Winey Bastard
Nickel Brook Brewing Co.

Winey BastardWiney Bastard
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Nickel Brook Brewing Co.
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #386
ABV:
11%
Score:
89
Ranked #11,497
Avg:
3.99 | pDev: 11.03%
Reviews:
28
Ratings:
81
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 15, 2022
Added:
Dec 02, 2012
Wants:
  8
Gots:
  22
Nickel Brook took some of the best Pinot Noir barrels from the Niagara wine region and tossed their Bolshevik Bastard Imperial Stout in it? I mean, what have they done to the soft oak and subtle, earthy fruit notes from the barrel? Their Imperial Stout has WAY too much chocolate, coffee and dark fruit flavours for the delicate notes imparted by the barrel-aging process. I don't know what they think they're doing. So what if it's delicious? Drink it today, or cellar it to enjoy later as it matures. A votre santé!

70 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by RedAleMan:
Photo of RedAleMan
Rated by RedAleMan from Canada (ON)

4.19/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Mar 23, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of acurtis
Reviewed by acurtis from New Jersey

3.09/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
2018 bottle, infected. Pours thin with an aggressive head. Nose is brown butter and dark fruit, taste is tart pinot barrel, raisons, dried fruit. Was pretty sure this was going to be a disaster but the infection is mild, likely from the barrel. Dried fruit / grape type of sweetness
Oct 15, 2022
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.01/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Pours a foamy fizzy 1/2 finger brown head with moderate retention, fair lacing, very dark almost black color

Nose is quite fruity, super fruity wine, grape, but also has that sour fruit infection like character, sweet rich chocolate under that, with some vanilla, cocoa, a bit of caramel

Taste is very rich, again some sour infection notes, not super sour but definitely on the way there with infection, tart red wine and general fruity characters from the infection, a bit of cocoa, dark chocolate, some mocha, vanilla, a bit sweet, flemmy tart, funky acidity, flemmy finish with a bit of alcohol

Mouth is med to a bit fuller bod, med foamy carb, light alcohol, fair acidity and flemmy

Overall it could have been quite nice, but I'll never know due to infection that ruins the beer
Jun 03, 2022
 
Rated: 4.46 by DruC4 from Michigan

May 28, 2022
Photo of TheHammer
Reviewed by TheHammer from Canada (ON)

3.39/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Appearance: Poured with a thumb of head that didn't lace or stick around very well. The body is completely opaque and as black as night, revealing little else.

Smell: Winey is right, as Wine dominates the nose. I'm not a wine expert, so I can't tell what kind, but the bottle says Pinot Noir barrels, so likely that kind. It's certainly the three grapes I frequent (them being Shiraz, Cab. Sav. and Sangiovese). I think I catch a little bit of dark chocolate malt in the background, but the Wine is overtaking it.

Taste: This tastes more like drinking wine then drinking beer, about the only beer parts I'm noticing coming to play here is there is a bit of chocolate malt at the start, and a bit of Cascade hops and more chocolate at the end. Apart from that, it tastes like carbonated wine/spiked grape juice, and I mean deep, rich Wine.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation seems completely unfit for this beer, it's aggressive, not creamy and serves just to bring out more of the wine, which is already the strong note here. The transitioning, is again more like wine then beer as you get the grape notes, the touch of dryness at the end. Fair clean, mild wine aftertaste.

Drinkability: Well the one of the things the beer lends the wine is in the body, as this is thick, as a stout should be. That thickness gives it a texture that deepens the richness of the wine. The problem is, I don't want to drink wine flavored beer, I want some kind of beer that has wine accents. It's surprisingly refreshing and not quite a sipper, but it's not my cup of tea.

Final Thoughts: I picked this up, having had a good track record with Nickel Brook's Kentucky Bastard and Cafe El Bastardo and because I looked at this, saw my track record with wine aged beer and decided this would be the last shot before I put wine barrel stuff aside for a while. If anyone can do it right, it would be Nickel Brook. Sadly, the couldn't for me, as this stuff is too wine forward, and it forces me to ask why would I not just drink wine instead? In this case, the answers are some chocolate notes, a thick texture boosting the wine richness and some out of place carbonation. Maybe I'm sounding like the name of the beer itself (being a Winey Bastard) but I don't drink bourbon aged beer because I want to drink bourbon. I want it to impart itself to the beer, not to dominate it like this stuff does, and frankly, looking back at my track record of wine barrel aged beer I've had, every one of them produces the same complaint. Too much Wine, not enough beer.
Dec 29, 2021
Photo of pardavis
Reviewed by pardavis

3.31/5  rDev -17%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
Nice dark color with a foamy dark head, but head quickly dissipates. Smell is grape like, with subtle malt character. Taste is a little “off” from what is expected. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good. Seems overly carbonated for a barrel aged stout and more sour than anticipated. Even with the carbonation this stuff is smooth and goes down good, makes the face nice and warm. While not my favorite barrel aged beer, I still get this every Xmas and look forward to it.
Dec 26, 2021
 
Rated: 4.16 by ElGallo from New Hampshire

Apr 14, 2021
Photo of the_nudge
Reviewed by the_nudge from Canada (BC)

3.7/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
A: Pours a very dark opaque purple, with thin violet-brown head, minimal retention and polka-dot lacing
S: marked vinous character with chocolate, strawberry, plum, raisin, licorice, and some port-like sweetness
T: cocoa, coffee, molasses, pinot noir in the middle, charred barbecue chips and smoke on the finish
M: Quite light for a 11%, very drinkable and not overpowering or too chewy
O: honestly I’m a little disappointed. the stout characteristics of are quite muted, and replaced with not much more than a winey pinot flavor followed by a smoky finish. An okay beer, but definitely my least favorite of the bastard series.
Jan 15, 2021
 
Rated: 4.55 by Electros from Canada (ON)

Dec 19, 2020
Photo of janubio
Reviewed by janubio from Spain

4.37/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottle at Las Buenas Pulgas, served in a snifter glass. Big beige head with long retention, creamy dense lacing. Aroma of wine, chocolate, dried fruits, plums, coffee. Medium body, creamy texture, not much carbonation. Bitter finish. Taste matches the aroma, with soy sauce notes. Very good.
Jul 03, 2020
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.31/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from an cellared bottle, one year of age. The abyss of darkness black body with a light brown tight but active head. Huge vinous grape with plum and fig aromas plunge into dark chocolate, oak, char, and caramel. Taste reminds me of napa parabola but with less complexity and more sweetness, but still damn good. Add slight funk, significant char and red wine vinegar to the list from the nose. Smell delivers the combination more clearly than the taste. Feel is sneaky bright, vinous, earthy, and lighter than one would expect from such a rugged complexion, ending with a grape/wine bite. These fellas north of the border continue to surprise me
Jun 22, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by Mack from Canada (QC)

Oct 01, 2019
Photo of LampertLand
Reviewed by LampertLand from Canada (BC)

3.98/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Nickel Brook Brewing 'Winey Bastard' @ 11.0% , 2018 vintage served from a purple waxed 500 ml bottle
A-pour is black from bottle to glass with a small tan head leaving a minimal lace ring along the tulip
S-BA Pinot Noir , nice not overly pungent
T-smooth , big , feel the ABV , Pinot Noir on the swallow
MF-warming , mild carbonation , full bodied
Ov-good beer , not great , should be listed as Imperial Stout , not Russian
prost LampertLand
Sep 07, 2019
 
Rated: 3.56 by DokiDokiLitFam from New Jersey

Jul 30, 2019
Photo of TheBierdimpfe
Reviewed by TheBierdimpfe from Canada (QC)

4.38/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Medium: Capped and waxed 2018 bottle @ 11% in tulip glass.
Opacity: Almost opaque, very slight copper hue.
Color: Almost black, very dark brown.
Head: Slightly creamy brown 2 finger.
Legs: Average but good swirl reaction.
Smell: Pinot noir barrel/Cocoa/Vanilla/Stone fruits.
Taste: Cherries/Raisins/Molasses/Coffee/Herbal/Wild yeast.
Feel: Earthy/Roasted/Syrupy/Chalky/Woody.
Body: Full creamy and milky.
Carbonation: Fluffy and extra crispy.
Overall: Deeply warming, decent appetizer while easy to drink it all and not too vinous. Proper style strength and feel, yet extremely sharp like a Belgian. So I really enjoy this interpretation, superb quality stuff.

Visual 6/10 - Flavors 9/10 - Sensations 9/10 - Balance 9/10 -
Freshness 6/10 - Intensity 9/10 - Complexity 9/10 - Appreciation 9/10
Mar 10, 2019
 
Rated: 3.89 by Samact from Vermont

Feb 03, 2019
 
Rated: 3.35 by I_Like_Beer from New York

Dec 05, 2018
 
Rated: 3.94 by Nunya from Ohio

Oct 05, 2018
Photo of grover37
Reviewed by grover37 from District of Columbia

3.09/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
500ml split into wine glasses at Scott/Sasha's house.

Clearly infected. Very thin, dark fruit nose and flavor. Little roast, no creaminess. Just at thinned out infected stout. Gross.
Jun 07, 2018
 
Rated: 4.01 by gobuccos from Ohio

Apr 27, 2018
Winey Bastard from Nickel Brook Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 81 ratings