Beer Man: Bold flavors enliven Weyerbacher Tiny
- Belgian-style imperial stout highlights malty, roasted stout base
- Tiny is 11.8% alcohol by volume and comes in a 25.4-ounce bottle
- Weyerbacher's year-round lineup is impressive
Beer Man is a weekly profile of beers from across the country and around the world.
This week: Weyerbacher Tiny
Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Easton, Pa.
weyerbacher.com
I never quite realized how boring the regular offerings are from most breweries until Weyerbacher started being distributed in my home state of Wisconsin.
The typical craft brewery will offer a tired year-round selection of a gold and amber ale, a wheat beer, an American pale and India pale ale, and maybe a stout or porter. Many of these are quite average, giving me the impression they are made more for consumers who aren't typically craft beer drinkers.
Weyerbacher's year-round offerings, however, include Blithering Idiot Barleywine, Old Heathen Imperial Stout, Merry Monks Belgian-Style Golden Ale and Double Simcoe IPA. That's an impressive lineup, more so because they are all excellent beers. These are also beer styles that most other breweries offer as seasonals or special one-off batches.
Weyerbacher Tiny is now a year-round beer and the brewery pitches it as a Belgian-style imperial stout. The beer lives up to that promise, highlighting a malty, strong, roasted stout base with Belgian yeast that adds fruitiness and spices, resulting in a complex, tasty treat.
The ale starts out as a rich, creamy imperial stout with the typical chocolate malt emphasis steering more into cocoa territory. There are also coffee notes, and plum and date dark fruit flavors that the yeast enhances. The Belgian character becomes more pronounced after the first sips and the finish is predominately Belgian, with vanilla-caramel candi sugar being noticeable.
One aspect that is really nice is the minimal bitterness from the roasted malt and hops, allowing the complex flavors to shine. The high alcohol content is not noticeable in the aroma or flavor; but it sure provides a nice spreading glow after a few minutes into the bottle.
With its and big flavors, this ale is anything but tiny.
Weyerbacher beers are available in 17 states and the District of Columbia in the East, Midwest and South -- the list of states and distributors is online at weyerbacher.com/community/wholesalers.
Many beers are available only regionally. Check the brewer's website,
which often contains information on product availability. Contact Todd Haefer at beerman@postcrescent.com. To read previous Beer Man columns Click here.