Old Heathen Imperial Stout - Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

muskiesman

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cask poured into a 16 oz pint glass

A- Opaque dark brown with very thin mocha colored head faded with little lacework

A- Roasted malt galore heavy dark bread and cocoa aroma faint wisp of coffee and a sweet chocolate
T- The highlight here with the mouth feel, follows the nose enormous helping of roasted malts and dark breads. Very robust flavor and body. Expresso bitters and Cocoa followed by a sweet dark fruit I can not quite pinpoint perhaps raisin. Sweetness comes in with molasses and chocolate finishes with a mild pepper and
M- Rich, Silky smooth and full bodied from the first touch! Almost chewy malted flavor. Great dryness to the light finish that does not linger to much so it begs you for another take of malty goodness.

Overall was really impress with this stout, having had it in the bottle previously and enjoying it I could not say I was wowed but this time is different. Chaulk it up to the cask or freshness perhaps maybe a developing palate but all in all the Weyerbacher folks deserve high praise for this fine specimen Outstanding!

Serving type: cask

02-15-2012 16:50:39 | More by muskiesman

devinoconnor

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a night black with traces of tan head in the frothy head. Smell is intense and complex... notes of chocolate/coffee/espresso, with vanilla and malt.

Taste is coffee and malty, creating a somewhat surprising bitter imperial stout. Mouthfeel is quite thick yet expected.

Decent imp. stout but it needs more hops in my humble opinion. A little boring.

Serving type: cask

01-08-2012 21:16:54 | More by devinoconnor

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On cask at Al's of Hampden on 3/10/11. Served in a nonic, this brew appears a dark brown to black color through the body with a thick froth of mocha colored head that tops this brew with a nearly brown coloration and amazing powers of retension. Patchy lace clings to the glass with every sip and a fingers worth of frothy head is still present as the last sip is taken.

The aroma of this brew is dark and roasty like chocolate mixed with dark skinned fruits. Lightly hoppy with a citrus component that blends well with the fruitier side of this brew's smell. As it warms up, more dark fruit notes come forward. I'm usually not a fan of fruit flavor/aroma in my stouts as I favor roastiness. However, it isn't distracting and collectively creates a pleasant experience.

The taste of this brew is reminiscent of dark fruit like raisins and plums but laden with alcohol and chocolate notes. A little bit of tangy citrus hops are present in the flavor just like the aroma. A lasting aftertaste of chocolate covered raisins resides in the mouth. Again, I'm not too big on the fruited RIS interpretations of the style but this one isn't bad, it is done well.

This is a medium bodied brew with a soft, light level of carbonation that makes this brew excessively smooth in the feel and very easy drinking. The abv incorporation comes out with fruity esters throughout the experience but it is fitting.

Serving type: cask

03-30-2011 15:09:53 | More by stakem

orangesol

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on cask at Al's of Hampden into a nonic pint.

A - Pours dark as night with a nice pillow of one finger tall tan head leaving spotty rings of lacing down the glass.

S - Plenty of dark roasted malts, bittersweet chocolate, and some dry graham crackers combine to form a thick, rich, nose. Nothing flashy here, just as solid nose.

T - Tons of dark roast mix well with some chocolaty sweetness, dry graham crackers, and a bit of dark roasted coffee. Some nice smokiness comes out in the finish but it doesn't linger very long. Decent balance but this one really isn't anything special.

M - Heavy body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Not as thick as you might think in the feel, a touch too watery even. Plenty of lingering roast in the finish.

D - Not too bad, nowhere near the best but still some pretty good stuff. The ABV. does get to you over time bringing this one down a notch or two. Still glad I tried it tho.

Serving type: cask

03-07-2011 18:07:10 | More by orangesol

gabrielsyme

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On the real ale tap at Rustico. Pours dark dark black with maybe some ruby lasting. Taste is like fine dark chocolate, sweet without being sickly so, and some bitterness in the finish. Strong enough to let you know it, but still relatively easy to finish.

Serving type: cask

04-27-2009 20:36:26 | More by gabrielsyme

ahalloin

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this beer on cask (be jealous) in the "Casks of March" event at Rustico in Northern VA. This old heathen came along after I finished up Allagash Black. If Black was black in color, this was pitch black. No light, at all passed through this fine beer! The head was very impressive for a cask beer. About two fingers width of light tan/khaki colored bubbles billowed out of the lovely Weyerbacher tulip glass that I got to keep.

The smeel was of sweet chocoloate. Almost too sweet, like bubble gum sweet! There were some roasty qualities and a touch of alcohol in the smell, but not much.

The taste was bubble-gum sweetness and chocolate. The finish was roasty and bitter.

The mouthfeel was extremely smooth. The texture was like milk, but it went down like Kool-Aid on a hot day! Beautiful stuff.

Serving type: cask

03-12-2009 02:07:52 | More by ahalloin

Pencible

Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Just had this on cask at Rustico's Glassware Giveaway. It looked amazing, nice opaque black with a surprising amount of dark tan head (in a tulip glass). It smelled like dark chocolate and bananas with some bready yeast and a bit of roasted coffee. It tasted similar, with a great but dry bittersweet malt character. The banana and yeast surprised me, although it wasn't as noticeable in the flavor. Fairly thick and very smooth, with no noticeable alcohol either. This was all too easy to drink, and so very enjoyable. None of the flavors were quite as big as I was expecting, but they were nicely melded together.

Serving type: cask

03-11-2009 16:53:35 | More by Pencible

Jeffreysan

Maryland

4.65/5  rDev +18%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

12 ounce bottle poured into a snifter

Appearance: Pours completely black and devoid of all light, like tar, without practically any head or lacing to speak of, just an extremely thin, almost invisible halo of lacing gripping the glass. This beer is gorgeous! Exactly what an Imperial Stout should look like!

Aroma: Dark bread, slight roasted coffee beans, and dark chocolate. Maybe a hint of vanilla?

Taste: Lots of roasted malt, followed by dark chocolate and finishing with a subtle hoppy bitterness. Wonderfully balanced. Very earthy. Fantastic stout!

Mouthfeel: Smoooth, like a creamy coffee! The beer has almost no carbonation to speak of, which leaves a smoothness that’s very, very pleasing. Very chewy and wonderful. Even though the beer is at 8% ABV, you can’t find any alcohol in the mouth or taste whatsoever.

Overall: Damn, this is a great stout! Very roasty, very chewy, very tastey! I could drink these all day, though at the 8% ABV, I’d be on the floor! Definitely getting this again. Could become my standard imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 22:00:30 | More by Jeffreysan

bcsbeer

Florida

3.38/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Picked up a single at the local ABC.

A: Just what you would expect for the style, very dark with a tan 1 finger head. After a while the head reduced down to a film with no visible lacing at the end.

S: Very metallic. Could not get a lot else.

T: Metallic with muted flavors. Hidden behind the pocket change was the roasted coffee and vanilla. I know there was more in there but I could not find it. It was like trying to recall a dream. Nothing stood out. Somewhat sour in the aftertaste.

MF: Nice and silky, felt good on the tongue. Great carbonation.

O: This was a little thin for RIS , more like a imperial porter. I would say it is above average for the category, but far from the top.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 05:01:56 | More by bcsbeer

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

3.44/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

12 oz bottle into tulip. some sort of coding on the bottom of the bottle I cant make out.

A: really fucking dark. head is a coffee hue, frothy, but not very big. retention is good. lacing not so much.

S: smells of irish whiskey. a little woody as well. am I drinking Heresy!?! once I get past the booze, which is relatively minimal now that it has been in the glass for a few, a slight acrid roast.

T: licorice and sweet sugars. there is an underlying vanilla flavor throughout. dry roast. a little bit of tobacco. not much chocolate or coffee going on here. just a lot of roast. finish is slightly bitter and dry.

M: mild carb on a medium body.

D: lacking a bit in complexity as I mostly find roasty and otherwise one-note. I kind of wish this was Heresy, a much superior brew imo.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 01:40:07 | More by Jimmys

jgran737

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Stopped by Weyerbacher and picked up a fresh growler of Old Heathen poured into a snifter.

A: Nice and dark no light penetration. Small half finger tan head.

S: Malt and coffee, but nothing over powering. Maybe a hint of dark chocolate.

T: Follows the nose. Coffee / espresso upfront, rounded out with some chocolate to not make it too bitter.

M: Carbonation is high for a stout which doesn't let it get to syrup-y. I think think this is what differentiates the beer for me from other stouts. Doesn't leave your mouth to full.

O: I think Weyerbacher is really stepping up their game. Heresy and Old Heathen seem to be getting better every time I've tried it and they've redone all their label artwork and have done a fantastic job with it. I think Old Heathen is slowly making its way into my regular squad.

Serving type: growler

06-01-2013 01:55:21 | More by jgran737

BlurryVisi0n

New York

3.7/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Served in a my favorite snifter.

Appearance: Nice dark brown, almost pours that superior black but you see pretty well right through it on the pour rising to maybe a third of an inch coming off a nice natural tan.

Smell: Light coffee/espresso scent with little else to go by. You feel light sweetness to it...makes you think of chocolate.

Taste: Pretty bitter, has coffee properties to it with a strong burst of maltiness. Cocoa touch that feels little sweet but honestly i think it is what makes the bitterness so damn well.

Mouth: Medium to heavy, finish is not as strong nor is it sticky. I like it only because of how heavy the carbonation feels.

Overall: I was drinking this and was saying to myself this is really more of a Russian imperial, and once I looked it up there you go. Very easy to drink...I wouldn't exactly compare this to my favorite imperials stouts but does the job after a long day's work. Salud!

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 06:57:54 | More by BlurryVisi0n

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

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

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

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

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

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

AmitC

Indiana

4.01/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle.

Color is dark brown while pouring. Very neat black inside the glass. Light tan colored head with little shine. Decent retention for an imperial stout. Just about decent lacing. Opaque.

Aroma is a lot subdued. Strength is moderate at its best. Burnt up malts - black and roasted. Not enough hops. Some chocolate.

Taste is very bland as well. No complexity. Roasted malts. No alcohol warmth. No bitterness except for that coming from charred malts which again are only mild. Finish is dry.

Mouth feel is medium bodied and a bit on the lighter side for an imperial. No astringency. Well balanced but drinks a lot like porter. Thin.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 22:00:33 | More by AmitC

yankeepride

New Jersey

3.36/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

I always like how these imperial stouts pour, with that dark abyss in the glass topped by a ruddy foam. I didn't get a strong impression of the smell of this one, but then again, it was 70 degrees out and my allergies were probably in the way. As for taste, it was a touch watered down for me. For this style, I prefer them to be big and bold. This was very drinkable, but for that, I'd prefer a tamer milk stout with less alcohol. I didn't catch any of that plum rind tartness here, but it did have a slight bit of chocolaty goodness that you'd expect. Overall it was solid, but nothing special for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 04:41:12 | More by yankeepride

deeznuts420

Pennsylvania

4.11/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

poured into a nonic pint glass. pitch black with two fingers of head that dissipated to a thin film.smells of some faint dark fruit notes but mostly roasted malts with very little hop presence. a fair amount of coffee notes.taste follows the nose well but with a little bit of oxidization. fairly bitter with a fairly long coffee after taste that's pretty dry. good thick mouthfeel that coats the mouth with some slickness. overall a good Ris.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 10:53:38 | More by deeznuts420

cbutova

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

Not sure I'm a big fan of the new label scheme but this one is better than most of the others. Very surprised I haven't gotten around to this one yet but always nice to review a new stout. Date of 12-13-12.

A- A fairly aggressive pour into a small snifter reveals a beer with a pitch black body and a dark, mocha colored foamy cap. The head forms to only about a finger in size with a fizzy, bubbly texture. Retention of the head is decent and a silky ring leaves sparse, spotty lace.

S- A lot of dark fruity notes in the nose to me. Not incredibly strong overall or as roasty as many RIS examples. Some roast grain, cocoa and caramel hints but lacks that depth I look for in this style.

T- Dark fruit forward here for me as well. Raisin and slight cherry feel overall with a very acidic and burnt presence from the roast malts. Cocoa and roast grain come to mind of course but these flavors are not as rich or deep as a lot of the modern styles. Licorice, anise, smoke, molasses and oxidation come to mind here and there. Something thin feeling about it.

MF- The body does not feel as rich and thick as the best examples of RIS. It is not watery and actually has a nice silky consistency with moderate, smooth carbonation. Acidic burnt bitterness in the finish. Nothing from the alcohol.

Not my favorite RIS by any means. The acidic feel and the heavy dried dark fruit presence doesn't result in the smoothest experience by any means. Just feels a bit thin and one dimensional I guess.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 03:56:57 | More by cbutova

linnymtu

Michigan

2.53/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Wanted to post a full review because I'm not sure my beer was fresh. I had it out of the bottle, and not sure how long it since it was bottled.

A - Normal stout appearance, dark black with a tan head. I love the look of all stouts, but as far as stouts go, this one was nothing above average.

S - Good smell, about average for a stout. Chocolate, coffee dominate

T - This is obviously where it falls apart for me. Some kind of acidic dominating taste filled my mouth about a half second after drinking and lasted all the way through. Possibly could have been a bad beer? Bottled badly? I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure it isn't supposed to taste like it did.

M - Also dominated by the acidic overtone, not pleasant.

O - I will have to try it again assuming I got a bad one

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 01:47:29 | More by linnymtu

neophilus

Massachusetts

3.86/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

It's dark. It's got a tan head that sticks around. Looks fine.

Rich complex roasted malt aroma, layers of tangy grain-forward dark bread malt mingled with some sweeter light maltiness on top of alcohol heat. Spicy from the grain, subdued hop aroma follows it up.

Dark roasted smooth grain flavor dominates the taste. Acrid bitterness takes a heavy hand with the aftertaste leaving an ash-like flatness of flavor behind. Some hint of the spicy grain lingers with a bit of alcohol heat.

Full bodied yet smooth, washes down easily. Alcohol shows up a bit much and the acrid bitterness of the roast grain lands a little hard, but otherwise easy drinking and assertive stout.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 23:08:32 | More by neophilus

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