Avery The Czar Imperial Stout

I picked up this bottle of Imperial Stout from Avery today because I've really been craving a stout that matches up to the greatness of Deschute's Abyss brew that I had towards the end of 2010.  That was a magical beer, and this year I haven't found a stout that's even come close, so I'm hopeful that Avery has the cajones to deliver against a bar that has admittedly been set very high (blame Deschutes!).

Awesome label design from Avery

This beer registers at about 11.69% ABV, an obscene 1.104 original gravity, and 70 IBUs.  It is bottled in a loud, colorful label.....the bottlecap is enclosed in foil in true Avery fashion, and the label shows a portrait of a stately man that we can assume is "The Czar".  The design has a Russian look and feel to it.

This beer will be going into my snifter glass - it pours a jet black with a very thick, full tan head that doesn't want to receed.  The nose brings roasty malts, mocha coffee, and alcohol.  The taste is almost identical to the smell - this is a classic imperial stout with roasted chocolate malts at the forefront.  The middle has some sweet mocha coffee and bitter dark chocolate, and the finish is extremely boozy and hits with a burn.  The mouthfeel is creamy and thick, and the beer sits heavy in my stomach. 

Overall Rating:  (4.3 out of 6.0)  This was a big beer that really followed the guidelines of the Imperial Stout style.  The taste was solid, but the alcohol was too prominent and prevented this from being a great beer.  That would likely mild out over time, so I'd recommend this one sit in the cellar for a while before drinking.

Weyerbacher Heresy Imperial Stout

First off, I would like to vent on a pet peeve of mine.  Multiple times in the last couple days, I've been asked if I could "borrow" someone an item.  Here's a specific example, "Hey Dunz, could you please borrow me your pen?"  {Enter angry emoticon here}  No I cannot borrow you my pen, because that doesn't make any F'ing sense.  This is basic, kindergarden grammer!  I will never lend anything to anyone that asks me to borrow it to them.

Now, on to the beer - tonight I'm drinking Weyerbacher Heresy Imperial Stout.  This is actually their Old Heathen Imperial stout, which is aged in oak barrels that were used in their previous lives for making top-shelf Kentucky bourbon.  The beer-geek stats aren't available on the brewery's website, but we do know this comes in at 8%ABV.  I picked this up in a 4 pack of 12oz bottles - the bottle design is definitely eye-catching, with a lightning bolt streaking across the background of the label. 

The beer pours a very dark brown, a burnt brownie color, into a snifter glass.  The nose is an intriguing mix of cocoa, toasted malts, whiskey, and a bit of raisin.  The first sip is quite a bit thinner than I expected, with chocoloate roasted malts setting in initially, and quickly disappearing.  Then there is a dry, woody flavor with a hint of whiskey.  Even more wood lingers in the finish, along with a fleeting fruity sourness on the tail-end.  The texture looks thick and syrupy, but the mouthfeel is actually quite thin (for an RIS), almost watered-down. 

After letting this sit and warm for a while, the flavors become a bit more pronounced, but the mouthfeel remains thin and light. 

Overall Rating:  (2.8 out of 6.0)  While this beer did bring some interesting flavors to the table (oak/bourbon), it left me wanting for more.  There wasn't enough muscle in the beer to balance and compliment the oak flavors.  It's extremely drinkable, and the alcohol is well-hidden, but overall I was disappointed. 

Weyerbacher - Tiny

Recently my life has been consumed by an exam that is known for crushing souls, ruining relationships, and sucking every last drop of energy from those who attempt the curriculum.  I am talking of the Certified Financial Analyst designation.  Last week I began my studies for this multi year exam series.  The information is packed into six college sized text books, which doesnt include the five additional supplemental text books I bought to "consolidate" the information.  Yes, 11 friggen books that need to be read through, learned, and tested on by June 4th.  God bless America...  The reason why I say this is because it means that beer will no longer be as prominent in my life as it once were.  Dunz will be doing a majority of the reviews from here on out until I finish my test.  Every once in a while I will sneak in a review.  But for the most part, Dunz is your guy running the show.  So with that... onto the review!

Tonights brew is one that I purchased a while ago and never really had the urge to crack it open until tonight.  Weyerbacher's Tiny is a Belgian styled imperial stout.  That description immediately caught my attention at the store.  I like Belgian beers, I love imperial stouts... logic reasons that I must love this beer!  This bomber is capped with a cork and made from some pretty sturdy glass.  I imagine this is to mimic most Belgian style beer bottles on the market today.  The label has a metallic sheen overlaying a faint, lion crest with stars in the background.  Very intriguing.  Lets see what it has in store.

The pour is a thick, viscous black with a deep brown head.  It reminded me of oil flowing from a canister but thicker.  Im already giddy to taste it!  Its still pretty cold from my fridge but I can easily smell a dark fruity aroma backed up by mild roastiness and a hint of alcohol.  Its 11.8% ABV so the alcohol presence is to be expected.  My first sip is nice and thick as expected.  Belgian yeast strains tend to take over a beers flavor and aroma, as designed, but this flavor profile manages to restrain it a bit.  A flavorful blend of dark caramelized fruit, cocoa and roast come together to make a taste that I dont think I have experienced in a beer before.  The carbonation is a little high for a stout.  I imagine this is a nod to the Belgian style once again.  Some smokiness comes through towards the end.  Although I do have a fire going in the fireplace so the smokiness may be coming from that.  The finish is dry and has a very slight alcohol warmth on its way down.  As this brew warms subtler notes from the stout show up such as vanilla, chocolate and a mild sweetness to the body.

Overall 4.9/6.0 - This was a solid brew.  I had been craving an imperial stout for quite some time and to have one with a nicely integrated Belgian twist added to the profile made it even more enjoyable.  The flavor profile is unique and perfect for those of you who like the characteristics of a dark Belgian ale and smooth, thick and bold imperial stouts.  My biggest gripe is that the carbonation was a bit too high.  Now that I no longer have the liberty to drink as many beers as I used to I find myself looking for brews that will give me something outside the normal style box or are very well crafted.  This falls into both of those categories and will be one that I'd like to try again in the very near future.


Update - As this beer warmed the carbonation started to get in the way of all the flavors I could perceive when it was cold.  The sweetness also started to show up a lot more too.  I originally rated this as a 5 when I started the review but as I let it warm the beer started to take a turn for the worst.  Still very drinkable and enjoyable while warm but I would definitely serve this one chilled and drink it while cold.