Southern Tier Über Sun
“a galaxy of taste in every bottle”
It is through the movement of the universe that life presents itself in transformation. It
is in this spirit that we make ÜberSun, a tribute to the dynamic energy of summer. The
alignment of wheat and barley through this hop-infused brew embodies the solar system
itself... This may be a difficult task, but one our brewers revel in! They brew a galaxy of
taste into every batch. ÜberSun is the ultimate experience that will challenge you with
each sip. ÜberSun Imperial Summer Wheat Beer takes off where our Hop Sun finishes.
Like it’s little brother, ÜberSun is clean and full of flavor, but don’t pull an Icarus– this is one
big beer! Pour a glass or drink straight from the bottle, it’s meant to be consumed wisely
with friends between summer solstice and autumnal equniox.
8.0% abv • 5ºL •
It is through the movement of the universe that life presents itself in transformation. It
is in this spirit that we make ÜberSun, a tribute to the dynamic energy of summer. The
alignment of wheat and barley through this hop-infused brew embodies the solar system
itself... This may be a difficult task, but one our brewers revel in! They brew a galaxy of
taste into every batch. ÜberSun is the ultimate experience that will challenge you with
each sip. ÜberSun Imperial Summer Wheat Beer takes off where our Hop Sun finishes.
Like it’s little brother, ÜberSun is clean and full of flavor, but don’t pull an Icarus– this is one
big beer! Pour a glass or drink straight from the bottle, it’s meant to be consumed wisely
with friends between summer solstice and autumnal equniox.
8.0% abv • 5ºL •
3.6
398 reviews
Lakewood, United States
Community reviews
65 cl bottle @ Olutravintola Konttori. Rated on 10.09.2010
Aroma is sweet with caramel, some hops, resin and fruits. Flavour is also sweet with hops, resin, some caramel, exotic fruits and hints of alcohol. Too sweet for me.
Bottle. Pours a lightly cloudy golden orange with not much head or lacing to note unless beer was swirled around alot. Smooth malts, pineapple, and fruity wheat dominate the aromas. Taste is honey and caramel hops, citrus resins, pine trees, vanilla and lemons. I would say this beer was pretty darn refreshing for a 8percent.
Bomber. Pours a very light golden orange, bright white head that laces nicely. Aroma is a citrusy, floral sweetness. Taste is ripe orange, with some toffee or perhaps caramel notes, banana?? Taste becomes a bit more complex as it warms. A very nice summer wheat.
Bottle pours a cold white fluffy head. Smells tastes of citrus hops orange caramel sweet. Taste much same has a bit bitter finish maybe bit of wheat. Peach on there. Not bad pretty refreshing.
08/05 0.75 l bottle courtesy of ogivlado, thanks for sharing! It poured orange, slightly hazy body with small head. Sweet, but sharp malt aroma, honey, some licorice, slightly alcoholic. Slight bitterness is shown in the flavor, herbal mostly with honey and flowery malt still dominating. A bit too sweet, which is even more pronounced in its sugary finish. Medium to fuller body. Though not bad of course, it’s quite uninteresting brew, excessive sweetness isn’t elegant at all, so just ruins it. Well below expectations and definitely not a summer thing.
aroma lemony citrusy and even a tad floral very pleasant..caramel-maple flavored malts way in the back..yellow with a hint of amber this white head leaves lacing..tastes..citrusy slightly yeasty like a hoppy beer with a lemon in it..light with tingly small bubble carbonation...good summer beer
Bottle. Slightly hazy golden with small white head. Flavour is malt, hops, fruit, wheat, caramel and little bitter.
30th May 2009
Hazy gold beer, very frothy white head. Soft to semi dry palate. Quite hop bitter when fridge cold but opens up as it warms. Silky malt and the a sweet streak of orange, pineapple and peach. Sweetish semi dry finish with pineapple coming to the forefront.
Clear golden yellow colour. Dos not look much. Smells like cocoa. Taste has cocoa as well, but this ain’t chocolate milk. There’s some amount of sourness and quite a bit sweet, aroma is strange cocoa and flowers going on. Sort of light to drink, but not really after taste has leather and other heavy aromas. Hmm. I don’t think I want another of this. Not necessarily bad, but far from awesome.
Bottled 650ml. -Great thanks to my dear friend Maja P. for bringing this one from Amsterdam. Shared with Marko and heavy.
Hazy golden coloured, small white head, sticky fruity nose. Very sweet malty, fruity, hoppy and alcoholic with notes of honey and some spices. To be honest I’ve expected better beer, this one is ruined by sweetness.
Bottle courtesy of ogivlado who shared it with me and heavy (thanks!)
Poured a hazy golden body with a small white head that went away slowly. Sickly sweet malty & overripe... something?, honey, dust, aroma hop. Sweet dull dusty taste, very light bitterness. Some random fruity note, guessing from the hopiness, soft but all in all, hardly impressive.
Bottle. Golden, hazy, small to average and fully diminishing head. Moderate malty caramel sweetish aroma, fruity, piney hoppyness and alcohol. Body is medium, malty and sweetish flavor, fruitiness and herbal hoppyness, light alcohol. Finish is average, malty and sweetish, piney hoppyness and alcohol. Not so much wheat – more hoppyness and alcohol. Too sweet and too much alcohol for me, nice hoppyness though.
Poured into a pint glass.
4.0 A: Almost, but not quite clear golden color. Big white frothy head with very good retention and plenty of lacing.
5.0 S: Mix of herbal hops and wheat. This is outstanding. It smells simply incredible.
3.5 T: Pleasant herbal hop flavor and a good amount of bitterness, but the taste is lacking something. It’s not as wheaty or yeasty as I’d like, which doesn’t surprise me given it’s clarity.
3.5 M: Medium body. Good carbonation. Nothing special or bad.
3.0 D: When I want a good wheat beer, I won’t reach for this one. It fails to capture the wheatiness I want in it.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 05-31-2009 03:39:59
A: Pours a nice clear bright gold with a nice white head.
S: Plenty of citrus hops atop a zesty wheat base. Definitely quite a few more hops in this than in Hop Sun.
T: Somewhat sweet while still quite dry from the wheat and hops. Plenty of citrus hop character, which seems to be the theme in these hoppy wheat beers.
M: Actually seems to be a bit alcoholic and not quite as enjoyable as the standard Hop Sun in that regard.
D: Pretty good, but a bit heavy on the alcohol flavor and volume to be a great summer beer.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 05-06-2010
22oz bottle. Clear golden orange color. Thin white head. Aroma of vanilla and honey. Nice citrus hop scent. Dry flavor of cracked wheat. Sugar sweet. Finishes with an earthy hop bitterness and a good bit of alcohol as well. Smooth, refreshing, and flavorful. Perfect! Very much like an Imperial Hop Sun.
650 ml bottle @ Konttori.
Pours a slightly orange colour with a lacy head. Good retention. Flavour of wheat, citrus and nice spices. Alcohol warming in the end. Medium bodied, oily mouthfeel. Tasty.
0,65 l bottle from CrackedKettle, courtesy of Balazs, thanks;-)
Orange-amber-reddish tones under the creamy and foamy off white head. Sweetish and herbal aromas fight in the nose. Vanilla and grains punch the hard resiny hop perfume, raisins and figs lurking in the malt based background. Allury...Well rounded body with a character of a double ipa, but this stuff has some another grainy-spicy character because of wheat. Vanilla and tropical fruits with a powerful but well balanced bit of hop. Nicedry finish. Yumm!
Bottle from CrackedKettle. Poured copper color and a white foam that shrunk back to a small lacing one. Hoppy aroma overall, with plenty of honey, citrus, grapefruit, very much like an IPA, but with the subtle wheaty aroma. Smooth, easy to drink, characteristic and has plenty of strength. Very good brew.
I’ve always found "imperial" white/wheat beers to be a contradiction since wheat beers are supposed to be light and refreshing - so what’s the point of boozing them up? Perhaps brewers make such beers just to have a unique imperial brew, and more often than not they are good (if you’ve acquired the taste for them). Leave it to Southern Tier to make Uber Sun - an imperial wheat beer that isn’t just great for its taste, but also a big beer that’s quite refreshing and remarkably smooth. How do they do it?
APPEARANCE AND AROMA
I split a 22oz bomber with a friend and poured my half into a wheat beer glass. This beer has the color of a fresh apricot: bright yellow with a general haziness but no large sediment present. It forms a rather small layer of bright white, almost creamy head that leaves some lacing on the glass.
The aroma is very unique: citrusy hops with a prominent malted wheat foundation. It’s similar to a weizenbock, but without the spice notes. There seems to be some confectionary notes such as butterscotch and maybe a slight floral scent as well.
TASTE
Probably the best way to describe the flavor of Southern Tier Uber Sun would be a weizenbock with the spicy flavors replaced with hops. This beer is an interesting and impressive combination of citrus hop bitterness and classic wheat backbone. Up front it’s noticeably bitter which gives it a fairly crisp mouthfeel and finishes with a more subdued, almost "muddy" wheat flavor.
Wheat beers tend to have flavors of banana and clove, and while they are present here they are subtle. There’s a smooth, almost sugary sweetness to the palate that gives the beer a rich, borderline syrup quality. Not that this beer tastes absolutely delicious. In fact, it’s actually a little mild and I suspect it might only appeal to audiences that appreciate such a hoppy wheat beer (hefeweizen fans tend to be purists).
DRINKABILITY
What impressed me most about Uber Sun was just how drinkable it was. Having tried other imperial white/wheat beers and found them to be intense in the mouth and difficult to drink, I was shocked that this beer went down like a brew half its size. The mouthfeel is rather thick and a little sticky, but is not peppery in at all. The alcohol is virtually undectable despite a potency of 8% ABV. I can envision this beer pairing well with a summer cook-out, or as a simple alternative to the typical light-bodied summer brews.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Southern Tier Uber Sun really surprised me with its hoppy taste and easy drinkability. It’s not to say I found it to be an outstanding beer, but it’s definitely something I could get behind. From what I understand this beer is now retired so I would highly recommend picking up a bottle while you still can.
NOTE: Watch the video version of this review at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drkq2Y1wGHs
Bottle, pours a lovely, hazy, gold-orange body with fluffy white head. Aroma of grain, citrus hops, orange, and cotton candy. Flavor is sweet malts, wheat, and pine and floral hops along with banana and spice (clove) notes. Medium body with a slick palate and light carbonation. Finishes sweet with a light grapefruit and resiny hop bite.
Bomber via a new NY rip and run in Port Ewen....yet to be added to the database. Semi hazy golden in the glass with a rich fluffy head with nice craters. Settles slowly. Surprised that there was no discernible lacing. full bodied and lightly spicy. I cant find the wheat....other than the haze. Spiciness over hops with some yeast tang for a complex finish. Yum. Worth the 6.15 for the bomber.
Well, this is a decent beer, but there’s nothing "wheat" about it. Pours an amber yellow, about the color of many an IPA. Nose is malt, maybe a bit floral. Taste is refreshing sweet malt. That’s about it. If you like malt, you’ll like this. I understand it is about to be retired, and I’ve been able to find it for about $4 per bomber locally. I wouldn’t pay more than that for it.
22 oz bottle. Poured a clear golden light orange color. The head was tall, dense, and pillowy with good retention and lacing. Nice aroma profile that included the likes of flower blossom, cotton candy, and subdued citrus fruit. Light to medium bodied and slightly sweet. Carbonation was on the higher end of the spectrum. Tasted of pale malt, alcohol, grapefruit, pine, and orange liqueur. Mild to moderate bitterness emerged at the end.
From a 22oz bottle.
The color is bright but dark yellow-gold. Large white foamy head. Looks awfully sunny, with a light haze. Good lacing on the glass.
The smell is a fabulous citrusy hop scent. Has an orange-ish base aroma, minor pale malt and a nice complimentary wheat. Lots of citrus fruits balanced by the dry wheat aroma. Some citrusy spice.
Hops are not as citrusy in the taste, though still come through somewhat. They are more bitter in the flavor. Strong orange-spice. Wheat is strong in the taste. Different than the Hop Sun: much spicier and more bitter.
It feels fizzy and bubbly and a bit thick. But smooth on the swallow. All told it’s actually a nicely drinkable brew. Some harsh flavors but finishes pretty smooth.
Pours a nice light golden color - pretty clear ... minimal head but good retention. Floral and citrus aromas are the most powerful ... with some hints of dried fruit. Kind of reminded me of a Belgian variety?? Could be just me. Very crisp and clean flavors - more floral than I expected with some lemon influences - but terrific. Good balance of hop and malt characters. Body is light for a beer this strong and the finish is clean and crisp. Another great one from Southern Tier!!
Bottle. Pours a hazy, yellow color with a moderately sized, frothy white head. Lacing is moderate. Aromas of bananas, sugar, hay and alcohol. Palate is very smooth throughout, with a nice crisp finish. Honestly drinks much lighter than the alcohol and smell would let you believe. Flavors of wheat and hay, with a nice banana finish. Good beer.
Bottle@Home. Very typical American flavours with all the American hops. Bitter and fruity and floral. Easy going even though is quite bitter. Flavourful, balanced, almost too well brewed what makes what gives it a industrial feeling. But OK.
A- Clear pale amber/orange body with big fluffy white head. Head slowly fades to 1/2 finger with excellent head retention. Not what I expected from this brew but it looks great!
S- Smell is a nice combination of a DIPA and a wheat ale. Lots of grapefruit on the nose with an essence of floral hops. A sweet yeasty backbone can be detected too.
T- Much like the smell. Lots of grapefruit and floral hops up front with a solid, sweet, bready wheat backbone. The finish is mostly floral hop taste with hints of grapefruit and wheat. Both a slight, crisp bitterness and a sweet yeasty, bready taste linger on the palate. Take a great,well-balanced DIPA and a good wheat ale and combine them and that is what this one tastes like.
P- Medium carbonation. Body is both yeasty from the wheat and oily from the hops. Heavy for a wheat ale but still very smooth. Goes down easily.
O- Great job by Southren Tier. Alcohol is very well hidden by the big complex taste and mouthfeel. I had this as a recommendation by the bartender and I took another 22oz bomber home with me to review. Something that I can’t wait to revisit. I am looking forward to trying other offerings from Southren Tier!
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 08-15-2007 04:45:43
Bottle. I promised myself I’d give it a try before it disappears...and I can’t say I’m too upset about it going away. Smells of some faint citrus fruits, taste is mildly hoppy with a sticky mouthfeel. Maybe it’s cause the bottle is a bit old, but it’s just not that good. I’m very surprised to see it in the 90th percentile overall. Maybe it’s cause I’m not a huge huge fan of the style. Meh.
Bottle shared by plovmand in the penthouse.
Pours clear golden with off white head.
The aroma is hoppy with notes of grass, pine and caramel.
Flavour is hops, caramel citrus, pine and grass.