Old Heathen Imperial Stout - Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.56/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a Duvel tulip.

A: Pours a nicely dark brown-to-borderline pitch black color. The head is a three finger khaki shade. While the retention is good, it doesn't leave much lacing on the glass.

S: This beer offers up a mix of sweetness (chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, dark fruits) and savoriness (soy, faint oxidation, maybe even a musty presence?) to pervades my nose. After a bit, its roasty character will pop up like weeds. Nice complexity to be found here, even if not every note works perfectly.

T: If the aroma dictated a slightly sweet, chocolaty stout, then the flavor profile dictates a roasty, licorice-forward one. Licorice opens up the palate before it fades into a faintly roasted coffee expression in the midtaste/finish. A distant aftertaste of char and umami qualities alongside an appearance of chocolate, smoke, and prunes after many sips give it an overall depth that is very good, but not elite. I'm not a huge fan of how this one finishes in general, but everything up to that point is rock solid.

M: I'd say it's a bit too thin and devoid of creaminess on the onset. The texture will eventually froth up giving a good counteraction to the roasted malts. This one really needs a drier finish to allow the savory/roasted qualities to shine through more vividly.

O: Likable, but at the same time, a bit aimless and meandering in its complexity. It comes across undecided whether it wants to be big, roasty, and dry or sweet, fruity, and chocolaty, and ergo doesn't really do either facet fabulously. This is a good off-the-shelf RIS that has the misfortune of competing with MANY great ones (such as Old Rasputin).

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 23:41:20 | More by ThisWangsChung

jakeox

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

05-18-2013 23:45:45 | More by jakeox

carlosega

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

05-17-2013 19:30:32 | More by carlosega

lupercmda

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

05-17-2013 02:57:10 | More by lupercmda

leftstagebrew

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

05-16-2013 15:34:10 | More by leftstagebrew

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

3.99/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A-dark brown black with a nice tan head and some lacing

S-coffee, chocolate, roasted malt, earthy

T-dark roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, earthy hops, molasses

F-medium body with light to moderate carbonation, smooth and creamy

O-a nice RIS with good flavor and body

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 02:08:00 | More by MDDMD

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

05-15-2013 02:17:39 | More by SmellsofMahagony

MistahBeah

Massachusetts

4.48/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Jet black. No light coming through this one. Coffee colored head was minimal even with a vigorous poue. Little retention. Slight lacing.

Aroma: Roasty. Coffee and barley. A trace of alcohol. Maybe some dark fruits. Possibly raisins or plums.

Taste: Very good. Slightly bitter coffee upfront. Smooths out with dried dark fruits. A little toffee, some chocolate. Lots of levels here. Each sip brings out something new. Alcohol is hidden well at first - more evident as it warms. I've had a lot of RIS's and this one ranks up there with the best of them.

Mouthfeel: Velvety smooth. Sticks around a bit but has a very pleasant aftertaste. A little watery when cold. Dangerously so. As it warms it gains a lot more texture.

Overall: Great. Would gladly pick this up again. I've had better but not too many. If you're a fan of the style or just starting out you could do a lot worse

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 00:23:55 | More by MistahBeah

Bill235

Ohio

4/5  rDev +1.5%

05-09-2013 14:47:31 | More by Bill235

dalepryor

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

05-07-2013 22:33:19 | More by dalepryor

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

05-04-2013 23:18:59 | More by Kelp

IPAchris

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

05-04-2013 16:39:30 | More by IPAchris

Hallertau

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%

05-03-2013 02:13:56 | More by Hallertau

horshamguy

Pennsylvania

4.56/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

Appearance: This is what you think of when a beer is described as "black". Real black, not dark something, not mostly opaque. This is black black. Head is thick, but short lived. I'd call it beige.

Smell: Coffee/espresso notes, some sweet, dark fruit (plums??, raisins??).

Taste: Wow, this is a great one. Complex with coffee, chocolate and fruit goodness. Each sip offers something worth noticing. Alcohol not as noticible as I thought it would be. Watch out, its a strong one at 8.0%.

Mouthfeel: Not as thick and viscous as its appearance would suggest. Almost some tartness in there.

Overall: This is serious stuff. Not for fratboys taking their first steps away from Coors Light. I'll confess my bias in truly loving Weyerbacher's beers, but I don't think that's a bad/wrong thing. They're awesome and Old Heathen is another in their line of excellent beers.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 19:10:03 | More by horshamguy

TimHitchings

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

04-27-2013 00:20:47 | More by TimHitchings

BrownAleMale

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +1.5%

04-24-2013 06:30:31 | More by BrownAleMale

yaksurf

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.5%

04-21-2013 17:40:16 | More by yaksurf

browniewithnuts

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.5%

04-20-2013 03:09:12 | More by browniewithnuts

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

4.16/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Black beer with a light brown head, formed after the reverse waterfall cascade.

S - Roasted aromas, black coffee, burnt grain, bitter chocolate. A tangy fruity side note, sort of acidic. Hints of dark sweetness, dark maybe burnt sugars.

T - Incredibly flavorful, this beer is assertive, and robust. Plenty of sweet coffee, roasted grain, chocolate and other dark flavors. The presence of tart and tangy fruit flavors compliments the strong stout character. The fruit notes are dark and sweet, well ripened. A touch of smooth alcohol warming the mouth.

M - Very smooth, creamy. Silky, perfectly carbonated, rich feel. Mildyl dry aftertaste for an imperial stout.

O - A great complexity and perfect execution. This stout has a lot to offer.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 00:53:59 | More by BeerForMuscle

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

04-16-2013 19:30:05 | More by Jason1337

SaisonRichBiere

Michigan

4.44/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to ThePorterSorter for this one

Poured into a 16 oz mug from a bottle.

Appearance- Standard for the style. A thick, dense espresso brown with a big tan frothy head, that slowly fades to a thin veil. I love how these stouts fill up the glass with a nice head.

Smell- Roasty coffee notes with a milk chocolate covered raisin sweetness. Roasted malts, not much hop presence in the nose at all.

Taste- Light cinnamon coffee flavors start, followed by faint milk sugar sweetness. Dark single-origin chocolate and coffee yields to a creamy, raisin and biscuit chocolate bar finish. Nice flavors all working together, I really didn't expect this much flavor. Alcohol is well hidden behind the flavors.

Mouthfeel- Smooth and slick, and not too thick.

Overall- A great beer. I am not too sure how long this one has been in the bottle, but everything was working very well together in this one. Considering how subtly sweet it is, I wonder if there's some lactose in this one. Creamy, roasty, a bit fruity, great biscuity malts. A great representation of the style. I would love to get this one again, and a draft offering would be great.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 20:20:52 | More by SaisonRichBiere

nstroup

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

04-14-2013 05:28:14 | More by nstroup

Sludgeman

District of Columbia

3.29/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Bottled on/Best by: 15/21N/02712/03:40 - need help interpreting. Poured into a chalice.

Overall - Bad first impressions (tastes) can ruin a relationship, don't let that happen with this beer. A decent beer. One that I would be willing to drink again. You should give it a try, albeit this beer is on the low end of my "willing to drink again" scale.

A - Black, opaque, slightly viscous. A thin rocky brown head that quickly disipates. Minimal lacing.

S - Dark roasted malt, some dark fruit, a little alcohol.

T - First taste was burnt bitter, but it smoothed out from there. Coffee and roasted malt. Alcohol and bitterness in the finish.

MF - Smooth, but generally non-descript.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 03:42:18 | More by Sludgeman

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +1.5%

04-13-2013 21:42:39 | More by DaPan

cackalacky

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

04-13-2013 04:02:40 | More by cackalacky