The South will rise again in the form of the Pack of Pales from the Southern Tier Brewing Co. This New York-based brewery has annually been pumping out 50,000 barrels of quality ale since 2002. This variety pack contains an India Pale Ale, Phin & Matt’s Extraordinary Ale and the 422 Pale Wheat Ale. These beers represent a nice variety for beginners who are trying to develop an appreciation beyond Bud and Coors Light. This 12-pack is available at Wegmans for $15.99. These varieties are also available in 6- and 24-packs.

Southern Tier’s India Pale Ale starts out with a nice copper color out of the bottle. I’m always a fan of a brew that looks pretty in a glass. The hoppy bouquet has floral accents that give way to a bitter taste that won’t overpower the rest of the flavors. This IPA pairs four varieties of hops to go with four different malts, and this achieves a balanced but bold flavor. At 7.3 percent alcohol by volume, the IPA is the booziest of this bunch, but is still smooth and tastes great.

The 422 Pale Wheat Ale is a nice example of the Belgian White style of brewing. This is a very accessible flavor that has a pleasant orange accent. Like many other Belgians, this brew is not filtered, giving it a slightly cloudy appearance out of the bottle. The 422 is not bitter at all and has a pleasant bouquet when you raise a glass to your nose. This beer is so pale you need to put sunscreen on your bottle. The flavor palate is not very complex — people who do not like hops should check out the 422 and other white wheat ales such as Hoegaarden.

The Phin & Matt’s Extraordinary Ale is a fantastic-tasting Pale Ale. The brewers strike a balance between the malt and hops and there is a complex palate of sweet and bitter flavors. This was my favorite of the three beers in the Pack of Pales. This beer uses fewer varieties of malts and hops and combines them with a color that is between the 422 and IPA. At 5.7 percent ABV, it is a great choice to drink all night. My one complaint with the Extraordinary Ale is the carbonation. If this came in a can I would recommend tricking people you hate into shotgunning it because I would compare it to taking a bottle of Andre Champagne through a funnel.

– Compiled by Dylan Sorensen, staff writer, email [email protected]