Hellfighter
Karbach Brewing Co.

HellfighterHellfighter
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From:
Karbach Brewing Co.
 
Texas, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
ABV:
9.5%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.93 | pDev: 12.47%
Reviews:
26
Ratings:
174
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 12, 2020
Added:
Dec 19, 2011
Wants:
  20
Gots:
  32
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BillHilly:
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Rated by BillHilly from Washington

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

Mar 07, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by archero from Texas

Sep 12, 2020
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Reviewed by flashmacgyver from Texas

1.57/5  rDev -60.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.25
before sipping smells like raisins... it's the color of raisins too. tastes very different than it smells...

first i get the acidic bitter type hit from yeast esters on the sides of my tongue and mouth... then the alcohol taste that goes linger back with more bitterness up my nose... and tangy with now some sweetness on the tip of my tongue with the quick malty flavor but it all goes away pretty fast with a lingering bitter malt after taste... as the sweetness fades... it ends with bitter still...

i love karbach but this is not for me... it's very bitter and toasty flavored... i guess they used toasted barley, chocolate (toasted) malts, etc for that... it tasted so burnt it really doesn't need more hoppy bitterness imho.. i don't know what the ingredients are but i am interested in what kind of yeast and hops they used...

it is very estery... and toasty... tastes pretty imperial russian style to me... i just looked at the label... i normally don't like imperials. just saw something new from karbach and grabbed it... ooooh but wait... the alcohol content is seducing me now... i am a third into the pint and my taste buds have gotten over the shock and are now a little more familiar with being accosted by this bold brew...

almost tastes like i am drinking fermented wood. with a little char on it... it's like someone made a tea with burnt barley and added charred and slightly ashy wood and then added dextrose and maybe some blackstrap molasses and then mixed in some corn liquor and mixed it all up to make a beverage only they would enjoy...

I love karbach but there are very few imperials i have thoroughly enjoyed and even though this one is interesting... it'll be fine if i never have it again. i don't mind bitter but it would be nice to have less bitter... and more actual flavor like spiciness.. and this could be done with different yeast, hops, and grains mix... imho...

my guess is they were like... man if we are gonna do an imperial... let's go all the way.. let's make it even more bitter and toastier... no frou frou just burnt bitter and bold that all you can do is trudge on through it and hold your position like stalin's soviet army did against the nazis in the blizzards of ww2.. maybe the damn nazis will quit first...

yup this is me vs this pint... what am i saying?! i am saying this beverage is like a hundred bitter pills made into a alchoholic syrup... and it tastes like nazis. ;)

and indigestion... :)

cheers y'all
Oct 02, 2019
 
Rated: 4.04 by SViterileroux74 from Texas

Aug 03, 2019
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Reviewed by HardTarget from Texas

4.24/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
One of the variety 4 pack 12 oz. bottle.

Appearance: Dark brown / black glass holds a thin cover of tan head which laces the glass nicely.

Aroma: Purple grape skin esters, sweet malt base, hints of roasted grain.

Taste: Dark fruit sweetness dries out to a clean balanced finish that goes a bit hot. There is a slight smokiness, more of a hint of astringency, no hop flavors noted. Very grapey.

Mouthfeel: Hot, thin, medium body, low carbonation, low oil finish, hint of chew.

Overall: I really like it. I shouldn't given everything I've written up to this point, when I try to break it all down, I can taste all the pieces but they go together in a way I'm not expressing well. It's big, but strangely balanced. It benefits from the extra treatment the other bottles have been giving, but the base beer is very solid (and very big).
Aug 03, 2019
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Reviewed by imnodoctorbut from Texas

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
The 2019 4 pack "One Each" Hellfighter release - Part 1 - "The Original"
brewed on 1/15/19 (this date sets in only after pouring...WHAT AM I DOING)
11.2 oz bottle poured from can to pint glass. ABV reads 11.8%

A: dark cocoa (not "KA-KOW"..."koh-koh") colored body, with a toasted cream colored head which has low retention and settles on down to a thin little love-marsh (*TM pending) of foamy bubbles.
S: *POW* BOOZE. followed, politely, by a nutty malt sweetness, dark chocolate mixed with coffee bittersweet, slightest hint of dark fruit.
T: follows the nose. BOOZE. then malty sweetness with a shade of coffee bean that brings tones of dark fruit, dark chocolate, and then boozy heat makes an encore appearance. my hedonism is much more thrilled than my tongue right now
F: husky-medium body that is complimented by a heavier-side-of-light carbonation. the natural smoothness of this ale's body gets interesting with the boozy bite attached to it (young love, ammiright)

Overall (personal opinion):
Mike Tyson once said, "Evwee won hasth a plan until dey get pewnched in thuh noh-se" and boy howdy do those words ring true here because if you aren't aging this puppy, that booze smell and taste (the ol' 1-2) will knock ya back for a second.
Overall, this is a good brew that should delight anyone initially excited by the following key words: coffee, dark chocolate, bourbon, licking leather, and "say, what's in this drink"
my ultimate advice: if you come across this pack, buy two if you can. stow one away for about a year, and then hold a "crash course flight" on the styles contained within the pack.
Jun 24, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by JohnDon from Texas

May 13, 2019
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Reviewed by MattDecker from Texas

4.47/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Look: very dark brown
Smell: malt
Taste: toasty, roasty, oaky, malt
Feel: full body - which is perfect for this type
Overall: one of my favorite imperial Porter's!
May 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.19 by kkarimi from Texas

Apr 12, 2019
 
Rated: 3.55 by ruzzal from Texas

Apr 09, 2019
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Rated by NolaHopHead from Louisiana

3.9/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
A little smoky
Jul 12, 2017
 
Rated: 4.65 by evanwoertz from California

Jun 24, 2017
 
Rated: 4.08 by BEER88 from North Carolina

Dec 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.12 by aknalley from Texas

Oct 21, 2016
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Reviewed by zonker17 from Texas

4.24/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
5 oz taster pour in the taproom. Very dark brown, beige, creamy head, some lacing. Roasted malt nose, chocolate, molasses. As expected the roasty malt dominates the flavor, brings coffee along for the ride. Above medium body and average carbonation. Judging as a porter, but damn near a stout.
Aug 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.79 by Kuges from Texas

May 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4.12 by Eddiehop from Texas

May 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.35 by thatche2 from Georgia

May 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by CDCNAM from Louisiana

Apr 22, 2016
 
Rated: 3.72 by mcantu from Texas

Apr 13, 2016
Hellfighter from Karbach Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 174 ratings