-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Warlock
Southern Tier Brewing Company
- From:
- Southern Tier Brewing Company
- New York, United States
- Style:
- Pumpkin Beer
Ranked #35 - ABV:
- 8.6%
- Score:
- 89
Ranked #11,008 - Avg:
- 3.99 | pDev: 13.28%
- Reviews:
- 504
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Feb 16, 2024
- Added:
- Sep 19, 2013
- Wants:
- 143
- Gots:
- 1,022
Imperial stout brewed with pumpkins Warlock is brewed to enchant your palate on its own and also to counterpoint our Imperial Ale, Pumking. Make your own black magic by carefully pouring this Imperial Stout into a goblet.
Dark and mysterious, the Blackwater Series is serious about high gravity. Reanimate your senses with Warlock’s huge roasted malt character, moderate carbonation and spicy pumpkin pie aroma.
Dark and mysterious, the Blackwater Series is serious about high gravity. Reanimate your senses with Warlock’s huge roasted malt character, moderate carbonation and spicy pumpkin pie aroma.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by theamericanpsycho79:
Reviewed by theamericanpsycho79 from Pennsylvania
5/5 rDev +25.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +25.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
On the spot review of this long awaited ale. Anyone that has read my reviews knows Pumking is my favorite ale ever, of course maybe second to Rochefort 10, or maybe Pumking is my favorite, depending on the occasion or my mood. So finally I got a bottle of this being it is finally in season.... so here goes nothing....
Look: After cracking open the bottle, I got a mega wiff of pumpkin. Candied pumpkin. But I am not rating smell right off the bat, just noting how RADIANT the smell is! I expected Pumking, but silly me. This stuff came out DARK. Like motor oil. Well, darker. It's muddy dark brown. I like it. Same head as pumking. About 2 finger that lingers for a few minutes. But oh the smell! The look though is quite beautiful. And once the head disappears it turns BLACK. Really black. It is evil looking, and perfect for halloween!
Smell: THE SMELL! The moment I cracked her open, I got a blast of that sweet pumking goodness! I can't wait to sip this now. She is ice cold from the fridge and poured into a goblet. I have been waiting to try this since last year, mind you, just never found a bottle when I was wanting one. But the smell... heavy sweet candied pumpkin with hints of black licorice. This is so Halloween its not even funny. This is your ideal Halloween ale! Get yourself some of this for Halloween, seriously!
Taste: YOW. That is powerful. Pumking exists in here, but its different. It has a darker flavor, I detect some darker presence, maybe some hints of licorice, some flavors I can't pick up on. Definitely pumpkin, cloves, butter, pie crust, cream, then the other flavors. The best way I can describe it is Pumking with essence of the bottle of the trick or treat bag. Outstanding. And it has some alcohol burn being its 10% alcohol, so she is a lot stronger than Pumking. Be careful!
Feel: Smooth. Crisp. Tasty. Not dry. Not bitter. She has been done well. Frothy, thick, each sip has a thickness to it, like chocolate milk thickness. How did they pull this off? The outdid themselves with this brew! It has a high gravity burn at first but the pumpkin and spices help you recover quickly.
Overall: I can't even tell you how amazed I am with this ale. It takes everything that makes Pumking great and goes further with it. A darker, sweeter and higher alcohol Pumking, with hints of halloween candy-ish type flavors blasting you, and honestly I had a few weak bottles of Pumking which I could barely smell. This ale is damn radiant and blasts you every second, from the moment the bottle is open until the last sip. I love it, I love it soooo freaking much! Get this, Halloween fans! Get a few bottles, save it for Halloween, watch some horror movies in the dark with a jack o'lantern lit, sip it slowly and savor all the Halloween flavors. This is the ideal Halloween drink! Happy Halloween, friends :)
Sep 12, 2016Look: After cracking open the bottle, I got a mega wiff of pumpkin. Candied pumpkin. But I am not rating smell right off the bat, just noting how RADIANT the smell is! I expected Pumking, but silly me. This stuff came out DARK. Like motor oil. Well, darker. It's muddy dark brown. I like it. Same head as pumking. About 2 finger that lingers for a few minutes. But oh the smell! The look though is quite beautiful. And once the head disappears it turns BLACK. Really black. It is evil looking, and perfect for halloween!
Smell: THE SMELL! The moment I cracked her open, I got a blast of that sweet pumking goodness! I can't wait to sip this now. She is ice cold from the fridge and poured into a goblet. I have been waiting to try this since last year, mind you, just never found a bottle when I was wanting one. But the smell... heavy sweet candied pumpkin with hints of black licorice. This is so Halloween its not even funny. This is your ideal Halloween ale! Get yourself some of this for Halloween, seriously!
Taste: YOW. That is powerful. Pumking exists in here, but its different. It has a darker flavor, I detect some darker presence, maybe some hints of licorice, some flavors I can't pick up on. Definitely pumpkin, cloves, butter, pie crust, cream, then the other flavors. The best way I can describe it is Pumking with essence of the bottle of the trick or treat bag. Outstanding. And it has some alcohol burn being its 10% alcohol, so she is a lot stronger than Pumking. Be careful!
Feel: Smooth. Crisp. Tasty. Not dry. Not bitter. She has been done well. Frothy, thick, each sip has a thickness to it, like chocolate milk thickness. How did they pull this off? The outdid themselves with this brew! It has a high gravity burn at first but the pumpkin and spices help you recover quickly.
Overall: I can't even tell you how amazed I am with this ale. It takes everything that makes Pumking great and goes further with it. A darker, sweeter and higher alcohol Pumking, with hints of halloween candy-ish type flavors blasting you, and honestly I had a few weak bottles of Pumking which I could barely smell. This ale is damn radiant and blasts you every second, from the moment the bottle is open until the last sip. I love it, I love it soooo freaking much! Get this, Halloween fans! Get a few bottles, save it for Halloween, watch some horror movies in the dark with a jack o'lantern lit, sip it slowly and savor all the Halloween flavors. This is the ideal Halloween drink! Happy Halloween, friends :)
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by brianstrong2 from Tennessee
4.21/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
For me, best pumpkin beer there is. Pumking is stellar as well but I lean towards warlock. The mix of the spices of a pumpkin beer with the complexities of an imperial stout are great. Highly recommend.
Feb 16, 2024Reviewed by CarlC from New York
4.4/5 rDev +10.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.4/5 rDev +10.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Great look taste and smell. A go to draft at my local bar. Dark like a porter, easy drinking like an ale. Not an easy find at beverage stores locally.
Jan 20, 2024Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho
3.6/5 rDev -9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.6/5 rDev -9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Review: 2005
Name: Warlock
Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing
Location: Lakewood, NY
Style: Imperial Pumpkin Stout
A.B.V. 8.6%
Date: Best By Date 27 June 2025
I am drinking Warlock today using a tulip glass. I served it at 46 degrees. The pour created an airy, foamy, creamy, two-fingered, light tan head with above-average retention. The color is dark brown, nearly black, charting around S.R.M. 36. The beer is opaque. The dissipation left lots of lacing on the glass. The appearance is above average for this style.
The aromas are pumpkin, chocolate, coffee, baking spices, char, dark roasted malts, and molasses. Swirling the glass a few times, I notice vanilla, bready, earthy, and light tobacco. The beer smells like a chocolate pumpkin pie.
The baking spices hit you strong, followed by the gourd. The spices are clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. The dark roasted malts are chocolate, bready, and a slight char. Other flavors in the beer are brown sugar, molasses, caramel, tobacco, coffee, and vanilla.
The mouthfeel is carbonic and tannic, finishing bitter. The body is medium-plus and has medium carbonation.
This has been a beer I have wanted to try. I only get a little Southern Tier if I get shipped to me. As it warms up, the beer gets more bitter and unpleasant. I love the spiced pumpkin with chocolate, but I would have loved the mouthfeel to have more chewiness with a touch of creamy. Nonetheless, it is a lovely beer to sip on a chilly winter night before the New Year.
Jan 01, 2024Name: Warlock
Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing
Location: Lakewood, NY
Style: Imperial Pumpkin Stout
A.B.V. 8.6%
Date: Best By Date 27 June 2025
I am drinking Warlock today using a tulip glass. I served it at 46 degrees. The pour created an airy, foamy, creamy, two-fingered, light tan head with above-average retention. The color is dark brown, nearly black, charting around S.R.M. 36. The beer is opaque. The dissipation left lots of lacing on the glass. The appearance is above average for this style.
The aromas are pumpkin, chocolate, coffee, baking spices, char, dark roasted malts, and molasses. Swirling the glass a few times, I notice vanilla, bready, earthy, and light tobacco. The beer smells like a chocolate pumpkin pie.
The baking spices hit you strong, followed by the gourd. The spices are clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. The dark roasted malts are chocolate, bready, and a slight char. Other flavors in the beer are brown sugar, molasses, caramel, tobacco, coffee, and vanilla.
The mouthfeel is carbonic and tannic, finishing bitter. The body is medium-plus and has medium carbonation.
This has been a beer I have wanted to try. I only get a little Southern Tier if I get shipped to me. As it warms up, the beer gets more bitter and unpleasant. I love the spiced pumpkin with chocolate, but I would have loved the mouthfeel to have more chewiness with a touch of creamy. Nonetheless, it is a lovely beer to sip on a chilly winter night before the New Year.
Reviewed by Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota
3.8/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.8/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
From a 12oz bottle - Best by 06-29-25 (what will be my 52nd birthday)
A bit of hiss and a bit of smoke rising from the bottle upon opening. This is a dark pouring beer. I saw notes of brown and amber in the pour. In the glass it's more dark brown, but, when I hold it to the light, I do see some amber hues shining through the glass. There's a 1 finger tan head that forms from the pour. Looks a bit frothy, and fluffy. Retention is decent overall. No lacing on the glass. Very impressed with how it looks.
The aroma is very light. It's not off putting, but it's barely there. Hints or roasted malt, and faint pumpkin spice is here, but so damn faint.
Taste - The flavor is way, way more than the nose let on. I get almost a tea flavor in this beer. I get some cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.
Smooth body, and fairly full feeling.
The aroma is a let down, but the flavor is totally on target. Delicious.
Dec 03, 2023A bit of hiss and a bit of smoke rising from the bottle upon opening. This is a dark pouring beer. I saw notes of brown and amber in the pour. In the glass it's more dark brown, but, when I hold it to the light, I do see some amber hues shining through the glass. There's a 1 finger tan head that forms from the pour. Looks a bit frothy, and fluffy. Retention is decent overall. No lacing on the glass. Very impressed with how it looks.
The aroma is very light. It's not off putting, but it's barely there. Hints or roasted malt, and faint pumpkin spice is here, but so damn faint.
Taste - The flavor is way, way more than the nose let on. I get almost a tea flavor in this beer. I get some cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.
Smooth body, and fairly full feeling.
The aroma is a let down, but the flavor is totally on target. Delicious.
Rated by Jule17 from Ohio
3.83/5 rDev -4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
3.83/5 rDev -4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
I'm not a fan of imperials, but this one has a wonderful flavor. Too liquory for me, but very good!
Nov 26, 2023Reviewed by mpruden from Ohio
3.39/5 rDev -15%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.39/5 rDev -15%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Poured from a 12-oz bottle well within its date range into a tulip glass.
Look: Black, with a 1” tan head that lingered five or six minutes, leaving nice lacing.
Nose: Fresh-baked cinnamon roll with a little pumpkin. Turns out this is the best part of this ale.
Mouthfeel: Medium, plenty of carbonation.
Attack: Disappointing after the nose. I’m not getting much stout or pumpkin (!). There is some dark roast but, frankly, not a whole lot else.
Finish: Bitterness from the dark roast, and some alcohol.
Overall: Actually I’m kind of glad I only bought one bottle. I’m not sure I see the point or purpose of this ale. I’m going back to Southern Tier’s Pumking, which I like a lot.
Nov 25, 2023Look: Black, with a 1” tan head that lingered five or six minutes, leaving nice lacing.
Nose: Fresh-baked cinnamon roll with a little pumpkin. Turns out this is the best part of this ale.
Mouthfeel: Medium, plenty of carbonation.
Attack: Disappointing after the nose. I’m not getting much stout or pumpkin (!). There is some dark roast but, frankly, not a whole lot else.
Finish: Bitterness from the dark roast, and some alcohol.
Overall: Actually I’m kind of glad I only bought one bottle. I’m not sure I see the point or purpose of this ale. I’m going back to Southern Tier’s Pumking, which I like a lot.
Reviewed by Beersnake from California
4.09/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.09/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Tasted blind in the barleywine/stout BIF:
Poured at fridge temp. As I was pouring it, I thought it was more along the lines of a barleywine than a stout, but we will see. Thin layer of head. The nose is very interesting. A lot going on here. Definitely some adjuncts! Marshmallow, funfetti birthday cake, chocolate, vanilla. There is a very distinct smell, but I'm having the hardest time pinpointing it. It's really close to a Christmas spice - maybe nutmeg and cinnamon? A candy sweetness.
The taste is also really interesting. A slight bitterness here. Cola is really dominant here. Pretty low carbonation. There is a slightly chalky tobacco note, along with coffee grounds. I'm thinking porter or stout, but the ABV is pretty low I'm guessing. No barrel aging as far as I can tell, although I almost get a hint of rum. The bitterness kind of dominates. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and the aftertaste is a roasty bitterness and some cola.
After knowing what it was:
The pumpkin is really obvious now that I know it's there! The nose is full of pumpkin pie. Really nice beer!
Nov 11, 2023Poured at fridge temp. As I was pouring it, I thought it was more along the lines of a barleywine than a stout, but we will see. Thin layer of head. The nose is very interesting. A lot going on here. Definitely some adjuncts! Marshmallow, funfetti birthday cake, chocolate, vanilla. There is a very distinct smell, but I'm having the hardest time pinpointing it. It's really close to a Christmas spice - maybe nutmeg and cinnamon? A candy sweetness.
The taste is also really interesting. A slight bitterness here. Cola is really dominant here. Pretty low carbonation. There is a slightly chalky tobacco note, along with coffee grounds. I'm thinking porter or stout, but the ABV is pretty low I'm guessing. No barrel aging as far as I can tell, although I almost get a hint of rum. The bitterness kind of dominates. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and the aftertaste is a roasty bitterness and some cola.
After knowing what it was:
The pumpkin is really obvious now that I know it's there! The nose is full of pumpkin pie. Really nice beer!
Reviewed by Kiiz
4.08/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.08/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
It’s good one beer a year but honestly schlafly has overtaken it in recent years and at the price it’s just not really worth getting anymore sadly
Oct 30, 2023Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota
4.09/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.09/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
12oz bottle. Label has dating stamp of 'BESTBY 06/29/25'.
Very dark brown colored body. Two fingers of beige colored head, and this settles back to a full cap. Only a few scattered spots of lacing are left behind.
Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, and pumpkin spices - allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. Sweet smelling.
Taste is brown sugar sweet. Flavors include dark roasted malts, a bit of char, coffee, milk chocolate, and spices - nutmeg, cloves, and a touch of cinnamon. Cream and vanilla. Still sweet but more bitter in the aftertaste.
More than medium mouth feel. Carbonated and fizzy. Some tongue sting. Good carbonation.
Sweet stout with pumpkin pie spices. Close to a pumpkin spice cola.
Oct 29, 2023Very dark brown colored body. Two fingers of beige colored head, and this settles back to a full cap. Only a few scattered spots of lacing are left behind.
Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, and pumpkin spices - allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. Sweet smelling.
Taste is brown sugar sweet. Flavors include dark roasted malts, a bit of char, coffee, milk chocolate, and spices - nutmeg, cloves, and a touch of cinnamon. Cream and vanilla. Still sweet but more bitter in the aftertaste.
More than medium mouth feel. Carbonated and fizzy. Some tongue sting. Good carbonation.
Sweet stout with pumpkin pie spices. Close to a pumpkin spice cola.
Reviewed by Cathartes from Massachusetts
4/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
4/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
For national pumpkin day.
12 oz bottle acclimated to 50°F and poured into a stout glass.
Pours an opaque black with cola colored highlights with a 1.5 finger frothy, long lasting, khaki head, leaving a ring and splotches of lacing.
Initial aroma is strong, like beer flavored candy. I get strong notes of root beer/sasaparilla/birch beer, notes of sweet chocolate, notes of pumpkin pie, pie crust/Graham crackers, notes of cinnamon/butter, and notes of malt, sweet and grainy.
After agitating I'm met with some dairy type funk, backed with less sweet pumpkin pie smell.
Initial taste before swallowing is very sweet, like pumpkin and brown sugar with a distinct taste of cream cheese. Some buttery and bitter hop flavors underneath, and a moderate alcohol burn after a moment. Really tastes a lot like pumpkin pie.
After swallowing it's brown sugar, pumpkin spices, and pumpkin, followed by something of a poison taste, like biting into an apple seed. I get notes of coffee, and sweet chocolate in the middle, and that delightful root beer taste is present. The coffee and poison tastes last into the aftertaste, which is a little dry and astringent, and has a little dry grassy taste to it.
Mouthfeel is nice, but a little hard to describe. I would say smooth and smooth but not quite silky. Definitely flows nicely.
Overall I was very excited by the smell, and let down by the poison taste, it was still easy to finish the bottle, but each sip had a little "eh" to it. I guess this is just a gamble with stouts for me now, as it's been about 4 that have had this taste, never used to have this problem. The other tastes present were excellent but didn't really live up to the marvel of the smell. I wanted to really love it but couldn't, still very good.
I will buy again because I want desperately for this poison thing to be an outlier batch, and because, if not, I still enjoyed it.
Oct 27, 202312 oz bottle acclimated to 50°F and poured into a stout glass.
Pours an opaque black with cola colored highlights with a 1.5 finger frothy, long lasting, khaki head, leaving a ring and splotches of lacing.
Initial aroma is strong, like beer flavored candy. I get strong notes of root beer/sasaparilla/birch beer, notes of sweet chocolate, notes of pumpkin pie, pie crust/Graham crackers, notes of cinnamon/butter, and notes of malt, sweet and grainy.
After agitating I'm met with some dairy type funk, backed with less sweet pumpkin pie smell.
Initial taste before swallowing is very sweet, like pumpkin and brown sugar with a distinct taste of cream cheese. Some buttery and bitter hop flavors underneath, and a moderate alcohol burn after a moment. Really tastes a lot like pumpkin pie.
After swallowing it's brown sugar, pumpkin spices, and pumpkin, followed by something of a poison taste, like biting into an apple seed. I get notes of coffee, and sweet chocolate in the middle, and that delightful root beer taste is present. The coffee and poison tastes last into the aftertaste, which is a little dry and astringent, and has a little dry grassy taste to it.
Mouthfeel is nice, but a little hard to describe. I would say smooth and smooth but not quite silky. Definitely flows nicely.
Overall I was very excited by the smell, and let down by the poison taste, it was still easy to finish the bottle, but each sip had a little "eh" to it. I guess this is just a gamble with stouts for me now, as it's been about 4 that have had this taste, never used to have this problem. The other tastes present were excellent but didn't really live up to the marvel of the smell. I wanted to really love it but couldn't, still very good.
I will buy again because I want desperately for this poison thing to be an outlier batch, and because, if not, I still enjoyed it.
Warlock from Southern Tier Brewing Company
Beer rating:
89 out of
100 with
3333 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!