Review: Weyerbacher's Tiny

I knew I had a lot of work to do on my Halloween costume tonight, so I decided to pick up a stout to have after the work paid off. And it did, by the way! Anyway, so I picked up Weyerbacher's imperial stout, ironically dubbed "Tiny" even though it clocks in at 11.8% ABV. It comes in a nice corked  750ml bottle, which I love. It's so satisfying uncorking a bottle of beer. I could have bought their Imperial Pumpkin Ale and done a review of that because. y'know, 'tis the season, but I've had it before, liked it, and didn't want to shell out the money for a four-pack of something I've tried already.

Anyway, I'll dive into this "Tiny" little stout now...

Appearance: 3/5

This beer sure looks like an imperial stout. It's black as night and looks very thick. I like the head on this, mostly for the color. It's a deep tan head; probably one of the better-looking heads I've seen. However, the head wasn't as big as I had hoped from an imperial stout. It poured only a finger thick and then quickly dissipated. Nothing left of it either. Not even a thin layer floating on top. So I'm about 50/50 about how this beer looks.

Nose: 4.5/5

Y'know, this smells like a very atypical stout. Usually a stout will smell roasty, nutty, and like coffee or chocolate. Apparently those things aren't in Weyerbacher's brewers' collective vocabulary. What I smell in Tiny's aroma are notes of molasses, but more importantly there are wine-like notes. It smells just like a red wine. This intrigues me to the highest degree, and I give Weyerbacher a thumbs up for originality!

Taste: 4/5

The taste of this beer is also rather interesting and unexpected. The first thing I taste, immediately, is a grape/sherry flavor. The grape fruitiness overtakes my palate, but the body isn't like a barleywine, so it's definitely stout-like. There's a good amount of creaminess, some smoky notes, and just hints of molasses, toffee, and a little toasted bread for body thickness.

Mouthfeel: 3.5/5

This is a rather light stout. It doesn't feel thick, but it is nice and creamy. The alcohol content is slightly astringent, but less so when tasted at room temperature.

Finish: 3.5/5

The molasses and a bit of roasty maltiness stays on the back of my tongue upon the finish. Some sherry is mixed into the finish, which is nice.

Total Score: 79.5/100

While I didn't think this stout looked overly appealing, I was impressed by the originality of it. The wine and grape notes were very refreshing, and coupled with deeper smoky molasses notes. The wine-like notes in this stout make it worth picking up for a truly different stout experience.

Until next time, cheers!

-Blake