Raspberry Imperial Stout - Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

Yetiman420

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black with a thin, light brown head into a Unibroue tulip glass. Very little lacing through the halfway point of consumption.

Aroma is chocolate and alcohol. No indication of a fruit beer in the nose. I put it under my wife's nose and she said blueberry coffee.

Taste - slight raspberry on finish. I would have liked a touch more raspberry in this. I suspect if you did this blind you may not pick out the raspberry easily. Lots of roasty chocolate which there is nothing wrong with.

Goods across the board on this one. I'll tuck a couple away for aging to see if the grains mellow out and give way to the raspberry.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2009 01:57:03 | More by Yetiman420

drtth

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Purchased at the brewery and aged for 14 mos. Chilled to cellar temperature and then poured into standard shaker glass. Glass of cold water on the side to sip from periodically.

Appearance: Dark, almost totally black, with a creamy tan head that fades leaving a surface covering and a ring of foam around the glass. When sipping the lacing is spotty and irregular.

Smell: Raspberries and dark chocolate, with roasted malt.

Taste: Soft semi-sweet raspberries and dark chocolate with no trace of alcohol. The flavors blend together nicely.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, smooth and creamy with light carbonation and a longish finish that ends with raspberry chocolate flavors

Drinkability: This is a very drinkable stout. I could easily have 2 or 3 of them after dinner and through the evening instead of dessert.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2009 03:17:33 | More by drtth

joepais

Maine

4.1/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Thanks to ClockworkOrange for sending this one out to me Bottle poured into my snifter produced a finger worth of tan head that settled to a thin case. The body was a typical stout black no light comes through this at all.

I love the smell on this brew, chocolate covered raspberries. How can you go wrong? The flavor is like the nose in a lot of ways but with a coffee twist so it keeps the raspberry sweetness in check. The only complaint is it needed to be a bit thicker in the mouth.

I enjoyed this brew while kicking back to night. I grab it again if I found it or saw it on tap

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2009 00:59:21 | More by joepais

Kolsch

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap on home system. Hard to find this in Sixtel form for home consumption.

Appearance: Dark ruby and black with nice lacing when drinking.

Smell: This is where I Absolutely love this beer. Tart smells of chocolate covered raspberries. mmm...!

Taste: Tart but not puckering tart at all. Perfect balance of fruit and chocolate. Chocolate malt overtones with fruit that does not overwhelm each other.

Overall: Best fruit stout out there. It is a shame that this will not be brewed anymore. According to Dan Weirback, this is just not a big seller with only a handful of devotees. Include me as a devotee!

Serving type: on-tap

02-16-2009 00:06:30 | More by Kolsch

maximum12

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to sholland119, one of the finest of a pack of fine BAs that haunt this site, for throwing this in a package that showed up, sans trade, late last year. Random beer showing up on the doorstep unannounced - what could be better? Thanks Scott!

And since Scott knows I like Weyerbacher, he probably knew I'd like this, & he was right.

No red in here, just light-dousing darkness. The smell is pretty tame.

The taste is not. This, for me, is what a fruit beer should taste like. First & foremost it's a stout. The underlying beer is excellent, & the raspberry, well, it's there, but so subtle that if you handed me a glass, I could identify the faint fruit, but not the type. It adds that hint of sweetness on the tongue, along with a nice bit of tartness to offset the alcohol that comes skipping along at the end. Balance? Look it up on Wiki & you should see a bottle of this Raspberry Imperial Stout. Perfect.

Mouthfeel is full, creamy, velvety...I'm running out of superlatives. I don't know if this is the same recipe as Old Heathen or not, but this brew is better, & I always have Old Heathen on hand.

I've found a new favorite fruit beer. Excellent! Thanks again, Scott!

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2009 03:24:28 | More by maximum12

PDXHops

South Carolina

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

Thanks to mikecharley for this one. Bottle, poured into a small snifter.

Very dark almost black pour with reddish highlights, almost 2 fingers of dark tan head that begins to fade quickly, but surprisingly a quarter inch or so lingers til the end. Pretty good lacing.

Very dessert-like nose of chocolate cake w/raspberry hints. Inviting!

Raspberries up front give way to dark malts, chocolate and dark malts in the middle, then the raspberries show up again at the finish. Creamy mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Great dessert beer.

Overall impression: Very tasty beer, and fun to drink. Glad I have 3 more of these left, and will probably have to trade for more.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2009 05:19:22 | More by PDXHops

aerozeppl

New York

3.68/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Super dark brown with some hints of brown around the edges. Minimal white head.

S: A little bit of a adjuncty raspberry smell. Tons of sweetness.

T: Nice mix of roast and raspberry sweetness. The raspberry is there. A ton of swetness. A bit of adjuncty smell as well.

M: Nice medium body. Well carbonated.

D: A little bit too sweet for avery day but a nice treat.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2009 01:06:41 | More by aerozeppl

Overlord

California

4.1/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Quite an underrated brew! Thanks Corey!

Pours black with some ruddy brown when head to the light. Minimal light tan foam.

Smell is chocolate and raspberries. Taste is the same, chocolate, raspberries, a bit of roasted coffee ... this is readily available in six packs somewhere? If it costs less than 12 bucks, that would be dangerous for me. I'm really surprised by how bold, yet well integrated, the mouthfeel is.

Mouthfeel is good, not great, and I could drink this all the time.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2009 11:23:35 | More by Overlord

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Grabbed this a good while back - 15 months, maybe? Into my 22oz snifter

A: Black with reddish brown highlights. There's a dark brown head that recedes very quickly to a ring - a bit disappointing, maybe?

S: Chocolate covered raspberries with some espresso and cream. Pretty darned good balance as well - no one aroma dominates another. Mild roastiness is present, lending to a baked dessert-like aroma. Solid!

T: Opens up with a pretty awesome balance between raspberries and chocolate with just that hint of fruity tartness to round out the palate. A hint of coffee and burnt toast on the finish along with a little bit more raspberry. Pretty awesome

M: A little over-carbonated and a little thin in body with a solid finish

D: Pretty remarkable how drinkable this is.

As far as non-sour fruit beers go, this is definitely among the top 5 beers I've had. The balance on the palate is awesome.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2009 04:39:10 | More by DefenCorps

JasonA

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Gave a 5 here. Wow. Pours a solid 2 fingers of head (which quickly dicipates). Though the color of the head, not like Ive see before. Thick, thicker than traditional IS, but the color. Goodness, almost like a deep dark cherry mahogany. Impressive coloring.

Deep berry. Cant tell rasberry per-se. Lots of roasted malts, little sweet. Very enticing. Im quite curious how sweet the taste will be as it will set the overall tone of the brew. Rum raison, port, maybe chocolate. Lots of RIS qualities here. ABV smells above 8.

Not too sweet. Some tartness. Finishes with roasted malt, impressive. Some finishing hops, though not sure how to place them. Nicely done

Nicely carbonated for style. Not syrupy, but close, yet not in a bad way.

The blend of sweet vs tart makes this beer. Lots of roasted malt makes the style and all of it is well done.

Not sure I could drink many of these. But Im quite glad to read its seasonal. I would love to have more of these around the cold months.

I would love to get my hands on this receipe. Anyone know anyone who could send it my way?

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2009 02:13:25 | More by JasonA

macster

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big and bold. A true full bodied Imperial Stout loaded with tart and sweet raspberries that stand up well to the intense roasted, chocolate malt profile. This is truly a superb desert beer to be served about 65 degrees and slowly savored. A very memorable experience to say the least!!

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2008 05:30:01 | More by macster

Patrick

Massachusetts

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

A: Pours pitch black with hints of ruby on the pour. A thin tan head forms over the top after an aggressive pour. Not much lacing.

S: Smells like raspberries, chocolate, and coffee. Not too much else is detectable.

T: Lots of fresh raspberries up front with some bitter coffee soon to follow. The coffee soon turns to dark chocolate, and then everything meets again at the end for a smooth mixture.

M: Smooth, well carbonated, a bit dry at the end.

D: Not a bad take on the fruit RIS, I would have one every once in a while.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2008 23:12:22 | More by Patrick

eagles22

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Nice pitch black color with a nice head but dimmishes quickly..lacing is nice too

Smell: of Alcohol and also some fruits not really raspberries but i get fruit...also dark roasted malts and hints of chocolate

Taste: Smells threw me off..at 1st i get hit with raspberries which is very nice not to over powering its mixes nice with the bit of the roasted malts and also dark chocolate at the end

Mouthfeel: is silky smooth goes down wonderful also aftertaste is great too..nice sweet from the raspberries and than mixes with a bit of the roasted malts..very nice complex beer

Drinkability: its a sipper..but you can savor this beer ..its very good

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2008 01:30:39 | More by eagles22

TubaManJack

Illinois

2.4/5  rDev -39.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Sadly I had high expectations and this fell very short.

Appearance- Black as night and opaque with little foam. That foam appeared a dark brown color and was very dense.

Smell- Burnt Coffee Grounds, Chocolate, Raspberry Stems, and effervescence from the carbonation.

Taste- See smell and you'll get the picture. However the ABV is well masked from the taste and "flavors" The overall taste is inline with a Imperial Stout.

Mouthfeel- The beer is thick and full body, with a harsh tones

Little drinkable but that is just my person opinion of most Imperial Stouts but this is most atypical even of this style.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2008 03:58:51 | More by TubaManJack

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

REVIEW #300.
A personal milestone. Saved this one for a special occassion.

A. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a Church Brew Works pint glass. Pitch black with a tan head. No lace.

S. MMM. Malt berries. Roasted malt, double chocolate cake with raspberries. Very inviting indeed.

T. A solid blast of roasted malt and ripe fresh raspberries. The nice chocolate/mocha notes that are very characteristic of an Imperial Stout. The raspberry flavor compliments the chocolate mocha taste. Hop bitterness is minimal but there. Overall? Wonderful.

M. High level of carbonation and smooth. Slick, oily finish from the raspberry purree and maybe some hop resins?

D. This is a very drinkable brew. I am not a big fan of beer with fruit, but this is the exception. It is well balanced, well crafted, big but not too big. The raspberries used were real and you can really taste the difference. Took a chance and wow this paid off. Worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2008 02:21:13 | More by Stinkypuss

vacax

California

4.58/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

12 oz. bottle via trade decanted into a globe. Bottle cellared around a year.

A: Black tinged with the essence of blood. Not much head during the pour, but a nice swirl of fine bubbles remains on the beer and clings for dear life to the edge of the glass.

S: Cocoa, fresh raspberries, and a slight breadiness create an exceptionally pleasing nose.

T: This hits all the sweetest spots for me. Rich, malty, and chocalatey goodness melds with a pleasing raspberry flavor that enhances rather than takes center stage. Bready roastiness is tangy on the tip of my tongue rather than bitter. Delicious beer, though personally I might like it a tad stronger--but just right for 8%.

M: Smooth and rich with nice carbonation for the thickness. I have had thicker imperial stouts, but those have been bigger beers in general.

D: One of the best drinking imperial stouts I have had. I sincerely wish I had more than one bottle to drink right now and I definitely want more of this. Strong enough to please an imperial stout drinker, but not too strong to prevent me from having another.

What can I say? Two of my favorite types of beer in one. Imperial Stout and raspberries, and it is done right. Definitely recommended for fans of either variety of beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2008 03:44:30 | More by vacax

PittBeerGirl

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A-Body is a viscous dark chocolate color that is hesitant to let light pass through. Pours with a minimal tan fizzy head that dissipates immediately and no lacing is left behind in the glass.

S- Raspberries covered in warm dark Belgian chocolate with a hint of phenols in the background.

T- Tart raspberries upfront with a big robust chocolate malt backbone. A bit of roasted bitterness comes through for the finish along with a moderate alcohol bitterness and heat.

M- A bit thinner than most of this style but still has a medium weight body and is pretty smooth. medium carbonation.

D- Decent to pretty good stout overall, it just needs some time to let the alcohol settle. The smell is immaculate and I wish it tasted more like it smelled. I might buy another bottle of this and let it sit for a while.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2008 13:59:39 | More by PittBeerGirl

irishman06

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a cuvee glass from a 12 oz. brown bottle.

Small but thick and frothy almost-tan head. Color is dark as s@#*. Espresso-like aroma with hints of raspberry.

Strong malty coffee flavors with lots of body. For me, the flavor came in two layers. First, the roasted flavors hit strong. A few seconds later, they subside and you're left with a strong raspberry flavor for a few seconds, followed by a burnt finish. An extremely complex taste. Its genius is in its subtlety.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2008 18:51:33 | More by irishman06

naproxen

Connecticut

3.83/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into my la chouffe tulip from a 12oz bottle.

The head on this comfort food of beers was a strong finger deep and like a light chocolate milk, not too dark at all, mostly a medium tan.

Aroma? Like raspberry sorbet with dark chocolate and roasted malts. It was definitely sweet, but didn't come off like it would be overbearing in the taste.

So on to the taste. I let this warm up before enjoying and it was well worth it. The raspberry was thankfully not overpowering, as I found to be in ST's raspberry porter, but more reminiscent of a dark chocolate raspberry truffle. It was a smooth drinker.

I gave the 3.5 for drinkability as I do not see myself being able to down more than one of these, it is kinda on the rich side, but definitely hit the spot for a nightcap.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2008 19:15:33 | More by naproxen

erosier

Connecticut

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

L: Pours a deep black color with a tall and thick brown colored head that laces the glass alot all the way down.
S: Smells of sweet malts, sweet raspberry extract, some chocolate at the end as well. Wondering if I am gonig to enjoy the sweetness of the beer.
T: Tastes like a raspberry cordial. Alot of dark chocolate and raspberry extract flavor to this beer that makes it seem like a candy. Also could not taste the level of alcohol in this beer.
M: Very smooth, warming, heavy, almost dessert like. Has the right amount of carbonation.
D: Pretty drinkable if raspberry and dark chocolate are your thing, but if you are one of those people that hates that part of the chocolate box, then it might not be for you.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2008 01:03:29 | More by erosier

hwwty4

Missouri

3.78/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Thanks to EGledhill for this one.

This beer pours a extremely dark brown; where you can only see that it's not black when you hold it up to some light. It poured a modest head that melted into a beige lily pad that sat in the middle of the glass, and left no lacing. The aroma is light for how dark this beer is. There are hints of raspberry, roasted malts, and chocolate. The flavor follows suit pretty closely. Chocolate, roasted malts, and just a hint of raspberry. The raspberry is actually hard to detect. You really have to focus on it. The mouthfeel is smooth and velvety, and finishes just slightly dry. Just perfect. This is one of the better stouts that Weyerbacher has done. I wish that there was more of a raspberry presence in it.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2008 21:06:36 | More by hwwty4

treyrab

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this early on at Zeno's Dark Side Day and had it poured into a pint glass...

A: Pours a nice extremely dark brown, yet not completely black. Comes with a nice dark tan head (almost brown) that lasts a good bit before going to a thin disk.

S: Smell is of a nice RIS actually. There are no raspberry hints in the smell which surprised me. There are however nice chocolate, coffee, and cocoa aromas in the smell that are spectacular.

T: This is where the beer really sets itself apart. Starts with a nice chocolate creaminess that comes with some dark cocoa powder and coffee hints. The finish is a pure, full forced raspberry chocolate cake. The raspberry comes out at the perfect time and allows the chocolate flavors to blanket it.

Overall, this is a phenomenal beer. Not overpowered by raspberry, but just enough to give it that great fruit flavor.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2008 15:33:59 | More by treyrab

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Modest half finger head, but it does leave spotty lace on the glass. The color is nearly pure black. I could not get any light to shine through (even on the edge of the glass).

Relatively mild raspberry behind the stronger black patent aromas. Not a hefty smell, in fact, it may be lightest Stout I've ever rated.

This reminds me of a raspberry stout I once homebrewed--it was one of favorites. Lots of acrid black coffee flavors with a small hint of berry. Very dry. The aftertaste reminds me of a latte, yet I cannot discern any milk/lactose. The body is solid. There is no indication of the higher level alcohol.

Very low raspberry presence overall. This Stout comes across as a mild, but delicious, Imperial offering.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2008 23:05:31 | More by smcolw

webmanspidey

Michigan

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A pitch black imperial stout looking beer. Smells dark and roasted-malty. Slight traces of the raspberry. Tastes like "black raspberry".. Interesting blend of the typical roasted malt and alcohol of the imperial stout and the raspberry fruit. Fairly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2008 04:08:41 | More by webmanspidey

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.73/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz received a week or so ago from mhewes... big thanks for the opportunity.

Aggressive pour didn't really produce much head... no real lacing to speak of... the brew is the expected black.

Aroma is cold coffee and some chocolate with some background raspberry candy notes... will improve probably as it warms.

Body is a little light for the style, but not too bad... flavor is mainly traditional stout up until right before the finish.. raspberry essence starts to shine a little bit lingering up through the end. Chocolate pairs well with the fruit... carbonation is fairly light also.

Overall, I wanted to like this more.. just sorta tastes artificial to me. Another round of props goes out to Michael.. thanks.

3.5/3.5/4/3.5/3.5

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2008 06:42:40 | More by JohnGalt1