Beer In Review: Wrestling Match
"Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight, Weyerbacher Brewery Wrestling Federation is proud to announce a heavyweight match between Blithering Idiot and Old Heathen."
Or something like that. Both of these high octane brews are crafted by Weyerbacher Brewery. Located in Easton, Pennsylvania, these people have been at it since 1995. A tour through their website reveals a colorful collection of labels, some of which I've seen, though I've never purchased. Weyerbacher beers are carried by stores throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, DC, Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, Connecticut, North Carolina, and as of last week, Maine.
This round of tasting is courtesy of Jim, who might not like what I have to say.
First up is Blithering Idiot, a barleywine style ale. For those unfamiliar with barleywine, think of it as a wine made from barley instead of grapes, but still a beer. The alcohol content is similar to that of wine, and Blithering Idiot clocks in at a hefty 11.1% ABV. And at that level, you'll certainly wind up a blithering idiot if you drink too many of these.
On the pour, the imbiber is given a cloudy amber drink with plenty of head. The aroma is fruity but once it hits your mouth the esters and alcohol combine to punch your tongue with a sickening sweetness and then ends on a sour note. I have to say I despised this beverage. Normally, I like sweet. I've drank many a bottle of schnapps over the years and I prefer malty beers, which are generally sweeter, and the mixers I use to support the vodka I drink are all sweet, but this is just plain wrong.
It could be that it's because I hate wine. No seriously. I despise it. All I smell with red wines are a nasty combo of vinegar and sulfites, even the ones that get good ratings from Wine Spectator. I haven't tried to drink one in over a decade as my tongue would tear itself from my mouth and punch me in the eye. I don't hate white wines, but I certainly don't like them either.
Based on this, I'm certain that I'm a lousy judge of barleywines. But if you don't care for wine, then you probably want to steer clear of barleywines and the Blithering Idiot.
Up next is Old Heathen, an Imperial Stout. It's no slouch for alcohol either, measuring 8% ABV.
The beer oozes out of the bottle with the color of used motor oil. No joke. It's black. Even the head has a distinct black tint to it. It hits the tongue with a chocolate malt taste, with the alcohol making a pronounced appearence on the swallow. And that's it. I couldn't identify even a hint of hops. Overall, it's ok. Still not anything that I'd buy on a regular basis, but certainly drinkable, particularly in the winter.
And the winner of this very ugly match is.... Old Heathen, by decision. Certainly not a knockout.
You may be wondering, is this a case where marketing overwhelms craftmanship? I don't think so. Unlike Ridgeway Brewing, where the marketing controversy outweighed the quality of their beer portfolio, the names that Weyerbacher used aren't over the top. They seem to specialize in crafting high alcohol and complex beer, and their Winter Ale won a silver medal back in '98. It may be a while, but I'll give them another chance down the road.
Sorry, Jim.
\_/
DED
Or something like that. Both of these high octane brews are crafted by Weyerbacher Brewery. Located in Easton, Pennsylvania, these people have been at it since 1995. A tour through their website reveals a colorful collection of labels, some of which I've seen, though I've never purchased. Weyerbacher beers are carried by stores throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, DC, Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, Connecticut, North Carolina, and as of last week, Maine.
This round of tasting is courtesy of Jim, who might not like what I have to say.
First up is Blithering Idiot, a barleywine style ale. For those unfamiliar with barleywine, think of it as a wine made from barley instead of grapes, but still a beer. The alcohol content is similar to that of wine, and Blithering Idiot clocks in at a hefty 11.1% ABV. And at that level, you'll certainly wind up a blithering idiot if you drink too many of these.On the pour, the imbiber is given a cloudy amber drink with plenty of head. The aroma is fruity but once it hits your mouth the esters and alcohol combine to punch your tongue with a sickening sweetness and then ends on a sour note. I have to say I despised this beverage. Normally, I like sweet. I've drank many a bottle of schnapps over the years and I prefer malty beers, which are generally sweeter, and the mixers I use to support the vodka I drink are all sweet, but this is just plain wrong.
It could be that it's because I hate wine. No seriously. I despise it. All I smell with red wines are a nasty combo of vinegar and sulfites, even the ones that get good ratings from Wine Spectator. I haven't tried to drink one in over a decade as my tongue would tear itself from my mouth and punch me in the eye. I don't hate white wines, but I certainly don't like them either.
Based on this, I'm certain that I'm a lousy judge of barleywines. But if you don't care for wine, then you probably want to steer clear of barleywines and the Blithering Idiot.
Up next is Old Heathen, an Imperial Stout. It's no slouch for alcohol either, measuring 8% ABV. The beer oozes out of the bottle with the color of used motor oil. No joke. It's black. Even the head has a distinct black tint to it. It hits the tongue with a chocolate malt taste, with the alcohol making a pronounced appearence on the swallow. And that's it. I couldn't identify even a hint of hops. Overall, it's ok. Still not anything that I'd buy on a regular basis, but certainly drinkable, particularly in the winter.
And the winner of this very ugly match is.... Old Heathen, by decision. Certainly not a knockout.
You may be wondering, is this a case where marketing overwhelms craftmanship? I don't think so. Unlike Ridgeway Brewing, where the marketing controversy outweighed the quality of their beer portfolio, the names that Weyerbacher used aren't over the top. They seem to specialize in crafting high alcohol and complex beer, and their Winter Ale won a silver medal back in '98. It may be a while, but I'll give them another chance down the road.
Sorry, Jim.
\_/
DED
Labels: beer
posted by DED at 6:27 PM
11 Comments:
Ugh. Think it's possible these weren't fresh? Something went awry in the storage?
These sound awful.
No, I don't think that was the case at all. I think that it was all me, and for the reasons that I stated. My palate just didn't approve.
My wife doesn't mind barleywine, so she's going to give it a shot. I'll post her comments when she does.
The beer oozes out of the bottle with the color of used motor oil.
I know you're not afraid of the dark, but it took plenty of valor to drink after that description. Way to take one for the team. I'm sorry your tongue got punched by a blithering idiot. Do you think it will recover in time for the next round?
Absolutely, Mort! ;)
Truth be told I couldn't finish Blithering Idiot either - I gave the rest to Bob. Maybe he's like "Mikey". Old Heathen was much more tolerable though. I blame their marketing dept for making the labels so darn appealing to take a chance on. I should've also looked at the price tag though in retrospect.
Hey ded, what's the deal with Dodd and Leiberman? I thought my guys were bad, sheesh. Well, my guys are bad but sheesh anyway. Where has Dodd been the last five years? Dodd: I'm shocked, shocked to find out about all the shady lending going on. Old Joe is starting to sound like a repug. Man, it must be getting close to the end. Every time I look at one of those old fud politicos I always imagine their heads in a pile.
Lieberman has always been an asshole. I've never voted him (and I took Nader over Gore in 2000 because I couldn't handle Joe being a heartbeat away from the top job) and it boggles my mind that he got re-elected. I went off on him in a couple of my "Connecticut Campaign Trail" blog entries last year.
Dodd has been in DC for too long so he plays the game. While he's nowhere near as bad as Lieberman, he plays it safe too often. So he may claim that he's shocked, but he may actually be trying to draw attention to his presidential campaign run.
While he's a bit to the left of me, he's been a pretty good senator.
I have to agree with you about old Joe, I really wasn't aware that Dodd existed until he started yelling bailout. Maybe it is just a ploy to get attention, and votes, from all the victimized (ahem) FBs. I still like Edwards and Obama better. Either CONgress doesn't know how precarious the situation with the dollar is, or they don't care, either way it is pretty distressing to see how stupid &/or cynical they all are. CONgress is worthless and weak, now drop and give me twenty. :-)
Ack! Obama is pandering too! The dollar is toast.
Could very well be.
Sir,you are an imbecile-both Old Heathen and Blithering Idiot are phenomenal beers.Perhaps your site should find a reviewer with some taste.In my experience there is NO bad Weyerbacher product.Grow a palate or stop inflicting your crappy taste in beer on others.What do you drink-Bud? As for the "color of motor oil" comment-IT'S A STOUT,my mentally challenged friend ! It's SUPPOSED to be that color(DUH).
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