Imperial Stout - Olde Hickory Brewery

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

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

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a waxed 22. bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: Out of the bottle this is nearly black, with dark red edges as I tip the glass a bit. A pleasant coffee brown head forms and slowly fades, leaving a bit of nice lace.

Smell: Sweet roasted malt, a little coffee and vanilla, a lot of molasses, and some dark fruits.

Taste: Medium roasted malt lends to some coffee bitterness and molasses sweetness. Dark chocolate is dominant throughout, with vanilla being fairly prevalent throughout each sip as well. Unnamed dark fruits add a little complexity. A little bit sweet, but mostly bitter at the end.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied, but a little watery for some reason. Medium carbonation and a little bit sticky.

Overall: I enjoyed this stout for its subtle flavors, but I did not find this distinguishable enough to merit an upper tier ranking.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 20:04:57 | More by KickInTheChalice

merlin48

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Wax tipped 22 ounce bottle. Pours dark and opaque with a large cocoa brown head. Excellent retention and enormous sticky lacing. Aroma is dark and milk chocolate, burnt hay, and fresh roasted coffee beans. Smooth and silky mouthfeel with a nearly full body and restrained carbonation. Taste is milk chocolate and vanilla with a touch of honey. The honey blunts the dark roasty bitterness producing a sweeter than average impy stout. No alcohol presence. Hints of espresso and grassy hops add just a suggestion of bitterness toward the finish. Pretty good for style but the honey addition pushes a bit too far to the sweet side of the scale.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2011 18:33:31 | More by merlin48

n2185

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2011 vintage

A: Pours black with a finger of tan head that recedes into a thin ring with no lacing.

S: Roasted malts followed by sweet chocolate and molasses. There are a lot of dark fruit aromas in there as well like figs and raisins. There is a bit of a floral quality to the aroma and a little smokiness on the finish.

T: Roasted malts at first followed by a lot of molasses and sweet, dark fruit flavors like plums and raisins. The roasted malts kick back in again, providing a lightly bitter and roasty finish with a slight alcohol burn.

M: Thick body with low carbonation, this beer is pretty thick and sticky. The sweetness makes it more sticky than creamy, which is unfortunate.

O: Overall, a good imperial stout. A bit sweeter overall than I like, though it's at least somewhat balanced with the roasted malts.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2011 05:14:08 | More by n2185

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

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

bobhits

Kentucky

4.43/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Tall creamy head, and yes black as black gets. I have to say this is a great looking stout.

Just going to say it, this smells like Bitches Brew. Roasted malt, dark chocolate, honey, caramel malt, a touch of vanilla and mellow milk chocolate to end the beer.

A powerful chocolate and molasses explosion on the tongue. Extremely rich and robust flavors, this is one of the most flavorful beers I’ve ever had. The sweetness is well balanced with a bitter roasted malt and well balanced with hops.

Alcohol burns down the throat, this one may need a bit more age, but I’d hate to see this bitter flavor end. Well carbonated and rather high density.

Olde Hickory is now a brewery I need to try a lot more of. They have been simply outstanding and this one really is up there. This beer stands up well next to the best of the style. Still alcohol is a touch high in the mouth.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 22:23:43 | More by bobhits

ImperialKitten

North Carolina

3.33/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I expected to really enjoy this beer especially because it was the color and had the aroma I like. But I write to clue folks in that this beer had a very wintergreen mint undertone that turned me off - it was enough of a wintergreen to throw off my enjoyment. I like a lot of complexity but this was a bit outside my preference level.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2011 21:57:59 | More by ImperialKitten

harrymel

Washington

3.08/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Vintage 2011

A: Pours a thick, black ale with transient mocha head. No light thru this puppy. Spotty lacing. Surface can retain a bit of head with agitation.

S: The hops in this are actually fairly present - piney and resiny. Then theres some good fig tones as well as graham, toast, cocoa, honey, and hints of wood. Slightest pork scent at the finish (maybe hot dog smell).

T: Still pretty hot, this one. Plenty of cocoa, dry bitterness, turkish coffee, and hops. The beer isn't particularly complex, but it isn't bad either. Fairly one dimensional though. The alcohol is really poorly addressed here though. The finish is fusel plus above.

M: Thick, smooth and creamy. Nice, soft carbonation accentuates the beer well. Slippery finish.

O: Hard to get past the heat in this beer. Likely a really great brew at the one year to 18month marks. I would drink again, but only aged, but I would not seek for procurement.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 16:17:18 | More by harrymel

babaracas

Florida

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a bomber dipped in a ton of wax. 2011 stamped into the wax on the neck. Pours a very very dark brown, black in the glass with two fingers of medium brown foam, settles slowly to a thin ring and cap, splotches of fine lace left on the glass. Smell: toffee, a little buttery, dark brown sugar. Not much else, pretty subdued for the style. A little roast, a little earthy hopping, mildly sweet. Taste: sweet, a little molasses, medium roast coffee, and a good amount of dark and bitter chocolate, earthy and somewhat citric hopping. A note of sugary dark fruit. The honey comes through in a pretty big way. Full bodied, syrupy feel cut with a nice creamy carbonation, finishing sugary and earthy. Complementary alcohol note. The nose was boring, but otherwise a very nice imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2011 04:55:28 | More by babaracas

azdback

Arizona

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into my large tulip glass. Deep, dark, eight ball black. Not a hint of highlights. Huge three finger dollop of creamy tan head. Lace looks like its sticking around like the honey this beer was brewed with.

Smells of fresh ground coffee beans, and some cocoa, and tart fruit. Copious amounts of heavily roasted malts. Not a hint of alcohol, which is scary, considering the 10.6% ABV.

Bold, sugary, honey-dipped, freshly picked, bing cherries explode as this first hits the tongue. Heavily roasted malts reminiscent of cocoa powder come through in the middle. The back end is pure roasted coffee bean delight! This beer has one of the best aftertastes of any beer I can remember tasting. That roasted coffee really hangs on for a long time after the swallow. The cloying sweetness at the front is a barely overcome by the fantastic end.

Mouthfeel is dry and bitter right up front. Light, sticky syrup. Very good for the style.

Overall a fantastic extra from BA McNuts. Truly enjoyed tasting this beer. A must-get-your-hands-on beer. Can't wait to try Event Horizon.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2011 05:30:48 | More by azdback

jcartamdg

Florida

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured the bomber into my bruery snifter. Tan head with beautiful lacing, this is a nice looking beer. Aroma of sweet coffee and alcohol. Taste follows the nose, a little boozy but nothing crazy. Pretty sweet but not too much. This is a very tasty stout. Pretty good all around beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2011 03:04:12 | More by jcartamdg

PDXHops

South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber poured into an oversized snifter. Dark and oily with a thick cap of tan head. Retention is especially impressive considering the wide glass. Sticky lacing all around with a few soapy patches.

Nose is full of semisweet chocolate and a vague fruitiness. Pleasant blend of fresh ground coffee beans and brewed espresso in the background.

Plentiful roasted and burnt malt flavors. Interesting sweetness, almost like marshmallow creme. Smooth and warming finish after a fairly sturdy dose of hops at the swallow. At times tangy, sweet, tart, roasted and burnt. Complex, lingering, coating. Pretty much what you're looking for in a big stout. Seems like a good candidate for aging, but it's tasty right now.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 01:40:19 | More by PDXHops

Chaney

District of Columbia

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

I bought one of these during Sexual Chocolate day at a fantastic beer place up the street. I now have another that one of my wife's friends gave me as a present.... and a great present it was!

A: Black as night with no light passing. The head was about 1/3 finger or so that died down to a mere froth. Into the black hole we go...

S: Robust, chocolatey, and with a large malt disposition.

T: Whoah... Rich, and with a bit of soy sauce/teryaki sauce quality to it. A bit of coffee on the end to add bitterness, but overall, this was one well balanced, robust, Imperial Stout.

M: Low carbonation (as it should be), a bit of sweetness, but not much (maybe it was the honey?).

O: Very drinkable for an IS. This was only the 2nd brew I've had from Olde Hickory and it didn't disappoint!

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 23:14:10 | More by Chaney

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

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

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

Another bottle in my vast collection that I simply have no clue who sent this to me. Thanks to the awesome trade partner that did. Gold wax dipped bottle split into tulips.

A: Pitch black with just a tiny wisp of head. No lace. No real surprise with a high abv and barrel aging.

S: Sweet and rich roasted chocolate malt. Black coffee, molasses, burnt brown sugar and not a hint of booze. Very nice.

T: Very roasty and chocolaty. Like black coffee with dark chocolate melted in it. The finish is pleasantly sweet. Again not a trace of the abv.

M: Full creamy body. Mild carbonation.

O: Well this was one tasty beer. Didn't know much about it going in and loved every sip.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 22:41:56 | More by beerwolf77

SFLpunk

Vermont

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to cmrillo and Hodgin for this one! 22oz brown glass pry-top with gold wax stamped 2011.

Pours a moderately thick black/brown with 1/4 inch of tan creamy head. Nose is earthy, leathery and meaty. Initial sip reveals what tastes like toasted oak chips and some honey reduction (caramelized). Sticky sweet upfront, but oddly roasty-dry on the finish. Flavors are a little odd. Lighter tasting than most impy stouts. Roasty malts and toasted oak flavors.

Notes: An interesting and unique take on the style, but not really my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2011 03:50:41 | More by SFLpunk

mikeyv35

New York

4.28/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Date: 04/05/2011
Type: 22oz. Bottle
Vintage: 2010
Glass: Portsmouth Tulip

Poured a dark chocolate in color w/ a 1/2 finger tan head, that quickly dissipated, but left nice lacing on the glass. Aromas of bittersweet chocolate, molasses, honey, and a touch of coffee. The taste was honey right up front providing nice initial sweetness, followed by bittersweet chocolate and molasses zing, finishing w/ mild hop bite and coffee. Mouthfeel was a touch thin for the style, but still somewhat slick. Easy drinking w/o a hint of ABV, and never became cloying.

Overall, I really enjoyed this brew and polished off the bomber myself w/ ease. Nice job on this one by Olde Hickory!

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2011 00:49:58 | More by mikeyv35

koopa

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Wax covered bottle says 10.6% abv on the label and was received in a trade with a generous person.

Apppearance: Deep mahogany with the faintest red folds. The crown is 1/2 a finger, a dull gray beige, shows moderate retention, and medium lace.

Smell: Dark roast malt, a hint of honey, a dash of black strap molasses, a touch of smoke, and a hint of herbal hops.

Taste: A bit more one dimensional than the nose.

Mouthfeel: A nice heavy side of medium bodied with solid carbonation and a fairly crisp finish.

Overall: A solid imperial stout indeed!

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 00:37:29 | More by koopa

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

biglite351

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - just a touch of red around the edges. Very tight tan head.

S - strong roasted malts, dark chocolate, coffee and a touch of fruit, maybe that is the honey?

T - lots of bitterness, from coffee, baking chocolate and such.

M - solid coating with tingles all over the mouth. Alcohol burn in the chest.

O - bitterness put a major kobosh on this brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2011 00:01:58 | More by biglite351

Retsinis

California

3.53/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got to try this over Saint Patrick's Day, thanks to a fellow BA (Thanks Skuter). Review is from notes.

Poured from a 22oz bomber bottle into a Bruery tulip glass. Cool logo on the bottle

A: Pours nearly black, but it actually a deep, dark murky & cloudy chocolate brown, with an amber hue. Lightly carbonated, formed just a ring of bubbles, light lace.

S: Lightly toasted malt and grains, chocolate, pecans, vanilla and honey.

T: The honey comes through quite a bit on the intial draw, with notes of dark chocolate and espresso mixed in. Grain and malts come through in the middle, with slightly bitter finish.

M: Thin, light, with medium to low carbonation, a bit off for a RIS.

O: Not bad, not average, but not great either. The honey is nice, but it makes it a bit too sweet, therefore not allowing the chocolate and coffee notes to come through enough as a result.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 22:09:40 | More by Retsinis

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

ThreeWiseMen

California

4.45/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Got this in a recent trade with hopsleeroy. Thanks Lee!

Poured into a Cigar City snifter.

Appearance: Opaque, pitch black body with a creamy, brown halo that drags spotty lace. The body looks very thick - I love swirling it. Head retention is alright; could be better.

Smell: Chocolate milk, roasted barley, and dark chocolate come through from the start. With time, molasses and dark currants enter the fold, adding some more sweetness and a little tang. Not too exciting or complex, but pleasant.

Taste: Complex chocolate flavors throughout: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, fudge, cocoa. Sweet, but nowhere near cloyingly sweet. Cocoa, roasted barley, and nuts mix with earth and dry pine to form a very balanced finish and aftertaste. Roastiness picks up a bit as it warms, and peanut butter (esp. Nutter Butter) emerges as a beautiful undertone. Fantastic balance - very smooth.

Mouthfeel: Full, creamy, delicately carbonated, and impeccably smooth. Each sip finishes mildly bitter and warm, with just the right amount of residual sweetness. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Overall: Spot on style-wise and one of the smoothest imperial stouts I've ever had. This is a large beer, but find a friend and you two will have no problem polishing it off.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2011 16:53:14 | More by ThreeWiseMen