Blithering Idiot - Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

brewsclues

Pennsylvania

2.71/5  rDev -26.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle on 1-15-2013

Not going to spend a lot of time on this one. Way too much metallic, alcoholic, and ester-y feel on Blithering Idiot. They aren't even trying to hide the rubbing alcohol taste on this - and yes, I get it, it's a barley-wine style, but I've had 10 barley-wines that are rich, smooth, complex, and hide the booze well. It's also sour in a not-good way - like in the "has this meat gone bad?" way. The yeasts flavors are bitter and harsh. The mouthfeel is below average - the stinging, astringent flavor last for a long time after you're done. I have a headache from drinking this after 5 minutes.

Let's call a spade a spade: they named this beer well.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 02:31:36 | More by brewsclues

Casey3236

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +22.3%

05-16-2013 03:47:42 | More by Casey3236

BB1313

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a snifter. Pours a transparent auburn which becomes hazy with some sediment; fluffy off-white head which slowly fades and leaves nice lacing. The aromas are full of cherries and caramel malts. There's a little bit of chocolate in the mix as well. Flavors are slightly boozy, but not in a negative way. The heat gives this one some character. Lots of raisins, dates, and dark fruits in the mix. It's on the sweeter side and doesn't have an aggressive hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is really nice. It's on the lighter side of full-bodied; very creamy, fluffy and smooth. Perfect amount of active carbonation. Alcohol is somewhat noticeable, but definitely not overboard. This is dangerously drinkable. Makes a nice sipper. It can be rough around the edges at times, but it's enjoyable.

This is a very solid English barleywine. It's worth checking out. This one ages extremely well too.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 21:22:37 | More by BB1313

Bonko_the_sane

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +15.5%

05-13-2013 06:31:43 | More by Bonko_the_sane

ckollias

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a Beligan Tulip glass.

A: Pours a dark amber hue with an off-white, 2-finger, frothy head that quickly dissipates leaving a good trail and solid lace.

S: Sweet fruity aroma.

T: Similar to the smell there is a sweet fruity aroma – with an almost wine-like quality. Finishes slightly tart and dry.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Interesting take on a a barleywine – It went down smooth an easy.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 20:49:58 | More by ckollias

Immortale25

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-tap in a Cigar City snifter at Brewskis in Coral Gables, FL.

A- Pours a rubyish brown color with a 1/4 inch light tan head that doesn't retain long before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass with a sheer patch of film on the surface.

S- Notes of sherry, dark fruit and a slight whiff of booze.

T- More notes of sherry bordering on wet cardboard with some mild spice, raisin and some booze. Still, with all these somewhat unpleasant characteristics, it manages to be balanced and smooth.

M- Moist, with a slight sharpness from the booze. Medium-low carbonation and a fullish body.

O- With all its pitfalls, this is a very drinkable barleywine. Not as incredible as Insanity, but it holds its own.

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2013 03:01:18 | More by Immortale25

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.44/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 2.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Bottle from Total Wine in Tampa. From notes.

A - Poured dark copper with a one finger off white head. Bright. Mild carbonation, no lace, no retention.

S - Dark fruit, port, lot's of rich dark malt, brown sugar.

T - Booze, boozy plums and fruit cake. Sugar. Opens up richer with sugary fruits.

M - Good carbonation, medium body, boozy finish. Body was a bit odd.

O/D - There are good things about this beer. You can really tell it's 11% though, and not in a subtle way. The body is odd too. Not a bad barleywine, but probably needs time. Has potential, just needs to mellow out the boozy character. Lacked complexity for its ABV and style.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 01:22:28 | More by tbeckett

nstroup

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.7%

05-10-2013 06:49:17 | More by nstroup

billbeers

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -18.5%

05-10-2013 05:08:13 | More by billbeers

Bill235

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

05-09-2013 17:32:33 | More by Bill235

pcsnyder

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

05-09-2013 02:36:29 | More by pcsnyder

dalepryor

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

05-07-2013 22:47:02 | More by dalepryor

oldedog

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

05-07-2013 00:04:49 | More by oldedog

Dray

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -11.7%

05-06-2013 12:27:01 | More by Dray

Ristaccia

Nebraska

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

05-06-2013 06:11:53 | More by Ristaccia

Joe610

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

05-04-2013 21:46:35 | More by Joe610

IPAchris

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -11.7%

05-04-2013 16:37:41 | More by IPAchris

lordredsnake

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -18.5%

05-03-2013 23:53:20 | More by lordredsnake

DMXLOX22

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Picked up a single of this brew at my local establishment, Civera's in Drexel Hill. Poured the 12 ounce in a traditional pint glass. Lets see how this matches up.

Appearance: pours a solid, dark brown, copper coloring that seems quite inviting. Head is about an inch high, but dissipates quite quickly. Nice lacing on the way down, but not when it's finished. Quite nice overall though.

Smell: first aromas don't bring much hop presence, but as standard with English barleywines. The alcohol is pretty much filling the aroma area, not much else is detected upon first check. More reveals a slight hint of cherries and mild figs. Not much else is detected in that department. Slightly disappointed. Some things could be improved.

Taste: the first sips reveals at first a heavy rush of alcohol. Sort of hard to detect any other flavors in the first tastes. Upon more and more sips, it's not entirely as flavorful, but keep in mind the style. Malts are now apparent and is rounded out by wild cherries, slight orange and slight figs. These flavors are makes by the 11.1 percent ABV. Not too bad, but not to be taken lightly.

Mouthfeel: lightly carbonated with a slightly above average body. Not too bad, but has a syrupy after taste. Finishes somewhat dry.

Overall: coming into this beer, I was surprised by the alcohol content. A little intimated was another feeling also. Opening and pouring were normal, but the flavors and mouthfeel were slightly disappointing. The mild flavors were not impressive. I doubt I would try again, but would recommend only if someone wanted low hops and high ABV. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 01:33:57 | More by DMXLOX22

zac16125

Florida

3.95/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a snifter
No bottled on date. Its the new label though, which I think makes it Vintage 2013.

A: Pours a brown with reddish hues, maroon when held to light. Approximately 1/2 fingers width of light tan head builds then quickly recedes. Leaves effectively zero lacing. Pretty color though.

S: Ripe dark fruits, with sweet plum and black cherry notes. Red grape juice. Hints of woody/herbaceous notes, candied sugar. Very nice aroma but pretty one dimensional with sweet dark fruit notes dominating.

T: Follows the nose with big sweet dark fruits hitting the palate right from the first sip. There is a good amount of yeast characters and some spice. Honestly this tastes a lot like a Belgian Quad. I also get notes of green apple, grape, a nice complementary booziness, some maple syrup sweetness, and a hint of baker's chocolate bitterness. I like.

M/D: Medium bodied, on the thinner side of the spectrum, carbonation is very low. I dont think Ive ever said this about a Barleywine, but I think this one would benefit from a higher carbonation (its too thin to support such a low carbonation). ABV is very well integrated though, and drinkability is good.

O: Overall, I quite enjoyed this one. I think the palate profile is very similar to many Belgian Quads Ive had, but the taste and aroma are both real nice. The mouthfeel leaves a bit to be desired, but this is still a beer I would gladly drink again. Seems like a pretty nice base beer for barrel aging. Insanity is up next.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 00:17:21 | More by zac16125

TKEbeerman

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

05-01-2013 01:31:02 | More by TKEbeerman

MNBeer1017

Minnesota

2.25/5  rDev -38.9%

04-28-2013 23:53:56 | More by MNBeer1017

Thomas_Picton

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +8.7%

04-28-2013 22:28:08 | More by Thomas_Picton

DerekMorgan

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -18.5%

04-27-2013 22:25:22 | More by DerekMorgan

laxer8811

New York

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

04-23-2013 01:48:20 | More by laxer8811