Weyerbacher Old Heathen is rich and smooth

June 1, 2:15 PMSuburban Philadelphia Craft Beer ExaminerMichael Hoster

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Until last weekend, I had not tried a bottle of Weyerbacher Old Heathen in nearly three years. Back then, I was eagerly scooping up every imperial stout that I could find, so I honestly could not remember Old Heathen’s particular nuances. But after taking a few sips yesterday, I quickly remembered how overwhelmingly smooth and easy-to-drink this black beauty is.

Old Heathen pours dark black, with a medium tan head that fades within 45 seconds to a minute. It presents a sweet chocolate malt aroma, with significant hints of coffee and minimal hints of both anise and dark fruit.

Upon consumption, Old Heathen demonstrates a fairly sweet, chocolatey profile, with a substantial bouquet of heavy, dark fruits, including both fig and pomegranate. But, the most notable aspect of Old Heathen is its tremendously smooth delivery. In fact, it is so smooth for an 8% ABV imperial stout that it almost seems to be infused with a nitrogen widget, like Beamish or Guinness. Fascinatingly, Old Heathen’s smoothness does not really dissipate upon warming. This is a very unique, yet enjoyable, characteristic that does not comprise Old Heathen’s flavorful profile.

Its finish, much like its initial presentation, is very smooth and clean for an imperial stout. Notes of coffee and aromatic hops are glaringly apparent as well. The lingering expression of roasted coffee serves as the ideal conduit to the sweet, chocolatey expression of the next sip.

My only complaint about Old Heathen is the actual inclusion of dark fruits. Typically, I loathe even the slightest hint of fruit in an American imperial stout. As far as I am concerned, American imperial stout should feature dark roasted coffee; chocolate malts; toffee; vanilla, bourbon or molasses; and plenty of both aromatic and bittering hops––that’s it! Leave the fruity stouts to the Belgians. But, I digress.

Overall, Weyerbacher Old Heathen is a very good, outstandingly smooth imperial stout. It demonstrates a solid balance of dark chocolate malts, a touch of coffee and a reasonable amount of heavy fruit. Best of all, the price is very affordable: $41.00 at Exton Beverage.

For more information on Old Heathen and other Weyerbacher products, visit www.weyerbacher.com.