Walldorff Old Woody Imperial Stout

Brewed by Walldorff Brewpub & Bistro
Style: Imperial Stout
Hastings, Michigan USA

Handbottle, courtesy GoT. Pours nearly opaque, deep mahogany in color. A thick, frothy, light brown head offers up thin, sheety rings of lacing. The aroma is incredibly rich, giving off notes of bittersweet dark chocolate, raisins, figs, oak, and some sharp anise. Bitter, earthy hops lurk within, but ultimately give way to the bold malt profile. The flavor is similarly rich, intensely chocolaty from the hefty, bittersweet cocoa profile, with a good amount of toasted caramel sweetness and some earthy, gritty hops. The oak offers up some vanilla notes, while the anise lends a boozy, licorice-like finish. Big and smoothly carbonated, the body is a bit syrupy and warm, but not bad overall. Good stuff.

Bottle, shared by GodOfThunder. Pours a deep thick black with a large dark tan head, nice lacing. Hops and oak on the nose, roast and chocolate. In flavor, acidic, fruity, figs, oak, bitter hops, heavy on the roast grain, bitter chocolate, licorice. Low carb, drying, a bit acidic, slightly chalky with lasting impressions of oak and hop bitterness.

bottle shared by Godofthunder. Oaky chocolate and roasted barley on the nose, with vanilla and a hint of tarness in the aroma. Pours black very thin white head. Very thick mouthfeel, very bitter dark malts and hops, intense coffee and bitter dark chocolate in the flavors.

Thanks to Hoppymeal for the bottle. Looks like a hand-bottle. Pours a thick black with a nice fluffy tan head. Nice looking brew. Aroma is potent. A lot of oak, roast and chocolate with a strong alcohol and whiskey aroma in there also. Flavor is a little lighter, but equally complex. A little spicy from the oak and chalky from cocoa. Nothing wrong with this at all. Surprisingly good.

Had this on tap at the Frankenmuth World Expo of Beer. Poured almost pitch black with a small brown head. Smell was fruity, a little roast, some molasses. Taste didn’t have hardly any roast at all, some dark fruit again, chocolate, with a slight tang on the finish.

MBG Winter Fest 2008. Poured clear dark brown color with an average frothy off-white head that was mostly lasting with fair lacing. Moderate roasted malt, chocolate and spice aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture. Medium to heavy bittersweet flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. My expectations where met.

2008 MBG Winter Beer Fest. This beer took me by surprise at first with a salty, leathery characteristic that subsided after a few sips to licorice, soy, chocolate, and bitter roast. Oily, medium body. Interesting.