Imperial Stout - Olde Hickory Brewery

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.6/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Stopped in tonight specifically for this one as I just had to try it. They were serving a small glass in a snifter, and a large in a pint glass. I went for the large at 3.75 it was a steal. Consumed on 08/23/2008.

The pour was awesome, with a rich dark black, completely opaque with a nice tan head about an inch across the top. Excellent retention let this sit around for a good long while as the side glass lace thoroughly coated the inside of the glass.

Big notes here of roasted malts, smokey with a good bit of sweetness laying in the back. Some light chococlate notes, hints of maybe vanilla in there, very well defined aroma. The flavor blew me away, hats off to Jay on this one. Rich and thick, with excellent carbonation and a smooth creamy body. Started with a rush of roasted malts, rich, with hints of coffee and chocolate mixed in throughout. Very light sweetness in here now, defintly honey, but hints of vanilla interspersed with it. Soo friggin drinkable, wow, this was going down like candy to me. Rich caramel laced roasted malt finsih let it dry a touch but really just coated the mouth leaving the flavor to dangle in there for a good few minutes.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2011 02:04:57 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks for sharing this one, Bobby.

A: The beer pours a very dark brown color, almost black, with a finger of tan head that dissipates somewhat quickly.

S: A little bit too boozy on the nose, but otherwise, good. I get lots of bitter dark chocolate and roast with a pleasing vanilla note. There's a mild coffee aroma and some floral notes that might be from the honey or from the hops (which there seem to be a fair amount of).

T: Decently roasty to begin with, but there is quite a strong level of bitterness. The bitterness seems to come from the hops, roast, and some dark chocolate flavor. A mild coffee flavor to go with licorice and dark fruits which add a nice complexity.

M: The body is maybe a little bit thin for an imperial stout, but still in the medium range. The carbonation is also medium.

D: A little bit of booze, but pretty good overall. I like the level of bitterness which prevents the beer from being too sweet without being overbearing.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 21:55:59 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle purchased in Winstom Salem prior to this year's Sexual Chocolate release. Shared at a recent tasting and served in a SAVOR snifter.

Pours nearly black with a short mocha head and a thin collar after the head receded. The nose carries a good amount of the honey. Really as advertised there. Behind that was a good amount of chocolate and coffee plus a bit of roast. The flavor also carried the honey along with a pretty heavy chocolate presence. Light roast backing. Moderate sweetness and a medium body with light carbonation. Really a nice brew all around.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 22:04:16 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.28/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours out a dark body black in color with a small-sized, beige-colored head.

Smell: A boldly roasty scent to lift this tired, lonely drinker's spirits with striking notes of chunked bittersweet chocolate, a double-shot of espresso, and charred grains. Slightly lesser hints of vanilla bean and dark fruits.

Taste: Heavily roasty, heavily tasting of bittersweet chocolate, with a minor hint of vanilla. Like a top-notch, top-dollar mochachino or maybe fudge brownies. Roasty, earthy bitterness with a teensy bit of astringency. Some dark fruits buried within all this lavish maltiness. Late arriving molasses. Roasty, malty finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Nicely chewy mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Quite good, this one. Olde Hick's Imperial Stout is a force to be reckoned with.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2010 18:08:11 | More by ChainGangGuy

UCLABrewN84

California

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle pour at Woodshop 7 held at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach, CA.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, and some sweet honey aromas. Taste is much the same with a medium amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with some nice aromas and flavors that makes it easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 00:49:51 | More by UCLABrewN84

oberon

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

OH makes some stellar brews,this may be at the top of the list for me.Poured a near jet black,a tinge of ruby barely showed through when held directly in the light,a nice half finger mocha colored crown atop.Aromas were big and raw for the style,earthy with dark chocolate notes,espresso ground coffee and sweetish alcohol come in as well.Big and balanced on the palate,not a big sweet alcohol bomb like many of the style,bitter unsweetened chocolate and earthy tones shine through,the alcohol sweetness and molasses balance it out nicely,the honey imparts a soothing light sweetness in the finish.A great Impy stout,its out of the norm in a good way.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2010 03:12:18 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Surly shaker pint glass.

Thanks to VDubb86 for sharing this bottle!

The final beer of the night, the capstone to the SwillFest 2011 after-party. What a ride. It pours a bleak black-brown topped by a finger of dark-ish tan foam. The nose comprises roasted malts, acrid coffee, light molasses, balsa, dark chocolate, and brown sugar. The taste holds notes of molasses, decidedly sweet chocolate syrup, roasted malts, honey, acrid coffee, and molasses. A slight cloying feeling finds its way to the side of my tongue, but it is short-lived. The body is hefty medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a thick-ish feel. Overall, a very solid impy stout. 'Nuff said, frankly.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 20:07:11 | More by TMoney2591

drabmuh

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Is this the beer made with local honey? Thanks go out to Thorpe for bringing beer to a baby shower. Thanks!

Shockingly this beer is black with a tiny head with low retention and mild lacing, low carbonation.

Aroma is floral and sweet, this is the one with honey in it, you can smell it, or that might be honey malt. Nice malt aroma with a hint of smoke / roast.

Beer is medium to heavy bodied, very sweet up front with the flavors of the honey and flowers (clovers?) in the midpalate of the beer. The finish is moderately bitter with roast, no detectable hops. A really nice stout. Big, heavy, sweet, honey. There's the billboard.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 15:42:19 | More by drabmuh

MasterSki

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber shared at the Goose Island BA gathering. The wax was a total bitch to get off. I liked the label though! Served in a taster glass.

A - Pours with a finger-plus of light mocha foam that settles to a partial cap and thick ring. Near-black body with some transparent brown at the fringes.

S - Mash and huge grain character. Honey, some light alcohol and earthy hops, baker's chocolate, hints of coffee.

T - This is one very sweet - guessing it's from the honey. This is smoother and demonstrates less alcohol than the nose. Again, a lot of barley, mash, and grain character. Finishes with bitter roast coffee.

M - Medium carbonation, medium body, and doesn't feel that Imperial for some reason. Finish is dry and tannic, even though this isn't barrel-aged.

D - Decent, but perhaps a bit overrated by the beer-deprived locals. I liked the honey, but I wish the grain had a bit more dark roast character to keep this from getting a little cloyingly sweet.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 00:52:21 | More by MasterSki

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Cheers to Bitterbill one my most awesome & generous partners for hooking me up with a brew from my old stomping grounds! Great lacing & head retention

Pours mahogany with a finger+ of mocha head.

S: Vanilla, dark fruit, & dark chocolate & some noticeable raisin booze once warm

T: Dark chocolate, rum raisin, smokeyness & mocha up front. Mocha, a bit of booze warmth & dryness dominate as this warms along with a touch of herbal hops, plus some boozey raisins & plums. Finishes dry, a touch boozey with figs & mocha

MF: Chewy with assertive carbonation, starts to thin out a bit as this warms; then smooths out again. Turns a bit coarse, but very warming at the end

Drinks pretty easy, the ABV is noticable, but never runs over the flavor. One of the better offerings, plus a draft version of THIS I have had from these guys, I look forward to trying more bottled offerings from these guys when I visit the family.. Only gonna get better with age...

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2010 04:00:04 | More by russpowell

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured a jet black with good carbonation and a nice brown head

S:Toasted notes, milk chocolate, booze mainly

T: This beer has a mix of nice chocolates. Def has a nice presnece of bitter chocolate, then milk cocoa, some bakers powder, honey in there, roasted malts, coffee is very minimal but present, booze but this thing is passing gas leaving me belching and that annoying taste.

M: Very full, creamy, hearty but the gassiness is killing it

D: Good

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 03:43:28 | More by barleywinefiend

Jason

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

22oz brown bomber without a freshness date ... not that it is probably needed here.

Imperial Stout darkness and the head is amazing with tan lacing all the way down. Smooth, very smooth ... silky and creamy with a big body. Choco coffee maltiness starts off big in the aroma, hops and alcohol with a currant fruitiness reside within. Dark chocolate runs rampant with some sweetness, alcohol is warming and the hops come in a bit strong but the bitterness is nothing over the top. The honey puts in more towards the strength rather than a major addition to of flavor which is fine ... the smoothness is enhanced by it. Bittersweet finish gives suggestions of cocoa nibs and coffee.

Pit this one against the hype Impy Stouts and it will put up a good fight if not win. A killer stout.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2010 02:25:18 | More by Jason

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Tom for sharing.

Super thick and syrupy looking, thicker than molasses that seems to stain the glass. Pours a light fizzy darker head that fades fairly quickly.

Nose super dark rich roasted malt, tons of dark chocolate, a bit of coffee, caramel, and nutty dark malts, a slight acrid roasted malt, a hint of chewy oats, and a bit of booze.

Taste light roast, less than I expected, and just a bit of acrid over roasted malt and soy sauce. Lots of super dark chocolate, light coffee, quite bitter, lots of earthy spicy hops, thick and viscous, some booze warmth and bit of tingle. As it warms a bit of cocoa, mocha, caramel, vanilla, and touch of honey come through, finally on the honey! Finish is a long, quite bitter, mouth coating viscousy, rich, dark, chocolate and mocha, roast and coffee, hint of acrid roast, and earthy spicy hops all linger for, what seems like forever.

Mouth is rich and thick, syrupy, some warming booze, decent carb.

Overall nice, not quite up there with Abyss or similar, but I would put it above fresh Darklord or Darkness (not aged but I need to try this aged as well to compare). Nice malts, lots of roast and dark chocolate, just a bit of acrid over roasted soy sauce but fairly light in comparison, and a bit of warming booze. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 03:16:35 | More by jlindros

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark chestnut brown color that appears pitch black in the glass with a one finger beige head that quickly settles into a lasting ring.

Robust dark malt aroma with hints of dark chocolate, coffee bean, toast and oatmeal. The honey provides sweetness and there is a ton of sweet chocolate countering the roster notes. Subtle booze.

Chewy full body with a decent balance of deeply roasted dark malt and sweeter, boozy notes. Slight bitterness up front and slightly acrid with hints of roasted coffee bean, burnt toast, bitter dark chocolate and oatmeal. The honey provides fullness to the body and smooths things out mid-palate with some much needed sweetness. There's also some milk chocolate and a lactic presence balancing things out. Toward the end of the palate there is some sweet booze with a decent amount of heat. Still, it's pretty easy to drink at 10.6%.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 07:25:08 | More by corby112

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.76/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to baybum for the share, though I may or may not have had a sample of this during the Voodoo Barrel Room release.

Dark brown-black pour, with a tan head that settled to a ringlet. Typical but good stouty aroma, dark malts, coffee, cocoa, roasty, toasted grain. Good balance of roasty bitterness and honey sweetness in the taste, with neither really gaining the upper edge, dark malts, coffee and semisweet chocolate, mild earthy hops. Body was on the heavier side of medium, alcohol was tame, carbonation was moderate. A solid and good-balanced imperial stout overall.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 11:00:16 | More by Rifugium

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.38/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A lovely Imperial Stout that happens to be brewed with honey- and there is a bit of sweetness that shows through. Pours black with a somewhat thin head. Smells sweet and somewhat ashy, with big notes of licorice and some roasty notes, with a distinct honey tang at the end. Delicious, balanced taste of roasted grain, licorice, and honey. Very smooth and easy to drink, the abv seems 1/2 of what it is. A delightful beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 01:03:27 | More by Georgiabeer

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Got this from izecold88 in a fantastic trade... Thanks Manny!!! 22 sealed with a fucking ridiculous gold wax... seriously.. if the cap doesn't fit right, this wax will probably seal the deal, but... most waxing is a joke (if the cap is leaking, O2 is going to get in) .. this wax took sharp knives and dedication to find the cap... I guess I forgive and am thankful I survived with no wounds.

2 finger tan head.. great retention and lacing... very pretty.

Nose is chock full of all the traditional IS aromas.. roasty without going overboard

dark cocoa and some mild fruitiness that resembles dark cherries.. dark malts are plenty present yet never verge on charcoal.. nice.. well made. and some background citrus hops.

Flavor is a bit different.. there is some metallic quality that plays mid palate through the finish.. Hops are definitely present.. citric American hops mesh into the mix and into the finish.. dry cocoa with some sweetish malt pulls everything together..

Pretty big body really.. carbonation seems a tad light but adds to the overall presentation.. like a black velvet.. nice..

The "honey" stuff on the label has to be a marketing ploy.. honestly, this could probably use more honey to dry it out a bit and ramp down the body... but there is no "honey" quality that escapes all the dark malts... very well made... The metal notes got to me after a bit and I did drop my numbers because they were a bit unwieldy..

Thanks a ton Manny for the excellent trade.... we must do it again.. A man can never have too many contacts in the emerging South East.

4.5/4/4/4.5/4

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2010 09:06:52 | More by JohnGalt1

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from tap into a sampler tumbler. Poured black with a half finger khaki colored head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, slight roasted malt, and dark chocolate. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, vanilla, dark chocoalte, and honey. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a pretty nice brew. I was really surprised to be able to pick up on a vanilla aspect in the flavor which was quite enjoyable and mixed really well with the honey aspect. Not sure if this is what they -bal aged to get Event Horizon or not, but there are some definite characteristics that are similar present. Definitely worth trying this one!

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2011 17:58:47 | More by thagr81us

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Thorpe429. Thanks Mike!

The beer appears a near black shade with a thin tan head that generates some random spots of lacing. The aroma brings the typical roast character along with honey and chocolate. The beer is roasty and sweet, with honey flavor present throughout. Nicely done, as the honey is well integrated into the overall flavor profile. Hints of oak and vanilla are in there as well. The feel is full bodied, with moderately low carbonation. Overall, an interesting and enjoyable brew. I would have this again.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2011 22:56:03 | More by Huhzubendah

gford217

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber from Trevor.

Pours dark, dark brown, definitely not oil slick black like the Event Horizon with a lighter tan head than the EH which recedes slowly to a thin cap and leaves little lacing.

Aroma is heavily roasted, massive black malts with some hops as well. Cocoa powder and sweet honey as well.

Thie taste is just as good and might be better than Event Horizon. It's a perfect balance of heavily roasted chocolate malts, light earthy hops, bakers chocolate and honey. The finish is a really pleasant bittersweet mix of vanilla, malts and honey.

The mouthfeel is super smooth and well carbonated. The most impressive thing for me was the completely hidden ABV. Just doesn't taste like 10%+. Very complex, tasty, smooth, well done. It's probably not quite as good as Event Horizon but it's close. Right up there with Event Horizon.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 03:05:39 | More by gford217

dirtylou

Washington

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber, gifted by blackie many moons ago

appeareance: cool label - gold waxed bottle. The wax was a beast to remove (enough with the waxing already). poured into a snifter - full mahogany body...pretty much no head to speak of

smell: dry chocolate, sweet honey, charred malt, espresso and cream

taste: espresso, roasted malts, creamy chocolate, rum soaked fruit, honey, fudge. This stout is light on the bitterness which allows the creamy body to display a nice profile of flavors

mouthfeel: smooth, creamy

drinkability: good

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2010 01:46:20 | More by dirtylou

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.72/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Purchased from Bruisin' Ales.

22oz bottle, olive waxed, 10.6%abv as per label.

A good hiss when I popped the cap, it pours a pitch black with a 1 finger head of tan foam. There's oodles of lacing sticking to the side of the glass. I'm very fond of the appearance.

The smell is malty in a big way with plenty of chocolate and toffee notes, reminiscent of what a Milk Stout brings to the table. Deep whiffs in and the roasted malt jumps out at me bringing with it just a touch of bitterness. This Imperial Stout smells way malty and I'm digging that big time.

First sip in and there's milk chocolate and dark chocolate goodness galore. The roasted malt doesn't shy away either and adds to the dark chocolate bitterness in a very nice way. There's some alcohol warming...I expected that and got it but it isn't too intrusive. I reckon some cellaring would calm that down but as is, this is a superb tasting brew. Make no mistake about it.

It is definitely full bodied with lightish carbonation. That makes for a superb mouthfeel. Oh and the foam doesn't give up quickly at all and the lacing continues to shine after every sip.

Drinkability? This one, I know, is going to fool me as it's so damn drinkable but there's no doubt that the alcohol would catch me up quickly if I drank this too quickly. No worries. I'm just sipping and enjoying and sitting back relaxing. For this particular moment in time, all is right with the world. I give thanks to this superb example of the style. What a treat!

Bottom line: This is one of the very best of the style that I've ever tasted. My scores will reflect that.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2010 01:07:49 | More by Bitterbill

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on tap in Charlotte, served in a small (8.5oz) goblet. The beer is dark brown, close to black but not quite there. Thin mocha-colored foam that leaves dried rivulets of lace.

It smells really roasty, no sweetness from the honey (at least in the aroma). The roasted malt character dominates the flavor as well, tasty but sort of lacking the sweetness I expected/hoped for. It's really rich though, lots of malt in the bill. Well-hidden alcohol, and although at first I was discouraged by the small draft size I eventually was grateful. A little goes a long way.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2012 00:55:29 | More by TurdFurgison

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.18/5  rDev +2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz elaborately stamped, wax-coated bottle split into a snifter.
10.6% ABV, 2011 in the neck stamp.

Thanks to Onenote81 for this cool bottle filled with great beer!

A - Brilliant in appearance, the tall pour is clear dark brown but black as night in the snifter. Slow, thick cascading wins me over as usual and a firm tan head sticks around for a while leaving dense lace on the glass.

S - Sweetness appears in the aroma but honey is largely lost behind roasted chocolate malts and a pretty big shelled peanut aroma. Not infected like some other to-remain-nameless peanut brews though.

T - Heavy, rich roasted malt, dark and smooth with a coffee and molasses hint. A touch of honey can be found in the lingering sweetness throughout.

M - Full-bodied and thick with a smooth, almost creamy texture and a sweet but roasted bitter-balanced finish.

D - A stout meant to be shared and enjoyed with another person, it drinks nicely but is definitely better sipped as it warms. A good winter warming stout. Nothing like it enjoying it to the Imperial March from Star Wars on vinyl...

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 12:18:21 | More by BeerFMAndy

tpd975

Florida

3.98/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark black with a small tan head.

S: Aromas of chocolate, coffee, and bold roast.

T: Roasty as hell, with notes of bitter chocolate, char, light over roasted coffee, and bitter hops in the finish.

M: Medium smooth, bitter finish.

D: Good, real solid beer, very nice surprise.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2010 03:19:48 | More by tpd975