Weyerbacher Old Heathen

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

12oz bottle. thanks to holdenn for providing this sample next to heresy (again provided by holdenn). pours dark with small tan head. nose has licorice, dark fruits (prunes and raisins). flavor is dark fruits, over ripe plums, black currants, and brown sugar. where’s the chocolate and coffee? abv was hidden but it’s not that big anyways. body was thin. this has decent written all over it.

Sample at Indy tasting Hotshotz - Aroma of milk chocolate and cream with a touch of dark fruit. Pours black with a ring head and little lacing. Flavor is roasted malts, gas station mocha and a little fruit. Palate is sweet and thin. I was expecting much more from this one especially considering how much I liked Heresy (the barrel aged version of this brew).

12 oz bottle: Opaque black color with almost non-existant light tan head. Aroma has raisens, oak, vanilla, chocolate, caramel. Flavor is malty, fair amount of caramel, bit of roasted malts, vanilla, dates. Finish is relatively sweet.

Bottle from Sam’s. Pours black with a small tan head that fades. Nose is rich milk chocolate and a little hop bitterness. Flavor is weaker than I expected. Is it the (lack of) alcohol? A few years ago an 8% stout would be quite a challenge for me, but now it seems like its not enough. I think its more than the alcohol. You can tell this heavily filtered (im beginning to notice this) amd it feels like this beer may have once had a lot of flavor, but that it was sucked out of it. I’m probably just talking out of my ass again, but its fun to type ratings at work. I didnt finish the bottle.

12 oz. bottle. Thick inky pour produces a mediu/large brown head, average lace. The usual aroma suspects, chocolate and coffee, make their appearance, with the addition of some prune and licorice. Thick, rich mouthfeel with alittle oiliness, full body, and light carbonation. Dark caramel comes up against a dark malt bitterness and some spicy hop flavors resulting in a pleasingly dry finish.

Bottle from early 2006. Pours dark brown with some light edges and with a nice tan head comprised of fine bubbles which dissipates to a thin splotchy surface layer. Some lacing. Aroma is dark chocolate and dark fruits; kahluha-like, including the alcohol. Dry hops also present in the nose along with a nice blueberry-like aroma when it warms. Flavor is expresso and roasted malts, nicely balanced with bittering hops, which linger. Some berry notes again in the finish. Quite complex. Medium bodied, smooth, but a bit syrupy. Alcohol warmth is present but not too hot. Overall, a nice imperial stout; on the lighter side, rather drinkable. Re-rated 3/14/08...bumped up a few numbers for consistency with my other reviews.

Pours a jet black with nice thick dark tan head that lingers a while and leaves decent lacing. Aroma is a malty sweet chocolate-coffee mix, and the flavor is an almost too-sweet version of the same. Mouthfeel is somewhat tingly, and the finish is long and warming, but again, just a tad too sweet. Not a bad Impy Stout, but I’ve had others I’ve definitely enjoyed more.

THOUGHTS: I’ve finally gotten around to rating the beer that I stole my username from. I went with just plain Heathen since I’m not old but Im not young anymore either. It’s hard to go wrong with an imperial stout. This one smells, tastes and looks great. It may be a little thin, but it’s still a great beer. A chocolate masterpiece with just the right amount of hop bitterness. While I’ve had stouts that by all the different categories are technically better, this one is one of the easiest, full-flavored ones to drink. This is one of my favorites. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark, opaque brown that looked completely black in the glass with a small tan head that mostly diminished and didn’t leave much lacing. The aroma was chocolate syrup and dark fruit along with some port, licorice, cola and alcohol. The initial flavor was moderately sweet and lightly bitter, while the finish was moderately to heavily sweet and bitter with short to average duration. The body was medium to full but a little thin for an imperial stout. It was dry but felt like watered-down syrup with a chalky finish.