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Hug The Despot
Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery
- From:
- Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery
- Virginia, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 11.3%
- Score:
- 93
- Avg:
- 4.21 | pDev: 7.84%
- Reviews:
- 13
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 15, 2019
- Added:
- Feb 18, 2015
- Wants:
- 23
- Gots:
- 15
Hug the Despot
Vanilla + Bourbon Barrel Russian Imperial Stout
11.3% ABV, 78 IBU
Only 500 Bottles Produced
Vanilla + Bourbon Barrel Russian Imperial Stout
11.3% ABV, 78 IBU
Only 500 Bottles Produced
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mportnoy:
Rated by mportnoy from Pennsylvania
4.5/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Oct 18, 2015
4.5/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Oct 18, 2015
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois
4.08/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.08/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle into a snifter. 2018 bottle. Had 9/7/18.
Pours near black and opaque, with a one and a half inch foamy head with good retention and lots of foamy lacing. Aromas of vanilla, light roast malt, chocolate, caramel, oak, toffee, some fudge, light bourbon. The flavor is similar- malt, vanilla, chocolate, oak, caramel, cocoa, some toffee and caramel, some bourbon. It’s fairly bitter. Smooth, a good full body, well carbonated.
While the great aroma teases your expectations, the flavor does not fully deliver them. There’s just something lacking. Let this really warm, it seems to mellow the bitterness a bit. The vanilla is the obvious and worthy star, but the bourbon is a little light- too light. Worth a purchase.
Mar 19, 2019Pours near black and opaque, with a one and a half inch foamy head with good retention and lots of foamy lacing. Aromas of vanilla, light roast malt, chocolate, caramel, oak, toffee, some fudge, light bourbon. The flavor is similar- malt, vanilla, chocolate, oak, caramel, cocoa, some toffee and caramel, some bourbon. It’s fairly bitter. Smooth, a good full body, well carbonated.
While the great aroma teases your expectations, the flavor does not fully deliver them. There’s just something lacking. Let this really warm, it seems to mellow the bitterness a bit. The vanilla is the obvious and worthy star, but the bourbon is a little light- too light. Worth a purchase.
Reviewed by HattedClassic from Virginia
4.25/5 rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
The beer pours a good looking creamy brown head that dissipates at a moderate pace. The beer itself is a dark chocolate black that looks nice.
The smell is a good deep bitter dark chocolate with moderate wood notes around the edges. Interestingly enough, there isn't much bourbon other than a sharp alcohol smell. The vanilla adds a good bitter-sweetness that seems to be covering up the bourbon.
The taste is very similar to the smell but seems to have a strong vanilla note with the wood and chocolate lingering in the finish.
The feel is good. It's slightly creamy but the carbonation creates some nice fluffy texture.
Overall, a good beer with getting even if it is extremely bitter.
May 12, 2018The smell is a good deep bitter dark chocolate with moderate wood notes around the edges. Interestingly enough, there isn't much bourbon other than a sharp alcohol smell. The vanilla adds a good bitter-sweetness that seems to be covering up the bourbon.
The taste is very similar to the smell but seems to have a strong vanilla note with the wood and chocolate lingering in the finish.
The feel is good. It's slightly creamy but the carbonation creates some nice fluffy texture.
Overall, a good beer with getting even if it is extremely bitter.
Reviewed by rudzud from Massachusetts
4.37/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.37/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Shared with JLindros. Bottle #189
A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice dark black hue with a good two finger mocha head that fades to leave creamy blanket and a nice lacing.
S - Aromas of nice bourbon barrels oak, dark fruit, vanilla Russian imperial, and overly bitter hops.
T - Taste is similar to the nose, very nice vanilla, almost too much. Nice chocolate and rich barrel notes, really nice though there is a bitter hop on the finish that clashes.
M - Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated, rich and creamy. Bitter finish though.
O - Overall this was a very solid beer, however, the hops really kill the finish. That bitterness ruins the barrel and additives. Really really unfortunate.
Serving Type: bottle
Jan 20, 2018A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice dark black hue with a good two finger mocha head that fades to leave creamy blanket and a nice lacing.
S - Aromas of nice bourbon barrels oak, dark fruit, vanilla Russian imperial, and overly bitter hops.
T - Taste is similar to the nose, very nice vanilla, almost too much. Nice chocolate and rich barrel notes, really nice though there is a bitter hop on the finish that clashes.
M - Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated, rich and creamy. Bitter finish though.
O - Overall this was a very solid beer, however, the hops really kill the finish. That bitterness ruins the barrel and additives. Really really unfortunate.
Serving Type: bottle
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts
4.33/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.33/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours a ridiculous fluffy creamy thick mocha head, heads very slowly, thick lacing, pitch black thick beer
Nose.loads of dark choc, cocoa, little roast, vanilla, cookies dough and canning.vanilla
Taste big sweet malt, little toasty, big candy malt roast, char, fair spice butter spicy hop, bitter go for
Mouth med to heavier bod, little creamy, decent carb, fair alcohol burn
Jan 20, 2018Nose.loads of dark choc, cocoa, little roast, vanilla, cookies dough and canning.vanilla
Taste big sweet malt, little toasty, big candy malt roast, char, fair spice butter spicy hop, bitter go for
Mouth med to heavier bod, little creamy, decent carb, fair alcohol burn
Reviewed by yesterdayfaraway from Missouri
4.3/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.3/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
L: pours lighter / thinner black with two fingers of tan head. Pitch black in the glass the glass
S: slight barrel, with a nice chocolate and vanilla mix.
T: starts with some chocolate, then turns to the hops and molasses body with a vanilla finish. The barrel is there throughout but only slightly.
F: medium/thin thickness, slick feel and goes down easy.
May 30, 2017S: slight barrel, with a nice chocolate and vanilla mix.
T: starts with some chocolate, then turns to the hops and molasses body with a vanilla finish. The barrel is there throughout but only slightly.
F: medium/thin thickness, slick feel and goes down easy.
Reviewed by Stevedore from Oregon
3.46/5 rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.46/5 rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
750ml bottle. 2016 release. Served in a snifter glass. Dark brown body, one finger white head, fair retention, no lacing. Smell is intensely hoppy, pine resin with milk chocolate and dark fruit. Touch of vanilla, but not very much of it. It's very hoppy. Flavour follows; hoppy pine resin mixes in with milk chocolate, dark fruit, touch of barrel. Again, not much vanilla. Mouthfeel is thinner bodied, a little undercarbonated, nothing too special here. The hops linger from the front all the way to the backend. Too hoppy, not enough chocolate, roast or vanilla to go along with it. A messy over-hopped stout.
Jan 14, 2017
Hug The Despot from Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery
Beer rating:
93 out of
100 with
60 ratings
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