2XONE - Equinox (2015)
Southern Tier Brewing Company

2XONE - Equinox (2015)2XONE - Equinox (2015)
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From:
Southern Tier Brewing Company
 
New York, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
ABV:
8.1%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.86 | pDev: 8.81%
Reviews:
27
Ratings:
117
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 08, 2016
Added:
Dec 26, 2014
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  31
We challenged ourselves to do something radical with this 2X Seasonal offering, simplifying to the most basic ingredients: one variety of hop and one type of malt. Yes, a single varietal double India Pale Ale. And since it is a seasonal beer, we change the pairing each year for a truly singular experience. The 2015 version uses Equinox hops and Superior Pale malt.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by fscottkey:
Photo of fscottkey
Reviewed by fscottkey from New York

3.62/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A: [4.25] Pours with a nice 1 finger of fluffy white head. The head has small to medium bubbles. The head sticks around for a while. The beer itself is an amber to orange color. The bottle lists the ABV (8.1%) and a born on date which was hard to find (04/06/15). Bonus the label says this uses Equinox Hops.

S: [3.50] Caramel. Biscuity breadiness. yellow raisins.

T: [3.50] Sweet up front. There is mild caramel and bready flavor.

M: [3.75] The mouthfeel is nice. It is definitely not watery. It has decent body and a finish that is refreshing.

O: [3.75] For a DIPA this is not overly bitter. There is NO sense that this is 8.1%. I could basically chug this beer. This is definitely not an in your face West Coast style IPA. It is mild in the nose, taste and mouthfeel (in a good way). I would easily drink this again.
Jun 23, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.18 by corywalston from North Dakota

Oct 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.77 by aknalley from Texas

Jun 04, 2016
Photo of weaselface89
Reviewed by weaselface89 from Georgia

3.79/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
L-hazy and a pale orange color. Not much head but it does have some nice lacing.
S- fruity and pleasant smelling but nothing to knock your socks off.
T- follows the smell with the same fruit flavor that I can't put my finger on. Alittle maltyness.
F- medium carbonation with a slick oily consistency.
O- not bad but I get the feeling equinox isn't the hop of my dreams if you catch my drift.also no date on the bottle so that loses points. Who knows how old this thing is? I don't. The good news is it was on sale at the store for $4.99 a six pack so who can complain about that. I hope they continue this series with another Hop next year.
Apr 02, 2016
Photo of HoppyBeerisHappyBeer
Reviewed by HoppyBeerisHappyBeer from Indiana

4.08/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured hazy amber orange. S: earthy, fruit nose T: taste was eh at first but better as it goes, malty with bitter fruit end. F: light syrup smooth. O: there are a few 6ers around but not for long. Dated 3/17/15 on bottom of bottle.
Feb 16, 2016
Photo of matcris
Reviewed by matcris from Arizona

2.97/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
LOOKS: Slightly hazy orange-amber. Half a finger of off white head. Didn't stick around more than a few minutes leaves a small layer of foam on top of beer. Slight bit of lacing down the glass. A small amount of tiny bubbles streaming up the glass.
AROMA: So, this has a very familiar DIPA aroma to it for me. Some call it cat pee, I call it ammonia like or astringent. Once I get past that sort of harshness, I can smell some Stone fruit and pineapple. I really perceive no malt in the nose.
TASTE: The taste is smoother than I was expecting. I do get some malty sweetness that almost seems like a light caramel quality, but it's very light. There is some mild bitterness up front and then you get that bit of sweetness. No lingering bitterness to this beer.
MOUTHFEEL: Good balance of carbonation. Medium body, not overly dry or sticky either.
OVERALL: I would much prefer a Green Flash West Coast IPA to this, same abv, none of that harshness, especially in the aroma. The taste is a bit better than the aroma. Definitely an above average beer, but I would not go back for more. Just not my cup of tea.
Edit: Should point out that I picked this up in a mix six pack and this beer is 9 months old. Still hoppy, not the hop flavors or aromas that I dig.
Jan 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by JamesLeung from Florida

Jan 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by Kips from Texas

Nov 27, 2015
Photo of AC-Mivsek
Reviewed by AC-Mivsek from Ohio

3.59/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A- Pours pale gold, light white head, plenty of carbonation bubbles. Superb lacing.
S- Pine hops, grapefruit, it's actually sort of soapy. Reminds me of a fruity foaming hand soap.
T- A mix of fruits dominate, pear, melon, cactus? There is tickle of hops, but the are highly subdued and hidden behind the complex fruit presence. I'm also getting a soapy vibe in the taste as well.
M- Highly carbonated, oily slick like most DIPAs seem to be, body is on the heavier side, but it's crisp and bubbly, so it's really not as heavy as most DIPAs
O- I'm pretty disappointed with this beer. Southern Tier is usually pretty spot on when it comes to brewing styles, but this one may have been an experiment gone awry. I like their IPA and their 2XIPA, but this DIPA offering seems to fall short of both of them. It packs the same punch, but the hop presence is severely lacking, and the soapy quality hovering above this beer really brought my enjoyment down. I'm glad I only bought a single bottle. There are way better DIPAs out there.
Oct 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.04 by PStaff716 from New York

Oct 22, 2015
Photo of 57md
Reviewed by 57md from Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Pours a light copper with a touch less than a finger of head. The nose has an earthy hoppiness. The body is quite full for the style and the flavor is well balanced with the same earthy notes as the nose.
Oct 19, 2015
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

3.36/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Undated bottle at 42 degrees into snifter
Aroma very faint, herbal
Head small (< two cm, aggressive pour), off white, frothy, rapidly diminishing to irregular one to five mm ring and a few frothy islands
Lacing fair – narrow complete rings with tiny to medium bubbles
Body medium orange, slight haze
Flavor oddly herbal and medicinal; no malt, no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate medium, oily, lively carbonation

Appearance 3.5, Aroma 3, Flavor 3.5, Palate 3.5, Overall 3.5
Oct 10, 2015
 
Rated: 3.92 by wethorseblanket from California

Oct 03, 2015
 
Rated: 4.08 by Jonbw from Mississippi

Oct 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3.93 by bigleague from Michigan

Oct 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.98 by ER527 from New York

Sep 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.2 by Molson2000 from Canada (ON)

Sep 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.88 by Cramerican from North Dakota

Sep 19, 2015
Photo of SINKTIPS_N_SUDS
Reviewed by SINKTIPS_N_SUDS from Ohio

3.94/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This is a decent double IPA. It doesn't have any extreme complexity or depth, which isn't a surprise, due to its single ingredient status. But it has a decent hop flavor and isn't too bitter.
Sep 18, 2015
Photo of BigGold
Reviewed by BigGold from Mississippi

4.07/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
First had 2XONE poured from 12-oz. bottle into tulip. Gimmick? Not. Experiment? Maybe. But in any event this beer is a very tasty proof of concept.
Sep 16, 2015
2XONE - Equinox (2015) from Southern Tier Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 117 ratings