Compass
Southern Tier Brewing Company

CompassCompass
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Southern Tier Brewing Company
 
New York, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
9%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.85 | pDev: 11.17%
Reviews:
137
Ratings:
672
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 22, 2022
Added:
May 27, 2013
Wants:
  19
Gots:
  80
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Evarigan:
Photo of Evarigan
Rated by Evarigan from New York

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%

Aug 13, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.24 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Jan 22, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by JohnDon from Texas

Oct 09, 2018
Photo of CaptainHate
Reviewed by CaptainHate from Ohio

3.62/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
This was a 2015 bottle given to me, along with others, by a friend cleaning out her beer fridge in anticipation of moving. It poured a slightly dark yellow with a large white head which slowly dissipated with moderate lacing in a Nonic glass.

I don't thing aging this served it well. I could barely smell any rose hips and citrusy hops which surely have faded with time and they were borderline nonexistent in the taste. In fact it tasted like a generic American Pale Ale which I'm sure was not Southern Tier's intention. The good news is that this is the last bottle I received that should be negatively impacted by aging.
Mar 11, 2018
Photo of q33jeff
Reviewed by q33jeff from New Jersey

2.54/5  rDev -34%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
**
02/27/2015

Appearance is a slightly hazy yellow; small white head, fades quickly.
Aroma is floral, hoppy.
Taste is a little wheat/paste. Sweet/sour. Not bad. Needs some meat and potatoes.
Feel: pasty, sticky. medium body.

Peripheral attributes are weak, but overall not bad. Kind of all over the place; the different flavors and textures do not seem to blend well.

**
Aug 20, 2017
Photo of descobar
Reviewed by descobar from Florida

2.16/5  rDev -43.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5
Disclosure: old 22 oz bottle probably from 2013. although bottle conditioned, not meant to age this long... so take review and low rating into account:
Look: pours deep golden, with thin white head with very low retention. the beer is now hazy with visible yeasty sediment. no lacing was observed.
Smell: stale oxidation, green apples (acetaldehyde?), bandagey, sweat, or some type of stinky cheese. none of it good.
Taste: once you get past the mediocre smell, the flavor has not deteriorated as much. mostly just malt sweetness and spices. the bitterness is almost absent. and there is a cheesy flavor there for sure.
Feel: medium body, moderate carbonation (should have been almost effervescent for a "sparkling ale". its texture is oily and with some creamyness. and... there is an astringency that borders on harsh.
The beer finishes short and sweet with only the aforementioned harshness lasting a bit longer.
Overall: I remember this being a decent beer. although I certainly expected some deterioration, it should have held out just a bit better given the high abv and the bottle conditioning. drank just enough to write this review, rest is getting dumped.
Mar 11, 2017
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Had this years ago on draft. From my notes:

Murky bright yellow appearance.

White head; nice lacing.

Fresh flower & lemon nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Pleasant citrus flavor; hint of flowers & strong marijuana. Substantial but easy to enjoy. A winner; great for summer.
Jan 19, 2017
 
Rated: 2.77 by Richardbeerlover from Texas

Nov 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by VABA from Virginia

Aug 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.1 by Wortman1998 from New York

Apr 23, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by LiquidSwords1201 from Connecticut

Mar 09, 2016
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

3.49/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 22oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a large white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains light caramelized malts, some piney hops, some citrus and some spice.

T: The taste starts out with mildly sweet flavors of citrus, spice and caramel. Then a significant but subdued hops presence comes in. The malt character is on the thin side but brings a decent balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Very crisp and a little smooth, light-to-medium body, medium-to-high carbonation, finish is dry and slightly sticky.

O: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, good kick, decent variation of style, it’s not a bad beer but it’s not something I would choose unless my options were quite limited.
Feb 13, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by spedprof from West Virginia

Jan 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by NSXAG from Arizona

Jan 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4.62 by Hoppy_Time from Maine

Jan 03, 2016
 
Rated: 3.8 by CreekyJarls from New Jersey

Dec 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.44 by worstfisherman1 from Florida

Dec 16, 2015
 
Rated: 4.43 by shigg85 from Japan

Dec 14, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by Josholson666 from Minnesota

Dec 02, 2015
Photo of HopsAreDaMan
Rated by HopsAreDaMan from Missouri

3.88/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
(Review 6 days later) 22oz, bott. end of 2014. Shared at Beer club. It was sweet, and I liked it, but it is not worth buying again as a bomber.
Nov 12, 2015
Compass from Southern Tier Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 672 ratings