Imperial Longship
HammerHeart Brewing Company

16oz can, adhesive label. No dating information found. Label has ABV% at 11.5%.
Deep brown colored body, with a red garnet back lit edge. Light tan head, which settles to nearly a full cap with a center surface storm, and full ring. No lacing but the surface storm tries to maintain a surface island all the way down to the bottom of the glass.
Aroma of caramel malt with bourbon barrel and light smoke.
Taste is sweet, boozy, and with a layer of light smoke. Flavors of caramel, bourbon barrel, and vanilla, with a late entry of date and plum. Aftertaste gets more woody but still stays overall sweet. Low bitterness.
More than medium mouthfeel. Smooth and creamy texture (very good combination with the vanilla). Good carbonation.
High test Scotch Ale that employs bourbon barrel aging to bring heft and a depth of flavors to the base beer. Enticingly sweet to quaff but the higher ABV% counsels a sipper approach.

750 mL bottle. Pours murky brown with mo head. Smells of oak, bourbon, and brown sugar with a light fruitiness. Tastes of oak, bourbon, toffee, and caramel. Back end is oaky and nutty and extremely boozy. The fruity notes are lost. Excessively boozy. Heavy and very slow to drink. This is overpowering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unknown vintage; drank 7/1/15 on draft @ Fountainhead.

Brown appearance.

Minimal tan head; no lace.

Brown sugar oak & sweet bourbon notes in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Mild, sweet bourbon & oak flavors up front; a cinnamon lip smack on the finish. Caramel notes emerged as this warmed. Very drinkable for being so booze forward...very nice!

 

 

750 ml mini growler from the brewery. Poured into a Hammerheart tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep brownish amber with a moderate amount of bubbles.

Smell: A rich and smokey malt forward aroma with a scent of smoke, whiskey, and caramel. Barrel scent of bourbon whiskey, vanilla, oak, and wood. Good scent of smoke and peat. Malt scent of toffee, caramel, biscuit, grains, and cracker with yeast. Some hints of leather and tobacco. Sweet hints of molasses and brown sugar. Subtle dark fruit hints of fig and raisin. A really good aroma.

Taste: Like the nose hints at, a rich and smokey malt driven taste with notes of caramel, whiskey, and smoke. Notes of smoke and peat. Barrel notes of bourbon whiskey, oak, vanilla, and wood. Toasted malt notes of caramel, toffee, biscuit, toast, grains, and cracker along with some yeast. Some notes of leather and tobacco along with subtle dark fruit notes of raisin and fig. Sweet taste of molasses and brown sugar. A very good complex taste.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Rich, chewy, and smooth for it's size with minimal alcohol burn.

Overall: A very good Barrel Aged Scotch Ale. Great mix of barrel, smoke, and caramel malt flavor.

 

 

 

 

One of the best beers I had at a recent beer fest.

Aroma is rich, with deeply caramelized, nutty, toffee-like malt presence.

Flavor is deliciously rich, sweet, and caramelly. There's a hint of smoke, but it plays nicely. Modest dark fruit notes of prune and raisin add complexity.