Great Commander
Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery

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From:
Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
13.5%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.06 | pDev: 8.87%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
43
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 29, 2020
Added:
Apr 03, 2016
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  12
Rum Barrel version of Heir Apparent.

The Great Commander is a Rum Barrel Imperial Stout spiced with cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon, cayenne, New Mexican Ancho Chile and serrano peppers. Flavors of chocolate, rum and vanilla meld together seamlessly with the perfect amount of spice and heat.

The Great Commander is the spark setting fire to the hearts of the masses!

60 IBUs
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Jason_cs:
Photo of Jason_cs
Rated by Jason_cs from Florida

4.16/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Apr 15, 2018
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

4.32/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Big beer Sunday. 750 ml bottle from Tavour, cellared for about a year. Opens with a small gush, dark brown with collar of beige head. Coffee, chocolate and cinnamon in the aroma. Taste comes in a little spicy, chili peppers, along with the nice sweet roast and cacao. Not bearing a lot of heat except for the peppers lingering on the tongue. I'll sip on this for a while.
Mar 29, 2020
Photo of Riff
Reviewed by Riff from Virginia

3.78/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Holy carbonation, Batman. The head on this thing was ridiculous, I've had plenty of IPAs with less head. Smell is rum, cinnamon, and chilies. Taste is chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, light note of rum throughout, with a little bit of heat from the chilies coming in towards the end. A little on the thin side but it doesn't detract. Overall, not a fan of the presentation and the smell isn't too promising but the flavors are well blended and it's a tasty stout so that's all that really matters.
Dec 22, 2018
Photo of hophugger
Reviewed by hophugger from Virginia

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Deep and dark color yet overall seems to be a bit thin. Aroma is big on cinnamon and chili pepper, not that there's anything wrong with that. Rum barrel takes a back seat on this one, fine with me. Chili peppers start rising but stall right before they overtake, awesome. Vanilla plays wonderfully and balance is amazing !!!. Finish is slightly sweet from vanilla with a small bit of alcohol, bit of dry spice and just the right amount of chilies. Awesome beer !!
Nov 05, 2018
 
Rated: 4.39 by the_benskii from Washington

Oct 27, 2018
Photo of vikingpillager
Reviewed by vikingpillager from Illinois

4.85/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Absolutely stellar imperial stout at 13.5%. The bottle clarifies that the rum barrels are oak which I think is nice because you can absolutely taste charred oak flavors. 2016 vintage bottle. The heat and spice are incredibly well balanced. Rum is mild but definitely there. Amazing !!
Sep 26, 2018
Photo of avalon07
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

4.49/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
L: Had this beer on-tap at Lickinghole Brewery, poured into a pint glass. Had a dark brown / black color and a thick consistency. There was a thin, foamy, tan-colored head that quickly dissipated. Good lacing.

S: A big, bracing aroma of chili peppers, chocolate, rum, roasted malt, and cinnamon.

T: Tasted of bit of chocolate (always welcome), lots of chili peppers (didn't skimp on these), some rum (and the accompanying barrel), light cinnamon, and vanilla as well. A spicy, complex, and feisty flavor. The rum and chili peppers play well together. Incredibly tasty and likable.

F: A good amount of carbonation with a fiery, spicy finish. Full-bodied.

O: If you like beers with chili peppers, give this a shot. Incredibly drinkable.
Jun 25, 2018
Photo of Pencible
Reviewed by Pencible from Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +17%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Sampled at SAVOR 2017. This was an awesome brew with bold character and lots of complexity. Smoky and sweet and spicy and rich and delicious. It had a smooth finish that wasn't too hot or sticky. Yum!
Dec 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by Zekenyce from New Jersey

Oct 17, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by bigred89 from Maryland

Sep 24, 2017
 
Rated: 3.99 by madelf66 from Pennsylvania

Sep 22, 2017
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

4.04/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This one pours a fairly dark black, with a small head, and no lacing.

This smells like vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, rum, and slight oak.

This is about a year old now, and it seems like the chili heat has basically 99% faded away- I only get a touch on the finish. There's definitely a good amount of cinnamon character to this, gives off a slightly sweet and earthy flavor. There's some nice vanilla still, too, with a nice fudgy base. It's definitely less bitter than your standard LCCB stout.

This is medium bodied, a little bit lightly carbonated. The booze character is not all that apparent, surprisingly.

I think I like Supreme Leader a little bit better, but this is still a fun beer to try.
Sep 14, 2017
Photo of vfgccp
Rated by vfgccp from New York

4.4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
SAVOR D.C. 2017
Jul 23, 2017
 
Rated: 3.26 by JamesGrove from Pennsylvania

Jun 23, 2017
Photo of ThisWangsChung
Rated by ThisWangsChung from Maryland

4.26/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
4.26/5: Fantastic melange of barrel, chili pepper, piny hops, and vanilla; though thin, it's absurdly dangerous for 13.5%
May 08, 2017
Photo of ixcacienfuegos
Reviewed by ixcacienfuegos from Virginia

4.55/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Great Commander batch of 2015 delivers the full character of a serious Stout: complexity in flavors, pleasant aroma mixed with coffe, spices and vanilla. World-class beer that is just few steps behind perfection!
Feb 12, 2017
 
Rated: 4.27 by GarthDanielson from Virginia

Jan 27, 2017
 
Rated: 4.35 by ufmib from Florida

Jan 22, 2017
 
Rated: 3.67 by oriolesfan4 from Maryland

Jan 16, 2017
 
Rated: 4.09 by RyanTheLion13 from Iowa

Jan 01, 2017
Great Commander from Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 43 ratings