Weyerbacher Old Heathen Imperial Stout

Sweet nectar of the Gods! I had this imperial stout on cask at the Taphouse in Wayne on Monday, but decided to take a few days to let it sink in because I thought it was that good. Well, a few days later I still think that this is a delicious beer, although I'm not ready to pin it as the Best Beer of 2012 as I was back on Monday. I really enjoy cask conditioned beers which have a much gentler carbonation that doesn't mask their true flavors since they aren't carbonated with nitrogen or carbon dioxide. They tend to be served a bit warmer (as this one was) and are siphoned out of the cask by a hand pump, which is pretty awesome.

The Old Heathen comes in at 8% alcohol and poured a dark black with little to no head or visible carbonation for that matter. It smelled sweet chocolate combined with some espresso/coffee mixed in. Taste also had some chocolate and coffee nodes, but also a slight taste of fruit, possibly raisin or plum. It was sweet, but a very nice sweetness that mixed well with the coffee and had some slight hoppiness behind it. One of my favorite parts of it was that it had a velvet-like feel to it which made it thick in the mouthful, but still very smooth and enjoyable to drink. Truly a great beer that lacks any real flaw. At first, I was skeptical of it's warmer serving temperature, but after I adjusted to it I thought it was perfect and added to the Old Heathen's deliciousness. I'd recommend this one very highly if you can find it on cask. It also is available in bottles and on tap from a keg, but I think that cask is the best way to go. If I can find it in a bottle or on tap from a keg I will definitely try it out and put up another post. Cheers!