First of all my 2 stars is only directed towards the brewery physical plant & tour and not the beer because we all know that beer is awesome.
We started our Saturday road trip to visit the  brewery from downtown Buffalo a 1:45 hr trip. We arrived at Southern Tier at 11:40am the doors open at 12:00pm. We wanted to do the brewery tour and tasting. By the time we got to the register the only remaining tours were after 3:00pm. Very disappointing considering the fact that you can not reserve or buy the tours in advance. It's strictly first come first serve. We were not the only ones that were extremely disappointed and some others had driven over 4hrs to get there. I think the mangers need to re evaluate the tour group size or develop a system to allow future purchase for people making the effort to drive in from way out of town especially on the weekends or holidays.
Other than the above disappointment, the property was nice and we enjoyed eating the  picnic lunch we had packed and drinking some great beer right from the source.
Also they do not accept American Express cards....bummer!
One of the few brewery's I've been to. Not only is this place beautiful but the beer is delicious! When I went the place was packed. They have an indoor and an outdoor bar, a nice spacious area outside, and they had a band playing. From what I heard they had just renovated. If you get a chance to try the Pumpking it's a must drink! Try to buy a growler or case there if you can, it's much cheaper than when I buy in Ohio.
Review Source:A fantastic tap room reminiscent of Highland's Brewing in North Carolina. Â Wide open spaces, with a number of their beers on tap in various sizes for a good price. Also available are a wide range of merchandise and tours.
a very pretty place to enjoy beer, either inside or outside. Live music on some days. Play some stones while you drink.
Didn't get to go on the tour, the place was packed for 4pm on a Saturday.
Southern Tier is not only my favorite Western New York brewery, but perhaps my favorite brewery in the country. Â Located a short distance from Jamestown, Southern Tier boasts a very impressive and beautiful facility. The tap room is spacious and inviting. It features a full bar with plenty of seating. Stop by in the summer to enjoy the outdoor patio and some live music. Â They also have a limited food menu with pulled pork sandwiches. There is a very small gift shop where you can buy glasses, key chains, shirts, hats, etc.
The tour is worth the price. You'll tour the facility, receive a souvenir glass, and enjoy samples. Our guide was very knowledgeable and clearly enjoyed his job. The tour itself does not cover much ground of the facility. For most of the time you'll remain in the same area. Mostly you'll learn about the brewery's history, their different beers, taste samples, talk with other beer lovers, and have a great time. Â Tours book up fast so arrive at least 1 hr before start time. Â
The beer:
These are craft beers made for craft beer lovers. Be warned, you will not find many light beers here - blondes, pilsners, lagers, etc. Many of their brews are heavier (with over 7% ABV) and require the right palate. Â Also, their seasonals and limiteds can be a bit pricey.
My favorites include:
Choklat: Â Perhaps my favorite chocolate beer. Â Phenomenal American double stout. Very rich and silky smooth. Â
PumpKing Ale: Â A very nice interpretation of a pumpkin beer. Â Plenty of pumpkin spice but not overwhelming. Delicious!
Creme Brulee: This is their imperial milk stout. Tastes like a dessert but with nearly 10% ABV. Â You'll definitely need a sweet tooth to enjoy this one. Great a cold winter night.
Oaked Aged Unearthly: Very nice imperial IPA aged in oak. Also about 10% ABV. Citrusy but with bite. Southern Tier does a great job with this one.
If you're anywhere near Jamestown you need to make this a stop. It's absolutely amazing that a brewery of this caliper exists in this area. Truly world class. Â Don't forget to bring home a growler!
Quick note - There is a strict policy of not allowing kids on a tour due to hazard concerns.
Wow - this brewery is amazing! Great atmosphere, best beer in the world! My two favorites are PUMKING and 2XIPA. DELISH! Growlers were a little pricey, I think it was $24. One bar tender was a bit jerk-ish... he had black framed glasses and was kinda short. Almost acted like he was too good to poor your drink for you, and that you were stupid for asking questions. If you can avoid him, everything else is fantastic! Â Wish they offered the brewery tours more often then just on Saturday. Really wanted to go, but couldn't make it. Also, wish they stayed open past 10 pm! I really, really wanted to give this place 5 stars, but the jerk bartender ruined that...
Review Source:I seldom review a brewery that I haven't personally visited, but a few days ago I encountered Southern Tier's Crème Brulee Imperial Milk Stout at the Village Tap in Chicago, and would like to give it a shout-out.  This is at the far end of the stylistic spectrum, so much so as to be utterly un-beerlike; but, taken on its own merits, an engaging and utterly remarkable outlier.  The overall hedonic impression combines milk chocolate (anybody remember Bosco?) and vanilla baby custard; at 9.5% ABV, it's perhaps best described as a beer-based cream liqueur.  Village Tap even offers it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, as a float.  Definitely not to everybody's taste, but for those with a sweet tooth in beer (or drinks in general), worth seeking out.
Review Source:I've been to a number of big breweries and microbreweries but none better than Southern Tier Brewery.
It's located off the main road in what appears to be an industrial park, but Southern Tier, though industrial itself, has nicely managed to avoid any of that horrid industrial look about it. Indeed the design, the lawn landscaping, the stone work and the natural wood work is not only exudes quality of workmanship, but lends a warm comfortable feeling about the place.
You enter through what appears as a side door and suddenly you are into a big room with all kinds of choices of beer and ale selections. Better yet, the staff is friendly and more than willing to give you a taste before you make your drink decision.
To the back and outside is a really nice patio and set apart from that a beautiful wooden stage area where various musical entertainment is offered. The back lawn and landscaping offers a great little place to roam, chat with fellow patrons or if you have kids, a great place to let them run around. There is also a small water stream and on top of the knoll a game area where they play "stone ball" which is something I confess to not having a clue about.
As for beers, in one word, terrific! They have some of the best I've ever tasted in the United States, a country unfortunately known for beers of dish water flavor.
My favorite was their Phin & Matts, an American Pale Ale made up with ale yeast, three varieties of hops and three varieties of malts, but choose whatever suits you. When I counted I noted a selection of twenty-five though I'm not sure all were offered fresh on tap.
Not only does Southern Tier make my favorite local beer, they've got a kick ass brewery. I have been on a ton of brewery tours. Probably too many. No. That's not possible. Anyway, I've been on my fair share... The point is:
Southern Tier has the best brewery tour (and facility) I've ever been to. The guide was knowledgeable and didn't pull any gimmicky shit. The group of people touring were also the most knowledgeable out of any tour I've  been on. My theory is this, Southern Tier must realize if you come all the way out here, you must be serious. So, they treat you as such. Thanks, friends.
I digress.
The tour. We check out the bottling area, conditioning area, etc and drink four beers. Tons of time for Q&A. Sippin. Chatting. And, did I mention, it's FREE.
You can also just go to their beautiful facility to drink their glorious beer. They also make tasty pulled pork sammies so you don't get stranded out there.
I want to move in.
whenever i'm in the CHQ area (which isn't as often as I would like) I love making a stop by this brewery! they have such good beers. in the winter time, I really like the Old Man and the 2XMas. they always have a big selection of their brews at a good price. it will get pretty crowded though, so if you want a table to sit at, go early.
Review Source:Yum!!! Love it
This place is amazing... just imagine fresh from the kegs Creme Brulee Stout at noon on a Saturday morning... what a great way to start the tour and start the weekend.
The people who work here are really laid-back, but the tasting room and brewery are clean, crisp, bright, and new. You get to taste a bunch of the batches straight out of the process and leave with a cute pint glass.
Southern Tier is a bit "out of the way" off the beaten path, but if you get a chance to drive through Western NY, do not miss it.
A nice way to relax and enjoy a few good craft brews (or wine). Â We've stopped by a few times while riding motorcycles in the area with friends.Southern Tier has a good variety of beers to choose from. Â Try their sampler tray to get a taste of some of the favorites. Â Samples available at the bar. Â Outdoor pavilion for live music. Â Growlers too!
Review Source:I stopped by here this past weekend with my girlfriend and her parents.  We decided to trek over here while up in Erie for the weekend for one of their Saturday tours.  The website said that the brewpub opened up at noon and we got there about 5 minutes after that and the place was packed!  I think that within a few minutes of us sitting down that every table inside of the place was full.  It was good that we went early to get our spots on the tour (limited to 20 and only at 1, 3 and 5 on the weekends) as we saw people being told the 1 PM tour was sold out at about 12:30.  The brewpub itself is a pretty cool space with a high vaulted ceiling with exposed wood, a glass window on one side with a view into the brewery and a bar serving most of their beers.  There is also an awesome  outside patio with its own bar and a stage for bands to play on.  Sadly, the day we were up there it was not terribly warm and so the outside bar was not open and we did not sit outside.
I decided to get something to eat and drink before the tour since we had some time to kill. Â The brewpub does not offer much as far as food and your choice is pretty much a BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich or the soup of the day. Â Whenever we there the soup of the day happened to be white cheddar poblano. Â Since I was hungry, Â I decided on the pulled pork sandwich with a creme brulee stout while other members of my party decided to have soup. Â My pulled pork sandwich came on a sesame seed bun with a side of potato chips. Â My sandwich was marginal as I thought that the meat of the sandwich was good as it was still moist and that the BBQ sauce was ok. Â Where it lost me was the bun which was huge and needed something, perhaps toasted or warmed with some butter? Â Since I do not eat chips, the others at my table ate them all and enjoyed them while also debating whether they were homemade or not. Â I was also able to taste the soup which was creamy and good. Â My creme brulee stout was also as tasty as expected as this was the beer that put Southern Tier on the map for me with creme brulee being my favorite dessert.
The brewery tour was thoroughly enjoyable. Â Whenever you purchase the tour they give you a glass which is to be used for the sampling during the tour. Â In the tour, most of which is spent standing in a spot where you can see many of the vats, the mash machine and bottling process, the guide describes much of what is going on at the brewery. Â While he is speaking you are also treated to rather sizable samples of 4 different beers which while we there consisted of the Creme Brulee Stout, 2XIPA, Pumking and a new one called Live. Â If you liked the sample, more was able to be had when the tour leader tried to get rid of the rest of a pitcher after serving all in attendance. Â All of the beer was excellent. Â The guide was engaging enough to keep our attention for the whole time and was also funny at times. Â By the end of the tour I was very happy that we had made the trek over to the brewery.
The bottom line for me is that I would definitely head back here in the future. Â Their food and food selection leaves something to be desired but this place is rightfully all about their beer. Â The tour was awesome and I enjoyed all of the beers that I had tried.
Being a huge fan of Southern Tier, I was excited to come visit the brewery. This place is fantastic! It has comfortable indoor an outdoor seating and it's nicely landscaped with a great stage out back. It's the perfect place to spend a summer afternoon. And the beer... Oh my god! It's even better than I expected it to be! Come to Southern Tier and have a beer (or two). You will certainly enjoy it!
Review Source:If you like a rustic setting to drink delicious beer- Â get your booty here asap. I myself prefer going here in finer weather when people can sit outside and there's room for everyone. Just the other day I stopped by and had to turn around and leave cause it was packed beyond belief. It pretty much always is.
These guys know what they're doing in the world of craft beers. I'm an IPA freak but am willing to try other flavors. I do have to say- the Creme Brulee was a sticky sweet mess. And I found the Pumpking way to much like a piece of pumpkin pie smashed in a glass. Not my fave but maybe yours?
I've had the pulled pork and it's okay. The sauce wasn't anything to ask extra for. I wish they would get other food because when there's beer flowing- folks are going to get dahrunk....but I get it- they're all about beer! The kicker though is you can bring your own food. There is nothing finer then getting a pizza a few pints and sitting on the outdoor patio.
There is a tour, there is a "gift shop" with t-shirt type things and beer. There is not a lot of parking, and the good news is they're apparently expanding.
Southern Tier is beer nirvana. I've been to a bunch of beer festivals including GABF, and have likely tried in the area of 1,000 beers. Â That being said, Southern Tier's Choklat & Pumking are two of my favorite beers on the planet, and you can get them here BY THE GROWLER. Â Anddddd....16oz pours of 8-12% beers are like $5; you can't get big pours like that just about anywhere else. Â The space is really nice; it invokes the feeling of a ski lodge. Â Some breweries have a very "industrial" feel, but not here, here feels like home. Â
They're only open on Thurs-Friday 4-10pm, Saturday 12-10pm, and Sunday 12-6. Â They don't have much in the way of food here, but they do have what looked like an amazing pulled pork sandwich, and it's really cheap. Â If this place was near me, I'd probably live here on the weekends
For the true Yelpers, this is a $$ max; for some reason it's marked as $$$ right now.
What an awesome time! Â After a few months of pining for more Creme Brulee and Pumpking, we could not resist the short drive from Erie to Lakewood NY on a weekend home from Pittsburgh PA. Â
We had assumed it would be busy for the tour so we did get there early and thank God we did! Â They opened at 2pm and the first tour was at 3pm... it sold out almost immediately (and now STBC has added an earlier tour to the schedule which is awesome so more people can enjoy this greatness). Â The tour groups are a reasonable size... you learn a lot about the beers, the process, and get to sample A LOT of their beer... best $8 ever spent...
The Empty Pint has pulled pork sandwiches that look yummy (we did not try them), and so many STBC beers to enjoy!
If you like Craft Brews... check out Southern Tier... you won't be disappointed!
Looking for a little adventure my friend and I drove out here from Cleveland, OH for St. Patrick's Day. Â It's a beautiful drive.
We loved their beers and figured 'why not?'
Southern Brewery is located in an industrial park area in Lakewood, New York. A really small town by Chatauqua Lake. One wrong turn and we almost missed it. The Brewery is large but we were expecting a little more from the tasting room, The Empty Pint. Perhaps were are too accustomed to our hometown Great Lakes Brewery.
The Empty Pint is a open tasting room behind the brewery. They had at least 8 delicious and strong beers on tap. We fell in love with the Choklat stout, a deep thick stout that boasted chocolate flavor. Next we sampled the Iniquity imperial black ale and the Back Burner barley wine style ale. Â Both were excellent. I swear the Back Burner tasted like iced tea - dangerously smooth. The food choices were limited to a corned beef sandwich (special for St. Pat's) soup, and chips. My friend said the sandwich was hearty and good. As a vegetarian, Â I stuck to soup and potato chips. They were good but I was hoping for a little more to eat especially since the brews had higher ABV.
For the Irish holiday, a bagpipe player performed. The place was filling up quickly with folks celebrating. We met locals and other folks from out of town. We heard the local cops are pretty serious when it comes to DUI's, so take a DD, or a cab. We stayed in a cheap motel down the road.
Eventually we left looking for somewhere else to eat, but on our way out we grabbed some six packs of the Chautauqua brew and some souvenir pint glasses for the folks back in Clevo.
This was  a great adventure and we enjoyed seeing where some of our favorite brews were made. Cheers!
Staying in Chautauqua.New York for a winter holiday, we found that there is almost nothing to do in Jamestown or the surrounding area (besides ski). Then I noticed the woman giving samples at the grocery store actually worked for Southern Tier... Â You mean Southern Tier is right next door!! Ohhh, the vacation is saved!
We spent two nights in a row hanging out at the beautiful bar inside the brewery. They don't have a tasting tray, but the very patient bartender will pour samples of anything. The prices for growers are very reasonable too. We would have gone back every night, but the bar is only open on weekends.
The tour was worth the price, if only to see the facility, get the souvenir glass, and more samples. Our guide was not as knowledgeable as say, one of the brewmasters, but we were free to walk about, and ended up talking to a brewmaster anyway.
The beer:
A big heads up. These are craft beers made for craft beer drinkers. If you don't like big hoppy IPAs, beers that don't always taste like beer, then you won't like most of Southern Tier's selection. As one of our friends noted, he could taste the beer in his mouth loooooong after he swallowed it. I was personally in heaven. Our favorites include:
"Chocolate Ale." Best chocolate beer ever. Hard to finish a glass, it's that rich.
"PumpKing Ale." The only pumpkin beer in the world that's not overly sweet, but super full bodied. A can of pumpkin spices in the face, without being too much, somehow.
"Old Man Winter." They say this is a winter ale, but it's not a white ale, and its' not a christmas beer. I think the closest thing I've had to it is the Great Lakes Dortmunder. It's easy to drink a lot of this stuff, and we did.
After a year of drinking Southern Tier's unique beers, I have come to the conclusion that they brew the most amazing beer in the world. Really. Seriously. I swear. I have never been so passionate about a beer in my life. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever been so passionate about a *person*.
I am very lucky that there are several bars in Brooklyn that serve these ambrosial, flavorful beers. I don't think they have a single product that I've never LOVED.
My favorites, lately:
Unearthly Imperial IPA - an intensely hoppy (5!! hops) beer, at 11% abv. This beer is extremely rich, and I can't imagine having more than one, but the one I drink is savored and WORSHIPPED for its quality.
Imperial Choklat Stout - 11% abv - OMG. I'm not usually a huge fan of Chocolate stouts, but this was DIFFERENT. It was like drinking a chocolate milkshake. My boyfriend and I were obsessed with this for a good month, frequenting Harefield Road to get our fix. It's unbelievable, and VERY strong. I get a good buzz from a single glass.
Hop Sun - 4.5% abv -I'm not so big on wheat beers, as I often find them to be too light and flavorless, but this is a summer wheat beer that I can really get into. It manages to be interesting AND refreshing, something that I don't think is easily achieved. This is no blue moon, people. This is HEAVEN.
If you've never tried Southern Tier I suggest you get your arse over to Harefield Road or the Diamond and get your drink on. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
FUN FACT:
THEY MAKE A CREME BRULEE BEER, WHICH I HAVENT BEEN ABLE TO GET MY HANDS ON. THESE PEOPLE ARE INSANELY AMAZING.
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