Big Gruesome
Spring House Brewing Company

Big GruesomeBig Gruesome
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Spring House Brewing Company
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,535
ABV:
8.3%
Score:
91
Ranked #6,558
Avg:
4.09 | pDev: 10.51%
Reviews:
148
Ratings:
802
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 17, 2023
Added:
May 06, 2011
Wants:
  215
Gots:
  137
Creamy, malty, and full-bodied, the Big Gruesome Stout is scary good. The intense, roasty flavor comes from two types of chocolate malt and raw cocoa nibs. The stout is then aged on whole vanilla beans and more raw cocoa nibs to enhance the chocolate flavors. Rich peanut butter is introduced throughout the entire brewing process to make this stout even more Gruesome.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Beerisheaven:
Photo of Beerisheaven
Reviewed by Beerisheaven from Pennsylvania

4.27/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Had on tap, nitro-tap, and in a growler from the brewery. So, let's just say this rating is a combination of all three, as I did not get a huge difference in experience in one versus the others (even the nitro-pour).

A - Dark brown with a head that settles down to a nice collar. Leaves some lacing behind for good measure.

S - Wow, just like the peppermint choc stout hits you with the peppermint, this one hits you with the peanut butter. I am a softee for peanut butter so I find this to be very appealing. The choc is there but is reserved, the peanut butter is the star of this show.

T - Really takes a bit to get used to in that the peanut butter once again dominates. It mixes with the chocolate and I guess some would say they get a little bit of Reeses Peanut Butter Cup but the peanut is more forward than the chocolate.

M - Like the peppermint choc stout, I found this one to be very nice. Thick and oily and certainly an improvement over last year's Kerplunk and Planet Bean. Very nice, I think they did this nicely.

O - This one will certainly leave an impression. Some will find it interesting, some will think it too cute for a beer.

I love Springhouse and love their improvements made to the pumpkin and their stouts. Here is hoping that the Bean follows suit. Matt has done a great job and brews these beers with passion. I will certainly continue to support them and look forward to his continued evolution in brewing. Great place and great staff. Springhouse is a winner in my book.
Dec 23, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of ThommyBhoy
Rated by ThommyBhoy from Pennsylvania

4.67/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
I'm so sad this isn't available. If you like chocolate stouts, this is/was one of the best I've tried.
Dec 17, 2023
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.25/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Draft at Kraftwork. Dark, pours like a cola. Chocolaty and nutty. Thin for a RIS. Taste brings more of the nuts and some sweet roast grains. Finishes fast. Strong start then fades.
Feb 06, 2023
Photo of JohnniEMc
Reviewed by JohnniEMc from Pennsylvania

4.44/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Chocolate and peanut, what could go wrong? As the pint can is cracked open to be poured into a clear Imperial pint glass, the fragrance of the two hits. And it is good. The concoction is a very dark and murky brown with a little light brown head. And it still smells good. It's a little watery to the palate. Maybe that's OK, because if it were richer, it would be sinful. It starts thin and then practically explodes with the added flavors. No hops, no malt taste, just chocolate and peanut. And, it's good. The thin body at least prevents it from being too sweet. Still, a nicer body would make this World Class.
Feb 19, 2021
 
Rated: 4.04 by Taenim from Maine

Oct 15, 2020
Photo of cjeep
Reviewed by cjeep from Pennsylvania

3.57/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
sorry but i'm not feeling it as much as most of the reviewers. There are a lot of great stouts out there. Peanut butter stouts, I don't know. But this is not a great stout...
L: Drinking from the can. As someone else mentioned, great can art. "Great as a gift" they said. Maybe that's a good idea because actually drinking through my 4 pack will be a chore. (But I'll do it of course...)
S: smell is pretty good. Lots of peanut butter. I have not had many before so, ok, it's interesting. I'm definitely willing to give it a go.
T: Ok, here the wheels fall off. Some what interesting but not that attractive. Lots of peanut butter, fine. But I'm missing a lot of other great stout flavors that are just lost or non-existent. ok, maybe espresso develops over time.
F: Wheels really fall off here. very thin. very low carbonation level.
Sorry, man, but this is just not a beer for me.
Jul 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.95 by Budlum from Maryland

Mar 11, 2020
 
Rated: 4.18 by jmbeerdude91 from Arizona

Mar 04, 2020
 
Rated: 4.19 by cd34 from Illinois

Jan 11, 2020
Photo of Lucular
Reviewed by Lucular from Maryland

3.8/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
5 oz pour on tap. The appearance is not quite as opaque as I like for imperial stouts. The aroma is full of dark roasted malts, peanut butter, dark chocolate, and a whiff of coffee. Taste is similar but almost too heavy on the peanut butter. Pretty solid as far as peanut butter stouts go.
Dec 17, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by dextermcgurk from New York

Nov 22, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by BeerInspector from Delaware

Nov 02, 2019
Photo of branham1989
Reviewed by branham1989 from Texas

3.73/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Big Gruesome Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout 8.5% ABV. This stout pours a dark roasted coffee brown almost black but a little bit of light shines through the bottom of the glass with a half finger width dark khaki colored head that dissipates quickly due to the additives in the brewing process. The aroma is of roasted peanuts dark chocolate with hints of coffee and malts. The flavor is very peanut butter forward with heavy tones of dark cocoa powder and espresso coffee that dark almost to bitter coffee which balances out the sweetness nicely it finishes with a slight bitterness. The mouthfeel is a little bit thinner than I prefer with a stout but it doesn’t detract from the beer too much I also think it’s slightly over carbonated.
Aug 28, 2019
Photo of npolachek
Reviewed by npolachek from New York

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours black with mocha head. Notes of PB and Vanilla. Not to sweet and a decent beer. The bottle art on this is really nice as well so makes a good gift.
Aug 27, 2019
 
Rated: 4.01 by jwerner23 from Minnesota

Jul 22, 2019
 
Rated: 3 by bigred89 from Maryland

Jul 14, 2019
 
Rated: 3.56 by Oh_Dark_Star from Washington

May 10, 2019
 
Rated: 3.4 by BirdsandHops from Oregon

Nov 25, 2018
Photo of oberon
Reviewed by oberon from North Carolina

4.27/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours nearly jet black with a thinner quick to fade mocha colored head atop.Peanut butter and vanilla stand out in a fantastic nose,the peanut has a roast flavor to it,chocolate comes in as it warms,to me almost a hazelnut quality to it.There is more chocolate on the palate wich pairs well with the roasty peanut butter elements,it never gets too overly sweet.A really nice stout that has alot of different nuances not just over the top sweetness.Very well made.
Oct 28, 2018
 
Rated: 3.81 by TomWight from New York

Oct 12, 2018
Big Gruesome from Spring House Brewing Company
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 802 ratings