Dirty Old Man Imperial Rye Porter - Tyranena Brewing Company

aasher

Indiana

4.45/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This just arrived so it was a must buy at the end of the work day. It pours a medium bodied midnight black with a light, dark khaki head that dissipates within a minute or two and laces the glass. For a porter I'm surprised even at how dark it is. It smells of dark roasted malts, caramel malt, rye (but not whiskey), and light alcohol. It has a musty aroma to it too, kind of like a garage after a rain. It's not bad, just worth mentioning. The flavors are a nice milk of milk chocolate, bitter chocolate, dark malts, and light whiskey. The whiskey is subtle. Altogether everything is really well blended. This beer is exceptionally smooth. It's medium bodied and velvety smooth. It's perfect really for the style. I'm convinced that Tyranena can do no wrong in their Brewers Gone Wild series. This further confirmed my thoughts.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 03:58:38 | More by aasher

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Awesome extra received from brian23456 in a recent trade. Thanks!

Poured into my pint glass. Pours a thick deep black with no head at all. There's just a thin tan ring around the edge. Though this leaves some lace on the glass. The nose is not that bold at all. I'm getting some chocolate notes, and maybe some coffee whiffs.

Big full-bodied beer here. Carbonation level is moderate-to-low. Creamy, chewy mouth. Nice. Flavor is also not as bold as expected. Roasted coffee, some mild cocoa notes, and hints of mellowing wood on the finish. I expected more from this with the addition of rye and being aged in whiskey barrels, but alas, it was not so. Still, this was a better Porter than many. I could have another.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2010 21:50:18 | More by Onenote81

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.98/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Oakbluff hooked me up with one of these in our recent trade. Cheers!

From a bottle into a snifter

APPEARANCE: Pours a one finger medium-thick tan colored head with good retention. Pours out dark brown and sits black in the glass with zero carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a good wisp. A ring remains until the end and leaves dots of lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Roasted malts, bourbon and vanilla, as well as some oak from the barrels. Hints of milk chocolate in there as well. Mild nose, but very nicely put together.

TASTE: Roasted malts with some more bourbon and vanilla flavors. A good dose of milk chocolate as well, integrated nicely with the rest. The mild but lingering aftertaste is plenty milk chocolaty, with notes of bourbon and vanilla in there as well.

PALATE: Medium-full body and medium carbonation. Creamy smooth on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes slightly dry. Good feel.

OVERALL: Another good offering from Tyranena. Compared to the chipotle porter, I think I enjoyed this one a little more. A solid barrel aged imperial porter. Thanks for chance to try this retired brew oakbluff.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2010 12:22:18 | More by Jeffo

sholland119

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Obtained in a trade from DontCallMeSurly. Thanks, Noah.

A-Pours a deep murk brown, with a thin, quickly dissipating tan head.

S-Smells of malts with toffee, caramel and coffee.

T-Roasted coffee with some vanilla sweetness mixing with the coffee in the end. A bit of rye graininess is present but a bit faint. A bit of alcohol warmth in the end but rather well hidden.

M-Nicely fizzy carbonation, creamy mouthfeel.

D-Very drinkable.

A very tasty baltic porter.

HV

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2008 23:13:12 | More by sholland119

david131

Michigan

4.35/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a very dark brown with some ruby highlights when held to a light. The mocha head is initially thick and creamy but settles to a thin covering.

S- Chocolate, smoke, cocoa, rye, and a touch of rye whiskey.

T- Same as the aroma with an emphasis on the rosary aspects. The rye whiskey barrel aspect is pretty mild.

M- Abundant carbonation keeps it light, but here is also a nice body to it. The finish has a lot of lingering flavors.

O- A very unique take on the style. I enjoy the lower alcohol barrel aged aspect to this beer. Drinks rather nicely.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 04:37:12 | More by david131

jwinship83

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle with no freshness dating or ABV information drank from a standard pint glass. a blend of 40% barrel aged beer/60% non aged.

A- this one pours a black colored body with a small beige colored head. the head fades to little more than a crown after a minute or two and leaves behind small spotty lacing after every sip.

S- dark roasted malts. spicy rye. chocolate and coffee in small doses. faint whiskey and vanilla from the barrel. the smell opens up as the beer warms.

T- the chocolate and coffee work well with the rye and all come through stronger than in the nose. the barrel makes itself known as well adding an oaky/vanilla aspect to this one. the whiskey still comes off as faint but its nice that its not too overdone.

M- medium to full bodied. mouth coating. moderate warming from the alcohol. well carbonated.

D- easy to polish off this bottle and i look forward to the others. check this out if you get the chance. its a little different but well thought out and well executed.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2009 04:11:07 | More by jwinship83

brdc

Wisconsin

4.58/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Small capped bottle poured into a snifter. Bottled 02/04/08, so quite fresh.

Very dark brew, one shade under pitch black, with a foamy dark brown head with good retention and amazing lacing coating the glass on its way down.
Aroma is mostly of roasted malts, quite pleasant, with additional chocolate, coffee and dark fruit notes.
Medium bodied, the taste is quite similar, with a bitter roasted opening, a sweet malty medium, and a bitter dry finish (rye?).
Drinkability is as high as you will find for such a tasty beer. Very impressive.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2008 03:03:24 | More by brdc

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On tap at the Local in Madison, WI. Served in cheap stemmed red wine glass - the sort you would get your basket of Chianti served in if you were dining in a little Italy. Not really appropriate for beer but I was glad that I didn't get a whole pint of this as it is a rather intense brew and I wasn't really prepared for it.

Appearance: Dark brown, near black and nontransparent with a swirly tan head that resembles the Doppler of a hurricane.

Aroma: Sugary booze, powerful roasted malt and twangy rye notes, hints of oily cheese, Irish coffee, and mocha syrup.

Taste: Sweet and boozy. Lots of chocolate in a syrupy or Godiva liquor sort of way. Coffee comes on luscious and mouth coating too with some pretty fresh bean flavor to boot. Rye offer some twang. There is a general fruitiness that I can't yet place but might after more servings.

Mouthfeel: Robust and full bodied. Warming in a major way. Gives off the quality of being thick like a chocolate malt. Mildly biting coffee/oat bitterness offers some balance but not much. This puppy is rich and sweet with lingering sugar notes and lasting alcohol avidity.

Drinkability: This is a treat but I can't see myself having more than one in a sitting.

Style: This doesn't fit any category. I would have called it an American Porter since that American precursor seems to translate as experimental half of the time. Still, Baltic Porter fits alright since this brew is certainly big enough to be one.

Serving type: on-tap

02-14-2008 15:24:58 | More by DaPeculierDane

birchstick

Missouri

3.85/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - pours black in color without much of a head on it

S - smells has loads of sweet vanilla, spicy rye malts and booze, and some chocolate notes

T - starts off with sweet cocoa and chocolate malts. These fade to some vanilla flavors that give way to spicy rye malts. The rye gets amped up even more on the finish from the rye barrel aging, which imparts some heat on the finish. Really nice barrel aged rye porter.

M - a little lighter than I expected, however it went down smoothly

D - another winner from Tyranena. Rye whiskey is one of my favorite spirits so I was very excited to try this. I think they pulled it off well, leaving enough porter flavors and given enough room for the rye malts and barrel aging to do their thing without dominating the palate. Recommended!

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 03:42:43 | More by birchstick

BeerBelcher

Ohio

3.33/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

There's a lot of adjectives in this beer name that normally indicates superlative beer, such as "imperial," "rye," "aged," and "whiskey barrels." For all those words, I wasn't tremendously impressed with the beer underneath the label. It was good, but not as good as the Devil Made Me Do It Imperial Porter. Still, I accept that some of these "Brewers Gone Wild!" series beers will be better than others, and this beer hasn't dampened my enthusiasm for this series.

Appearance is black, opaque and foamy. Aroma was a little whiskey-like, a bit grapey, and a bit roasty, but it was also a bit watery. Flavor was less intense than I expected, and the ABV of this beer is lighter than I thought it would be. Mouthfeel is a bit watery. Not a bad beer, but it didn't live up to my expectations set by other "Brewers Gone Wild!" offerings.

I'd recommend this beer, as I'd recommend any beer in this series, but this is definitely not their best work.

I bought this bottle at 3 Cellars in Franklin, WI.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2008 01:55:21 | More by BeerBelcher

tmoneyba

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared with shigadeyo.

Pours clear dark brown color with a moderater frothy brown head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Heavy toasted dark chocolate, woody and bourbon aroma. Medium to full body with a thick smooth texture. Heavy bourbon & wood bittersweet flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet finish of long duration.

This is a standout porter.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2009 01:26:34 | More by tmoneyba

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.38/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a Captain Lawrence pint glass.

A: Heavy pour yields a .5 finger coarse, chocolate head that dissipates quickly. This one is pretty flat. Beer is a near opaque dark red. Lacing is ample. Decent given the lack of head retention.

S: Roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate, a bit a booziness from the barrel-aging. Nose here is not overwhelming, but rather quite subtle. The requisite odors are there, they're just not that prominent.

T: Big roasted chocolate and coffee upfront with a strong backbone of malty booze. This is damn tasty! Middle tastes of slightly sour roasted malts that carry over to the end. Sweetens again just a tad at the finish with a strong chocolate presence.

M: Medium bodied, rather flat as expected, oily, silky smooth. Finish is watery and messy. Feels like it leaves a coffee-chocolate film as it dissipates.

D: This beer is just downright enjoyable. Coffee and chocolate flavors meld perfectly here and the body makes it exquisitely drinkable. A highly recommended beer. Possibly the best damn porter I've ever had!

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2010 01:55:35 | More by SpeedwayJim

jsh420

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

bottled 09 apr 11

poursdark brown with a 1+ finger tan head that had good retention and left some spotted lacing

smells of milk chocolate and dark roasted malt

taste is nice - semi spiced rye malt loads of chocolate and dark roasted malt - tiny bit of coffee - no real barrel aged flavors?

mouthfeel is near perfection - medium heavy body velvety smooth - good carbonation

overall - i am angry that i did not know how old this was(could not read the date with beer in bottle) - i do think the aging (which the store had it in the cooler) might have taken away some flavor - in the end this beer was still very solid and will be cracking open the other 3 very soon

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 06:29:48 | More by jsh420

koopa

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle received as an extra in a trade with a generous BA thanks!

Appearance: Pours super dark mahogany with a 1 finger beige crown that displays little retention but leaves lots of lace everywhere.

Smell: Dark roast malt, chocolate covered bacon, rye, and whiskey. I like the integration.

Taste: Slight whiskey barrel tinge over dark malt that is moderately roasted and balanced with a moderate chocolate note. Hints of toffee and plum round it out nicely.

Mouthfeel: Thin side of heavy bodied with good carbonation.

Drinkability: Not bad despite the mouthfeel which is a bit thick.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2010 02:17:44 | More by koopa

AleWatcher

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle into my New Belgium Globe snifter.

Murky reddish brown... rather brackish in fact. Big fluffy 3 finger head of creamy caramel bubbles. Nice lacing and retention.

Smells of chocolate, caramel, rum-soaked raisin-like notes, and whiskey. The flavor is much the same; it starts sweet and then dries up at the back with some nice barrel flavors-- dry boozy whiskey with a touch of sweet vanilla and some light oak. I get a touch of honey in the flavor as well.

The feel is thick and luxurious. Velvety is a good word. Lots of carbonation considering the barrel aging, and it works quite well.

Overall-- this is certainly the best I've had from Tyraneena. This beer isn't quite as good as Barrel Aged Shipwreck Porter, but this is half the price and twice as easy to find.
This one has a lot going for it-- so if you usually pass on offerings from this brewery, you owe it to yourself to give this one a shot!

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 02:57:26 | More by AleWatcher

nlmartin

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer was chilled and served in an Imperial Pint glass.

A- I am a sucker for a dark beer. The body of this beer is black with just a tiny amount of ruby opaqueness to light. The head is thick and a very dark tan almost brown in color. Nice head retention noted. Very thick lacing noted as this beer rapidly vanishes before my eyes.

S- The aroma of the beer consist of darkly toasted, roasted and lightly chared malt, nice cocoa and lightly roasted coffee. A very subtle whiskey aroma rattles around in the aroma.

T- Nicely executed! Dark roasted malts hit all the right dark semi sweet cocoa, coffee and dark fruited notes. A bit of vanilla and a pretty strong whiskey component play about my mouth.

M- The body of the beer is medium and lightly carbonated. Alcohol is nowhere in the mouth. Very satisfying.

O- Tyranena has a wonderful porter as a base to play with. I have enjoyed many variations on the porter and look forward to more. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 09:16:45 | More by nlmartin

MuenchenerKindl

Germany

4.55/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a fat stubby bottle to a snifter, The liquid is dark brown with good carbonation. The head is nice mocha brown 2 fingers and leaves nice lace.

The smell is big, lots of malt and bourbon aroma, chocolate and coffee notes as well.

The taste follows and is quite good indeed. Lots of big malt, coffee and chocolate flavors are great. Bourbon barrel aging is also very good and done just right.

The mouthfeel is great, very good the carbonation is just right and the body is perfect for this style. Rich, smooth and creamy, what a delight.

The drinkability is excellent, this is a very very good brew, I hope you can get some.

Prosit und Zum Wohl, MK

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2008 15:24:28 | More by MuenchenerKindl

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

4.2/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

from a trade with TPatuto, thanks Tom

A - dark brown with a thin head that fizzes to a thin brown ring around the pint

S - definite porter aromas, some mild coffe and chocolate notes, however the double addition of rye and a singular inclusion of the barrel add some nice aroma combinations, the woodsiness adds a resiny aroma that is quite pleasing, they rye notes are poingnant and earthy without being overdone, the aromas are all understated, mellow and complimentary

T - coffee and chocolate, the backbone of any good porter, are present in the flavor as well, the rye really comes into its own in the taste, especially in the finish and aftertaste, bready and sweet and sour and smoky and resiny all at once

M&D - the flavor and aroma combinations are many, complimentary, and of high quality. this beer is quite smooth and easy down. abv is not listed, i would guess 6-7ish% based on the taste, a very tasty beer

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2009 01:08:41 | More by sinstaineddemon

jjanega08

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

A= The pour is a total black out color with a thin tan head coming out of it yet holding some pretty steady retention and lacing. Much darker than I expected.

S= Smells sort of like candy. Waxy in a way if that makes sense. There is a great deal of vanilla to it that I get from the barrel. It smells very very familiar but I can't quite put my nose on it. There isn't a ton of rye spice but it comes through a bit. Chocolate is in it. interesting.

T= The taste has much more rye spice to it as well as vanilla. The factor that I couldn't figure out in the nose is gone from the taste. Loads of vanilla still as well as a great deal of barrel and oak to it. Great roastyness for a porter and actually suprisingly porter like for being an imperial. I love my porters but I think they loose a little when you imperialize them. Not much whiskey to it at all. Tyranena does a real nice job with their barrels I think.

M= A little thin on the mouth but nothing too bad.

D= This is a really great brew. I'm impressed all around with it. The individual aspects of it lead the way for each new part. The porter is well represented as well as the rye and barrel. This is the rare example of a complex beer actually working in harmony.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2010 05:40:48 | More by jjanega08

BeerLover99

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: deep black with faint choc. brown up to the light, one finger head, and some damn fine lacing.

S: malt, roasted nuts, oak, chocolate, maybe licorice.

T: smokey scotch velvet with chocolate and coffee taste, hint of bitter at the end, but so subtle.

M: medium, creamy full body, with average carbonation.

D: Not a session beer, but delicious and fun to share. I would recommend this to porter or stout fans.

VERY NICE, WORTH TRYING!

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 22:00:01 | More by BeerLover99

Dope

Massachusetts

4.34/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a nice pitch black with a small but dense medium brown head. Head fades slowly with decent retention. Spotty little bits of lacing.

S: Burnt rye bread initially. Pretty much dead on. Hint of rye whiskey when swirled, but very mild. It stands out a decent bit more once the beer has fully warmed. Decently charry.

T: Really nice flavor. Sweet chocolate with rye bread and a little rye whiskey all mixed together up front. Rye flavors fade, leaving the chocolate - a hot fudge type flavor. Yum. Quick hit of rye whiskey in the finish with a little bit of drying charred oak between sips.

M: Medium bodied, very very smooth and mellow. Feels bigger than it really is.

O: I was little underwhelmed at the aroma but the taste really opened my eyes. Nice flavors and great balance - especially the chocolate. Barrel character is mild but adds a subtle layer of complexity. Delicious beer, a great porter.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 02:15:08 | More by Dope

portia99

Massachusetts

4.47/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into a Duvel tulip.

A - Pours an extremely dark brown color that shines thru as pretty damn clear when tilted and held to the light. A very small cap of foam makes a brief appearance and falls to leave behind a low tan collar and a six pointed spiderweb of bubbles on the surface of the beer.

S - Very boozy on the nose...lots of whiskey over the top of wood and some vanilla. Sweet overall with some caramel, coffee with sweet cream and dark roasted malt...even a bit smokey as it warms up. This smells potent!

T - Much smoother than I was expecting coming from the aroma. Flavor is filled with sweet cream and vanilla at the base, layered with roasted malts and coffee and topped like a syrup of concentrated whiskey, caramel and sugar. This is very dessert like. The heavy vanilla really smooths this out and makes it almost candy like. This is pretty tasty.

M - Thick and syrupy in feel...smooth and creamy with a low carbonation to enhance the vanilla-y notes and fill the body out completely on this. So much like a rich dessert.

O - I went into this beer figuring it would be really good, but this really exceeded my expectations. This might be my perfect dessert beer. Loaded with sweet candy like flavors in a syrupy feeling beer - but somehow remains "balanced"...not sickenly sweet, just loaded with flavors that play off each other very well. Outstanding!

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2011 00:07:06 | More by portia99

DarkerTheBetter

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to tytoanderso for this one.

Looks dark brown at a glance, but glows like port when held to the light. Not much head to speak of here.

Smells of milk chocolate and maraschino cherries with a touch of sour booze and a hint of coffee.

Tastes much like cocoa again, but more like chocolate pudding. There really isn't much here other than a milky chocolate blended into an ambiguous boozy dryness. In the finish, a lactic sweetness coats my mouth and I'm left with a touch of black licorice. Looking over some of the other reviews to see what I'm missing, I agree that there may be a bit of peanut butter here, but I still say that this one is a bit dull.

Feels sticky and huge with a ton of thickening micro-bubbles.

I think I missed the point of this one. Perhaps a year in the cellar may bring this one around.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2008 03:02:23 | More by DarkerTheBetter

indiapaleale

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pour - almost jet black in appearance but when the light hits it there is some nice auburn hues. The thin white head goes quickly and leaves a halo of off-white film around the liquid level.

Aroma - lots of chocolate and fudge up front with vanilla and bourbon in the back. The chocolate aroma is quite formidable which was a bit of surprise really. This does however smell incredible with some nice alcoholic heat tickling the nose.

Taste - oh man is that good. Big chocolate malt sweetness on the tongue is followed by some slightly acidic bourbon flavors, vanilla extract and cocoa powder. The finish is very much like red wine, its dry and vinous. There is some nice spiciness to this as well that comes out more as it warms. Absolutely delicious beer with multiple layers of awesomeness.

Overall - this really impressed me. So much flavor and velvety smooth on the tongue. The bourbon barrel aging was just right for the style, not too overpowering and it let the sweet maltiness of this porter shine as well as the subtle rye spice. Outstanding work from the folks at Tyranena. What I wouldn't do to try their most recent offering from their "Brewers Gone Wild" line which is a "Chipotle Smoked Imperial Porter". Wow!

Would I buy more of it? - again, I wish I could. I'd love to have a few more bottles of this in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 03:30:34 | More by indiapaleale

jasonjlewis

Texas

4.28/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Nice 1 1/2 finger head with good retention and a dark brown color.

Smell is of coffee beans and a hint of malt. I'm guessing Perle hops were used. The smell is heavenly with a hint of bourbon.

The taste is of slight minty undertones with a bit of coffee bitterness. The body is a bit thin at first, but is a bit better as the beer warms.

I wish the body on this one was a bit bigger and the carbonation was a bit lower.

This is a very awesome coffee beer. The only bad thing is that the body is a bit thing.

VERY MUCH THANKS to Deuane for such an awesome sample.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2008 02:49:44 | More by jasonjlewis