Intrusive foam and heavy carbonation nearly overwhelm great roasted chocolate theme. Sip slowly to properly locate mocha malt-y residue and grain subtleties. Needs to be firmer and bolder to fully appeal to seasoned porter aficionados, though.
WEYERBACHER OLD HEATHEN IMPERIAL STOUT
Mighty fine off-dry cream stout flaunting signature roasted coffee sourness gains chalky cocoa bitterness, milk chocolate richness, sweet toffee insistence, dry burgundy richness and maraschino cherry piquancy to juxtapose coarse wood-smoked hop char. Perfect espresso alternative. ’13 version: dark-roasted black chocolate contingent rides above dry beechwood-like smokiness and floral-tinged pumpkin spicing.
WEYERBACHER 1995-2007 TWELVE ANNIVERSARY ALE
Gallant rye barleywine celebrates a dozen years’ brewing with sweet Irish whiskey frontage, mild Courvoisier midst, and buttery Chardonnay finish. Sweet floral-tinged orange-tangerine tang thins out considerably, but lush liquor lacquering lingers.
WEYERBACHER MUSE FARMHOUSE ALE
Unbalanced funky barnyard ale remains astringent as raw-grained earthiness and grassy hay parch drench off-putting rye-dried white-peppered lemongrass herbage to sour lemon finish. Wood-lacquered burnt rubber hint further ruins moderate-bodied saffron-hazed treachery. Better supplemental sugar malting needed.
WEYERBACHER MERRY MONK’S BELGIAN STYLE GOLDEN ALE
Exquisitely fruited Belgian-styled strong ale is truly ambitious. Creamy caramel malting contrasts charitable peppery hop bittering and fungi yeast funk, beckoning veritable Grand Marnier mouthfeel. Floral aromatics hover above perky seltzer-fizzed coriander-clove seasoning and soured plum-prune visage. Midrange bruised orange tang surpasses dainty banana, nectar, elderberry, and quince quirks.
WEYERBACHER INSANITY
Sensational oak-barrel aged barleywine allows medicinal bourbon-cognac warmth to usurp syrupy caramel malting, brown chocolate creaming, chewy toffee sweetness and bourbon vanilla sway. Toasted pecan-almond nuttiness underlines orange-bruised cherry brandy soothe. Serpentine grapefruit rind bittering, musty date-fig-prune souring and juicy nectarine-melon conflux add to overall complexity.
WEYERBACHER INDIA PALE ALE
Lively fruit aroma complements malted mocha resonation as citrus hop tang ascends. Pleasant bite lingers to moderately bitter orange rind finish. Sans mustiness, not far removed from summer ales.
WEYERBACHER IMPERIAL PUMPKIN ALE
Another fine ale and interesting label (an evil gourd) from stalwart brewer, ’05. Dense pumpkin sweetness dominates heady 8% alcohol rush, sugary malt lacquered stickiness, and vegetal bottom of mildly creamy seasonal. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom spices tingle lingering pumpkin pie resonation as rippling red cherry, berry, and apricot offing enhances pleasant brandied aftertaste.
WEYERBACHER HOPS INFUSION ALE
Bragging of ‘four times more hops than our IPA,’ Weyerbacher’s heavily citric-hopped bitter ale gets countered by angular caramel malt lucidity. But mild grainy bitterness wins out at ephemeral mocha finish. Simple, effective, if not essential.
WEYERBACHER HERESY IMPERIAL STOUT
Immensely complex oak-aged Old Heathen dry stout (with maroon-highlighted deep mahogany hue) scatters bittersweet black chocolate urging across charred hop frontage as tannic grape-soured cherry tartness infiltrates Black Forest cake illusion. Further sips reveal sherry-port kick at lingering lacquered vanilla finish, though stabilized aftertaste recalls marshmallow-imbued chocolate liqueur. Updated 2013 version ‘aged in whiskey barrels’ brought deeper wood-smoked bourbon tenacity to oaken cherry and tannic grape pucker – overriding chalky mocha thrust.
WEYERBACHER HEFEWEIZEN
Unfiltered golden-hazed summertime moderation floats dry floral bouquet and gentle nuttiness above sour wheat bed. Tart-orange-peach pad outdoes stylistically expectant banana-clove influence (putting this closer to a grain-based American wheat ale).
WEYERBACHER ELEVEN TRIPLE INDIA PALE ALE
Celebrating brewer’s 11th anniversary with 11.7% alcohol heft, buoyantly tropical fruited delight combines tangiest orange-grapefruit-peach gumption of fullest bodied IPA’s with heavily wood-chipped spruce hops (resonating brightly as its cascading head takes a minute to settle atop the butterscotch-hazed belly). Tidy tobacco-dried barley roast secures the bottom end. Well done.