairly bitter throughout, with a good amount of hop character. Moderate muddle citrus and resin, the hops aren’t particularly bright but neither is the bottle super fresh, they grow more prominent as the glass warms up. Good amount of warming alcohol in the throat is moderate on the tongue, but amplifies the bitterness. Nice pale malt core is subtly rich, with pleasant bready cereal character. Average plus to medium bodied palate, good carbonation, suits the beer. 3+ Enjoyable overall, not one I’d reach for often but dangerously drinkable. Bottle from the LCBO unintentionaly cellared for several months, Toronto.
bottle - Pours hazy gold with a big, billowy, off-white head. It has a citrusy, floral aroma. It’s well balanced with very tasty citrus accented hops bitterness coupled with smooth, sweet malt. Easy to drink and so good.
Hazy golden with a white creamy head. Floral aroma,tropical fruit, light sweetness from the malt, cereal and some alcohol. Mainly sweet in the beginning with a bitter aftertaste. Slick brew, lively carbonation with a little something harsh in the aftertaste.
Pours a bright lemony yellow. Medium white head.
Aromas of citrus, yeast and floral highlights.
Light crisp palate, with flavours of citrus, with the addition of sweet malts. Hints of sugar in there as well. A fairly sweet beer.
I’d imagine this would go down scarily easily (it’s 9% abv) on a hot summer day. Pretty drinkable in the middle of winter too, judging by how easily I made it disappear.
Pours hazy gold with a thin white head. Fruit, yeast and peppery spice but somehow now quite as good as that sounds.
Hazy golden colour brew with a white creamy head, good retention and lots of lacing. Fruity grain aromas with some oranges, light tropical fruits and very mild grass. Very well-hidden alcohol, so smooth. Flavours of mildly sweet fruits with light sugars. The cereal grains are really in the background and some nice mild bitterness is left in the finish. A very nice refreshing strong ale. Very well-balanced. 9.0 ABV. Really ??
Bottle - 660ml. Cloudy golden body with a thin, fading white foamy head. Very enjoyable hoppy aroma with mango, orange, cherry, and yeasty hints. Alcohol is very well hidden. Its fresh, very well balanced hoppy taste carries malty, citrusy, herbal, and honeyish notes. Ends with a sharp bitter/yeasty finish. Very good.
Aroma is underripe tropical fruit, herbs and vanilla. Mouthfeel is crisp. Taste has notes of mango, white tea, white peppercorn, cream and white plum. Finish is yeasty.
22 oz - Golden color, good lace. I don’t get it. What’s new and different? Unremarkable.
Blonde. Beau collet blanc dense. Florale. Malté. Miel. Sucré. Belle amertume. Légèrement fruité. Bleuet. Finale sèche et épicé. Très bien.
Honey gold with foamy white head. Perfumey nose. Taste- Belgian malt, floral and fruity with a dry, champagne-like mouthfeel. Some warming alcohol as we'll. Nice Imperial Belgian Ale.