The Dweller
Green Man Brewery

4.08/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2016 bottling

Appearance: Pours jet black with a frothy tan head; leggy, with spotty lacing all the way down

Smell: Highly charred, with chocolate, espresso and licorice tones

Taste: Espresso tones form the base, with a charred aspect subsuming; underneath, the chocolate adds a sweeter element, along with the licorice; after the swallow, the stronger tones fade, leaving the sweeter aspect to linger into the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation; some warmth in the gullet

Overall: Three years in and this is drinking nicely, though the campfire element remains strong, particularly on the front end

N.B. I am drinking a 2012 bottling in March 2020 and it is drinking nicely as well - impressive

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4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

2018 vintage. Poured into a Duvel tulip.
Black with 1-finger medium beige head with decent retention and some spotty lacing.

Aroma with strongly roasty with some espresso, dark chocolate and pine

Flavor is more licorice heavy but smooths out with espresso, bittersweet chocolate, and strong roast notes that fold into a piney finish. Medium+ bitterness and alcohol is well-hidden.

Feel is very luxurious with medium carbonation and full body with a hefty finish.,

A stellar “fresh” American imperial stout with a big blast of roast and piney bitterness that gives it a unique character. I will be aging the other bottle I have.

UPDATE: the cellared bottle has more dark chocolate and coffee/espresso flavor than the fresh release. Still plenty of roast and balanced sweetness.

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5/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours jet black like used motor oil. Has no head on top. Has a coffee and roasted malt smell to it. Can tastes lots of roasted coffee with hints of dark chocolate. Very delicious!

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3.62/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Imperial Stout poured from a bottle into a Brooklyn Brewery tulip. The pour is black, not too viscous, and sports 2 fingers of fine tan head with good retention. Typical nose of a Russian Imperial Stout: roasted malt, dark coffee, and a little cedar.

Full body with a rather thin feel and a good, roasty flavor. An overwhelming presence of roasted malt up front makes for a very bitter introduction. The bitterness from the roast intensifies as the hops make an appearance. Everything builds to a finish that smacks of chicory, coffee grounds, burnt cedar, and unsweetened cocoa. A little unbalanced, unpleasant, and disappointing. Still, all that roast reminds me of Bell's Expedition Stout and probably makes this an excellent candidate for cellaring. I really wish I had bought more than one bottle.

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4.21/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Incredibly complex, mellow and mature, Green Man's imperial stout takes its own patient time hitting the market, waiting for an optimal time for taste, texture and charm.

The Dweller pours jet black and with a rich latte-like texture. Its creamy tarnish froth crowns the stout and leads into a decadent roast scent. campfire, turkish coffee, cocoa and roasting nuts carry and brownie-like character early. Roasty and sweet early on the tongue, the stout's taste is of slight sweetened espresso and cream.

As the flavors develop, the sweetness slowly fades and the roast billows across the middle palate. Strong espresso, burnt toast, cocoa powder and smoldering timbers resonate on the tongue with a firm hop bitterness that's of burnt pinecone, sappy and citrusy character.

Full, rich and creamy, the beer's firm bitterness balances the malt in finish and seems to elevate the char. The warmth of rum comes with a spicy finish of aniseed and grilled fruit. Still, a long roasty aftertaste simmers on the throat and charms the senses with its curious fruit and char.

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4.3/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12 oz single bottled 1/27/16 poured into a tulip.

A - Dark, pitch black with a one finger dark tan head that moves immediately to a thin lace

S - Robust chocolate and dark fruit, slight touch of anise. Very inviting.

T - Taste follows the nose, except the coffee flavors are much more apparent and in the mix. I am detecting some wood notes, along with some nut and vanilla.

M - Carbonation is medium low, mouthfeel is full, but velvety/creamy at times.

O - Been a fan of the brewery for a while, so it was good to see something other than ESB and the Porter make it to the area. This one does not dissapoint.

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4.2/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: black in color in barely a thin head. Some bubble lurk on the surface.

Smell: loads of chocolate and roasted malt tones rise from the glass.

Taste: roasted malt, dark chocolate, a bit of molasses, hint of coffee, and an earthy bread flavor are the main flavors. Alcohol is warming, and the bitterness is moderate.

Mouthfeel: heavy in body. Smooth from start to finish. Long lasting aftertaste.

Overall: a very slow sipping big imperial stout that is like eating a meal. Satisfying and relaxes you on a cold day.

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4.17/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Must be a little different this year as my bottle states 10% with 65 IBU's bottled Jan 18 2016.

Pours a pitch black no light getting through this one, has a two finger chocolate head that falls slowly and leaves some good lacing behind.

Aroma is dry bakers chocolate, semi sweet roasted malts, light dark fruity notes and light coffee.

Taste is better then the nose, good roasted malts lightly sweet chocolate notes with some good dark fruit notes and licorice. Very nicely put together big ass stout, only light alcohol notes that don't distract.

Mouthfeel is a big medium approaching full, with pretty mellow carbonation.

Overall an enjoyable well done big ass stout, wouldn't mind having a few more of these in the fridge.

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4.06/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours pitch black with a light brown foamy head.

The smell is chocolate, cacao nibs, roasted coffee.

The taste is chocolate, roasted malts, tobacco, coffee. Very roasty with some bitterness.

The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with medium carbonation.

Overall a big roasty, toasty imperial stout. Definitely a sipper and very enjoyable.

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3.72/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Large shared bottle.

Appearance: Essentially black body+ opaque with a weak head.
Feel: Very full and thick body. Light but good carbonation level.

Flavor: Very good but not great with a very good aftertaste.

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3.99/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Very rich, moderately sweet, with a more bitter finish than I'd prefer. Slightly harsh. I really like this beer, good chocolate notes. The finish is slightly offputting, but it's got promise. The demon dweller, bba, doesn't differentiate much.

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4.05/5  rDev +1%

From BeerAdvocate magazine Issue #70 (November 2012):

Impressive, layered from start to finish and does not fade even in the last sip. A serious beer. If we could only get more stouts like this it would put the whole “hype” of the style back into perspective and perhaps make the beer geeks realize they should look around a bit harder rather than just ride the hype wave. Kudos to Green Man.

STYLE: American Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.5%
AVAILABILITY: Rotating

LOOK: Pitch black, three fingers of sticky froth

SMELL: Baker’s chocolate, chicory, mild charcoal, raisins, light molasses, burnt figs, hint of alcohol

TASTE: Creamy, semi-silky, full bodied, very malty, even char, coffee, dark chocolate, warming spicy alcohol, dark fruit, modest hopping, semi-sweet burnt finish

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4.19/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a bottle into a snifter, the beer is almost jet black, with a tan, frothy, foamy, light tan head that settles quickly into a halo of head. Aromas of dark roasted coffee, bittersweet dark chocolate, molasses, charred wood, caramel, hints of smoke, and earthy notes. Very heavy and rich nose. Wow. Flavors are heavily roasted forward, but with more of a blended flavor profile, with the bitter coffee forming a solid backbone, and bittersweet chocolate, caramel, and some creamy sweet notes providing balance. Very tasty and very drinkable. The 9.5% ABV is hidden very well beneath the layers of this brew. More richly sweet notes come out as you drink, with molasses dark sugary sweetness and caramel highlights darting in and out. Earthy notes, and even some hints of tobacco, rough the edges up enough to really define each sip, and allow you to appreciate the experience. Smooth, slightly heavy, and layered body, with a bitter, roasted, and chocolate laden aftertaste. The finish is smooth, with a slightly dry, bitter undertone. This is a beast, and well worth searching out.

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3.84/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

2013 vintage. Tasted 10 March 2014.

Pours black and thick, just a bit of brown at the very edges. 1.5 fingers of deep brown head; good retention, excellent lacing. Pretty darn solid.

Smell is on the faint side for a big stout. What's there is rich, woody and mildly sweet roasted malts. Some cocoa, a bit of coffee, and a hint of char. But mostly it's rich and deep and sweet.

Taste is really nice at times, a little lacking at others. The first sip gushes with coffee and milk chocolate, followed by a touch of woody char. But other sips come through thin and just not all that flavorful. It's half really good, half meh.

Feel is excellent. Thick and chewy, as it should be, with carbonation that spikes and then fades, setting things in motion and then backing off to let the flavors play their roles. Stellar.

A good imperial stout. It has some strong character, but a few weak patches in the smell and taste bring it down for me. If it were as good across the board as it is at its peak, it would be outstanding.

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4.25/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - pours a thick motoroilesque dark brown With half a finger of rich darker chocolate head. Good retention, OK lacing.

S - rich chocolate, rosary almost mildly smokey malts, some sweet darker fruits and licorice.

T - Lots of sweet dark fruit and licorafe. Fair amount of chocolate sweetness and a bit of roastyness. Slightly boozy as well. The more I drink the more balanced between the four it gets.

M - not quite full bodied but not too far off, moderate carbonation, good mix of drinkable and sipper.

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4.08/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Note: 2013 Vintage

A: Pours a thick opaque jet black in color with moderate to heavy amounts of gentle visible carbonation along the edges of the glass/surface of the beer and some very dark cola brown highlights. The beer has a two finger tall dense foamy very dark tan head that slowly reduces to a medium sized patch of thick film surround by a thin film covering the remainder of the surface of the beer and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Strong aromas of dark roasted malts, bittersweet chocolate, and some lighter notes of anise/licorice. Some lighter notes of dark fruits (plum) and freshly ground coffee with hints of earthy hops.

T: Upfront there are moderate to strong flavors of deeply roasted dark malts and a strong flavor of bittersweet chocolate. That is followed by some light notes of dark fruit (plum), anise/licorice, and fresh coffee. There are light to moderate flavors of earthy and pine hops. Overall there is a light to moderate amount of lingering bitterness.

M: Very full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Creamy with hints of dryness and alcohol warming in the finish.

O: I really enjoyed this beer - a really nice flavor and aroma with a wonderful body. Overall the alcohol is well hidden and the beer is easy to drink.

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3.59/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

750mL bottle from Bruisin Ales (Asheville, NC). 19.99. Brewed 9/25/11, bottled 2/2/12. Served in a Three Floyds teku.

Pours dark brown, slightly translucent ruby highlights around the edges with two fingers of tan head. Head recedes to some wisps on the surface and a thin halo that leaves spotty lacing.

Smells roasty with cocoa, plums and a little coffee.

Taste is a soft smooth blend of bitter sweet dark chocolate, dark stone fruits, mild burnt caramel, creamed coffee, slight pine, subtle funk and just a bit of booze.

Creamy, smooth medium full body with mild but present carbonation. Long bitter cocoa and burnt coffee finish.

The best thing I've had from Green Man but for the same price as a bottle of Hunahpu it falls short. A well brewed classic take on imperial stout with nothing to really make it stand out. Certainly good and worth a try but I can't see myself spending that much for another bottle in the future. That said, I made the whole 750 vanish by myself.

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4.19/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

My bottle designates alcohol content as 7.5% not 9.5%.

Capped 750ml bottle pours into a La Fin Du Monde oversized snifter. Pitch black in color with a rather dark and frothy, cappuccino colored head of at least one finger in size. Plenty of lacing adorns the glass.

Full of coffee, chocolate, and roasted grains in the nose. Minimal fruitiness, but the overall aroma is rather subtle; nothing is overly noticeable, therefore the overall feel is lacking. Some alcohol sweetness.

Nice balance in the flavor. Starts with coffee and sweet malts, figs and raisins. Finishes strong with bakers chocolate and chocolate cake. Quite complex and delicious. Espresso Coffee roast finally comes to life long after consumption. This beer has a flavor that evolves second by second, each second different than the previous. Very nice!

Silky smooth mouthfeel with the alcohol well hidden (although it is fairly low for the style anyway). A real coffee and chocolate treat. Really enjoyed this one.

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3.98/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4

750mL bottle (2013, 7.5%) poured into a Duvel glass...

A: Pours black, perhaps black-brown when held to light; about two fingers of thick, light mocha head recedes to a buttery layer that leaves some serious sheets of crusty, sugary lace; all of the info on the bottle is nice, too.

S: Dark chocolate; roasted notes; semi-sweet chocolate; caramel notes, too.

T: Sweet malts; blackstrap molasses; light toffee and dark chocolate; pretty minimal hop bitterness makes for a pretty sweet stout... maybe a touch too sweet; more hop character or roasted malt flavor would help cut the sweetness of this brew.

M: Whoa... awesome! Thick and full-bodied... creamy, like a milkshake almost; carbonation is on the lower side. Only complaint is that it leaves the palate a little sweet / sticky - a touch of dryness would make the feel perfect.

O: A really nice stout - don't know if I'd call it "imperial" at 7.5%, but regardless of style, its pretty tasty. Stouts definitely don't look any better or have a better feel. Over-sweetness is what brings it down a notch for me.

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4.09/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2013 batch. Bottle states 7.5% ABV, must be much lighter nowadays (current listing and picture says 9.5%)

A: Pours a nice pitch black. Big, fluffy, effervescent head. Head takes forever to fade away. Nice spiderweb lacework. Great head retention.

S: Nice roasted malt notes. Dark chocolate covered coffee beans. Touch of char and a decent amount of anise.

T: Nice bitter coffee and dark chocolate up front. A little charry with hints of anise in the middle. Whatever sweetness there is runs out and you get more of a pure baker's chocolate in the finish. Lingering dark chocolate between sips.

M: Medium bodied, smooth. Silky almost.

O: A pretty simple stout with just roasted malt flavors (sorry, been drinking a lot of barrel aged/adjunct added stouts lately so I'm a little warped). Great smooth and well integrated flavors. Very tasty and goes down easy. Very nice.

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3.87/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tap at Duckworths. Maybe not the darkest, but a dirty dark brown. Light tan head. Stuck to the glass pretty well.

Aroma, roast malt, some dark chocolate. I don't get a ton out of this, but I always seem to have this issue at Ducks so I'll give the benefit of the doubt.

Taste, nice chewey roast malt, chocolates. Some faint file red fruit. Finish has more roast, anise, and a minor piney note.

Solid medium body, low near creamy carbonation. Pretty coating. Little alcohol presence.

A nice take, everything you would expect is nicely present. Wouldn't spring for a 750 of this, but worth it on draft.

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4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The 2013 batch which is 7.5% ABV.

This pours out a completely pitch black color with a finger of dark, roasted head.

The aroma is full of roasty malt notes, bittersweet dark chocolate, some coffee, a hint of smoke and some caramel.

The taste is mainly dominated by the big, roasty malt notes that are followed by a bittersweet dark chocolate that is very rich. There is some coffee, but it's not overwhelming and a little bit of caramel, some vanilla and a hint of smoke.

The body is full and the mouthfeel is slightly creamy. The ABV is completely hidden.

This is a very easy to drink Imperial Stout that has a lot of nice traditional notes, but it's a little too straightforward not complex enough to be amazing. Definitely worth trying though!

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4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Frank (fbc24) for bringing this to the Nov. '12 Philly 'burbs bottle share.

Dark brown-black pour, oily and opaque with a nice dense cap of mocha head. Aroma of roasty malts, dark chocolate, and strangely, fairly heavy notes of yeast and some dark fruits. Taste was unexpectedly unusual...this was not a typical stout, but instead drank like some hybrid of a stout, a quad, and a barleywine. Dark malts, raisins, figs, dark chocolate, licorice, earthy hops...I'm not sure what kind of yeast they used for this, but I and several other members of the group definitely got some quad-y character from this beer. Not totally sure exactly what was going on with this beer, but whatever it was, it worked. Full-medium body, smooth, tasty.

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4.08/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Wil for this one, shared at the 3rd annual chili showdown.
Poured into a pint, it frothed a bit with an ample layer of creamy tan foam. Lasting coverage and good retention, minimal spotty lacing. Bakers chocolate and light roast in the aroma, moreso in the full bodied flavor. Big chocolate, roast, and mild tobacco that gives it some nice complexity. Smooth and creamy feel, full in body. Despite the higher abv, it was quite easy to drink with a silky feel. Recommended!

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4.48/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours with medium mocha head. As expected, the color is dark. It has initial smell of a crisp flowery chocolate. This is a very drinkable stout. It is smooth and living up to the name as the flavor dwells in a very pleasant aftertaste of vanilla and malt. Honestly, this is one of the best stouts I've had in a long time. Kudos to Greenman Brewery. I will definitely be drinking more from them soon. I feel honored to have had the chance to drink this rare brew. Thanks goes to my friend Molly for the present.

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