Incubus
Heretic Brewing Company

Smells like a whiskey soaked brownie covered in chocolate syrup and molasses and the palate follows suit but adds some dark fruit and tobacco. A little rough around the edges and not as refined and polished as some other top BA stouts out there but it's good drinking nonetheless. I think Heretic really shines with their IPAs and Sours but their darks? Eh not so much. Still a good brew but not in the top echalon of stouts by any means

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 2016 version, 22 oz bottle into the test glass
A - Chalkboard dark, gentle carbonation supports a thin ring of off white froth.
S - Cola, raisin, fig, barrel contributions are really focused, vanilla, char, molasses, add roast and dark barley.
T - Roast barley, cocoa, (interestingly not prominent in the nose). The bourbon barrel comes in strong here, with strong vanilla, and char. Both are prominent. A touch of anise, blackberry and mint add a layer of complexity.
M - Medium to lite in body. A bit slick of a start, then a quick wash of alcohol, acts as the clean up crew, The finish is semi sweet and nicely bitter like a good dark 80% cocoa bar.
O - A very good and nicely treated Imperial, the barrel does not overrun the base beer. Quite good texture as it warmed.
This being a 2016 is nearing the end of any benefit of aging.

massive stout aged in bourbon barrels, no obvious adjuncts, and a really good example of a well aged beer in the style, and what a barrel can do for a quality stout. i was stoked on the fair price for this, and after learning just how good it is, feel like its a great deal, ill grab another one for the cellar i reckon. its matte black and crazy viscous from the bottle, a fudge colored head sits on top about a half inch high but dense as can be, long legs on the edges of the glass, and some obvious alcohol presenting itself right up front. crazy depth right away, barrel and base stout on equal footing here, with big vanilla and charred oak there, along with dense dark chocolate, tobacco and licorice layers, and some desserty sweetness. there is also a bitter element to the malt and a smoothness from the wood to balance, but this is a tightly packed and flavorful beer that kind of cuts its own path. cake batter, brown sugar, quality bourbon, faint coconut, raisin, and smoke, really dark earthy roasted barley, just lovely, and it really unfolds in a pleasant way as it warms up. familiar in a way, after all, a ton of breweries are doing this sort of thing, its not so much the specific flavors here as it is the overall quality that impresses me the most. smooth and rich feeling, not overly alcoholic for its strength, and a steal at this price. super stoked on heretic right now, this was an awesome nightcap to share with my dad!

 

 

 

22oz undated bottle poured into a tulip glass shows a deep, dark, almost black body with a quickly disipating 1/8in cap of chestnut brown foam leaving random bubbles behind on the glass. The pour itself is syrupy smooth, but it sits rather lifelessly in the glass.

Aroma of bourbon booze, toffee, leather, char, licorice, chocolate, vanilla, and molasses.

Flavors are dominated by the sweeter flavors of molasses, toffee, caramel, with notes of char and leather filling just behind the bourbon's oak, vanilla, and booze.

Mouthfeel is killer. Silky smooth, soft, creamy with some chew, full and just barely coating the tongue.

Overall a winning example of the style.

 

Good head production and retention, especially for style, with a very thin dark brown remnant remaining atop an inky black brew long after the pour.

Very sweet on the nose, with massive molasses and licorice tones dancing with sweet bourbon mash. Brown sugar, raisins, a bit of sharp oak, vanilla, and milder notes of coffee and chocolate from the roasted malt. Certainly smells boozy, but not quite intimidating.

Flavor surprisingly lives up to the bottle presentation and the nose. Rich chocolate, brown sugar, molasses, licorice, red grapes, raisins, and prunes from the malt base mixes with a wealth of bourbon, itself lending primarily tones of mash, sugar, and vanilla, along with oak and plenty of alcohol heat.

Thick and creamy, nearly chewy. Quite hot and boozy, but in a thoroughly pleasant way.

This is, in a word, excellent! Big and bold, boozy and sweet, thick and flavorful. Tons of bourbon flavor shows they didn't cut the barrel treatment short; a massive malt body shows they didn't rely on the barrel aging to make a mediocre beer into a good beer. The huge booze presence is a nice reminder that this is a huge beer, not trying to sneak in as a cloying, adjunct-laced approachable mess - in a way, the alcohol heat is analogous to "throwback" IPAs with tons of bittering hops.

World Class!!

 

22 ounce wax capped bottle, bottled 10-20-17. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like bourbon, vanilla, molasses, chocolate and some dark fruitiness. For the most part I think the taste is pretty much like the aroma, but with some roasted malt and woodiness noticeable too. I think it's a mostly sweeter tasting brew, but not overpoweringly so. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's slick and smooth with a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this was a good barrel aged brew, glad I bought this one! I don't think they sell Heretic in Ohio yet so I'll just have to wait until my next trip to Indiana to try some of their other brews. $12.49 a bomber.