Weyerbacher Heresy

Brewed by Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
Easton, Pennsylvania USA

Good beer!
Bottle poured black with a thick, creamy brown head. Nice, rich aroma and flavor of deep roasted malts, chocolate, smoke and wood.

2006 x-mas gift from amy. pours thick black with a disappearing brown head. aroma vanilla cocoa. the aroma reminds me a lot of the GI BCS. bitter cola flavor. not good. bitter chocolate and vanilla extract flavors. flavors stay the same throughout the finish with a little addition of alcohol. medium body. weak and watery for an imperial stout. it had potential but it just fell short.

THOUGHTS: Great aroma. One of my favorite beers. TECHNICAL: 22 ounce bottle. Boure a dark, opaque brown to black with a large tan head that mostly diminished. The aroma was moderate to heavy dark chocolate with a very light herbal hop aroma. There was also vanilla and bourbon and a very light alcohol. The flavor was much of the same but a little more bitter chocolate. It was moderately sweet and finished heavily sweet with light to moderate bitter chocolate with an average duration. The body was medium to full and was syrupy on the lips but also dry and a little watery in flavor with fizzy carbonation.

650 ml bottle

This was sampled at a midweek tasting with malachi and hezron. Thanks to hezron for the chance to try it. So far Weyerbacher beers have not been quite as good as I have expected. This one at least was not pure rocket fuel like some of the others I’ve had the opportunity to try. On the other hand, it is hardly a good bourbon barrel aged Imperial stout either. I would suggest trying it to see how barrel aging can overwhelm the characteristics of the base beer.

Aroma / Apppearance - The appearance of this is almost perfect. A midnight black body sits crowned with a one finger sandy head. The bouquet is solid as well. Butterscotch, oak and sharp bourbon notes dominate but behind the scenes it is possible to pick up smoke and vanilla. Something reminds me of ’new car smell’. It is not the thickest or most complex imperial stout but it is just as good a nose as Old Rasputin.

Flavor / Palate - A slightly watered down (yet still cohesive) sensation washes over the mouth. As it flows down the throat you pick up smoke, malt, roasted expresso beans and cherry liquer. Next comes the oak and vanilla flavors from the barrel. The hotness I was expecting from your standard Weyerbacher beer is not present at all (this may be due to aging). The finish is dry with the light feeling of maltiness left on the throat. It has some nice qualities to it but I feel like it is a little too simple for an imperial stout.

Bottle shared by awaisanen, thanks again! Being that oak aged imperial stouts have been my favorite brews, I was really excited to see that this was on the tasting agenda for the evening. This is a very fine brew indeed, but leaves you wanting more. It’s kind of a tease persay in that it’s falls just a little short. The aroma hints at a roasty and oaky imperial, but doesn’t overwhelm like I would want it to. The taste, like the aroma, is a bit light. The bourbon barrel character could be brought up a notch, as it is a bit underwhelming. I really enjoyed this brew, but it left me desiring just a little more.

From a 22oz Bottle. Pitch black pour of night with a well sustaining head of creamy marshmellow tan. Aromas of vanilla and milky chocolate malt balls drift from the glass, along with some gentle caramels and toasted oatmeal. Full bodied, creamy mouthfeel - incredibly soft and silky feeling. Lots of vanilla and creamy oats in the flavors. The barrel character is restrained, definitely not overdone, and surprisingly leaves me wanting even more. The barrel aging doesn’t really come through until after the final smack, where some caramelly oak notes peak through. Thanks, Dan!

22 oz bottle. Dark brown body with a brown head. A sweet malty aroma with lots of licorices. Flavor is pretty straight forward, sweet malt, licorices and alcohol. Not very well ball lanced. Have experienced several IS with higher abv but less alcohol flavor.

650ml bomber - pours dark brown, pretty much black, with a decent tan head. Aroma is quite sweet, surprisingly even, and sort of like an oatmeal stout in a way. Lots of vanilla and whiskey up front in the nose. Kind of weird, that combination, with the typical stout roastiness in the background. Mouthfeel is a bit thin and underwhelming, especially considering this is an Imperial. I expect thickness. Flavour is perhaps even sweeter than the aroma, with more whiskey and oak, vanilla, and roasted coffee, chocolate and malt...again too much in the background for my tastes. 96 overall? Why? This is pretty overrated, unless there was something off with my bottle, but I doubt it. What was unique about this stout was also what made it underwhelming. Not something I’ll likely pick up again, especially with all the other (better) Imp stouts out there.