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Idiot's Drool
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
- From:
- Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Style:
- Old Ale
- ABV:
- 12%
- Score:
- 63
- Avg:
- 2.59 | pDev: 42.08%
- Reviews:
- 49
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Sep 11, 2023
- Added:
- Oct 07, 2011
- Wants:
- 26
- Gots:
- 41
Idiot's drool is Blithering Idiot barrel aged for 4.5 years. A full-bodied, deep burgundy ale with an incredibly complex character. Extended aging has imbued this beer with notes of vanilla, oak, leather and sweet sherry. A mild acidity and subtle carbonation rounds out the palate. 840 bottle brewery only release.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by stakem:
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania
3.07/5 rDev +18.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
3.07/5 rDev +18.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
750ml corked and caged brew I picked up at the release. The recent discussion over how horrible of a beer this was had me anxious to open one since I enjoyed it at the release. The cork comes out without much excitement. A pour into a wine glass doesn't reveal much. This brew is almost still except for a few bubbles that come out of solution as it is swirled. No head formation, no lacing effect to be seen. The brew looks like chew spit, it is brown and very clouded. Through the body it has a reddish brown tint to it and around the edges it is more of a lighter brown.
The aroma is a mixture of toffee and brown sugar initially that gives way to some tangy, fruity and wild brett notes. More whiffs of this brew bring out a balsamic vinegar aspect that increases the tangy portion of this brew's nose. More sniffs bring out a cooked vegetable aspect and a tingle of alcohol runs through. As the brew goes beyond ideal, some oxidative quality shines through the sweetness and tangy aspects of the nose.
The taste is all over the place. It has quite a bit of residual sweetness that tastes of molasses, brown sugar, toffee and caramel. However there is an immediate tartness that brings out fruited quality along with tangy alcohol. All throughout the profile are flavors of old wood that reveals a mild astringency that pricks the tongue and gets exaggerated by the alcohol. The aftertaste includes some earth and and mild tobacco. As the brew gets warmer, it really starts to show levels of oxidation with some mild cardboard quality. However, I dont think the oxidation really distracts from the rest of what is going on in this brew.
This is a full bodied brew that is pretty much still. A rough pour down the center of the glass didn't produce a head. Actually, it didn't even release that many bubbles from solution. The combination of big alcohol impact and wild/tart character just didn't play all that nice together. Regardless, this brew is nowhere near as horrible as people are making it out to be. I suppose if you were drinking this expecting a barrel aged barleywine or old ale that wasn't inoculated with wild bacteria than yeah, I could see the disappointment or disgust in this. I think this brew carries with it a lot of Oud Bruin qualities. For what it was, I had no problem finishing my glass. I hope the wild responses over this brew don't get the folks at Weyerbacher down. Please keep experimenting with wild brews!
Jan 24, 2012The aroma is a mixture of toffee and brown sugar initially that gives way to some tangy, fruity and wild brett notes. More whiffs of this brew bring out a balsamic vinegar aspect that increases the tangy portion of this brew's nose. More sniffs bring out a cooked vegetable aspect and a tingle of alcohol runs through. As the brew goes beyond ideal, some oxidative quality shines through the sweetness and tangy aspects of the nose.
The taste is all over the place. It has quite a bit of residual sweetness that tastes of molasses, brown sugar, toffee and caramel. However there is an immediate tartness that brings out fruited quality along with tangy alcohol. All throughout the profile are flavors of old wood that reveals a mild astringency that pricks the tongue and gets exaggerated by the alcohol. The aftertaste includes some earth and and mild tobacco. As the brew gets warmer, it really starts to show levels of oxidation with some mild cardboard quality. However, I dont think the oxidation really distracts from the rest of what is going on in this brew.
This is a full bodied brew that is pretty much still. A rough pour down the center of the glass didn't produce a head. Actually, it didn't even release that many bubbles from solution. The combination of big alcohol impact and wild/tart character just didn't play all that nice together. Regardless, this brew is nowhere near as horrible as people are making it out to be. I suppose if you were drinking this expecting a barrel aged barleywine or old ale that wasn't inoculated with wild bacteria than yeah, I could see the disappointment or disgust in this. I think this brew carries with it a lot of Oud Bruin qualities. For what it was, I had no problem finishing my glass. I hope the wild responses over this brew don't get the folks at Weyerbacher down. Please keep experimenting with wild brews!
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by IMFletcher from Kentucky
2.09/5 rDev -19.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
2.09/5 rDev -19.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
From a taster pour at a Dec. 2017 share -- No carbonation at all. Color was murky like rust water, which wasn't a turn-off given the age. But the nose was pungent, the flavors acidic and foul. Yard pour.
Dec 03, 2017Rated by wethorseblanket from California
2.58/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
2.58/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Reviewed from notes taken at Denver Rare Beer Tasting 2011.
Apr 16, 2015Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina
2.82/5 rDev +8.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
2.82/5 rDev +8.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
Hazy reddish-brown with a weak head.
Strong unattractive aroma much like a few other old ales, if a bit stronger.
Very low carbonation. Medium-full body.
O: recommended only for fans of the style.
Feb 26, 2015Strong unattractive aroma much like a few other old ales, if a bit stronger.
Very low carbonation. Medium-full body.
O: recommended only for fans of the style.
Reviewed by JimmyAloysius from Pennsylvania
1.26/5 rDev -51.4%
look: 2.25 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.25
1.26/5 rDev -51.4%
look: 2.25 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.25
The smell was the first sign of staying away.... The idea sounds good on paper I guess (blithering idiot aged in oak bourbon barrels with Brettanomyces for three ears) but! the mouth feel was similar too sour milk and the taste was just off. Two sips and I have had enough. I love everything Weyerbacher does and I have a hard time saying anythig negative about beer but, a review was required to submit my rating. Think of this as a mistake or a beer gone bad.
Feb 18, 2015Rated by kscaldef from Oregon
1.5/5 rDev -42.1%
1.5/5 rDev -42.1%
This bottle did not taste like bile, as reported by some. Just syrupy nail polish remover. Terrible slimy mouthfeel.
Nov 02, 2014Reviewed by mrandypandy from Georgia
1.93/5 rDev -25.5%
look: 1.75 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.75
1.93/5 rDev -25.5%
look: 1.75 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.75
750ml bottle brought by Russ. Thanks?
A - Pours a dirty, murky brownish red. Mostly flat, and no head to speak of. Certainly not the prettiest gal at the ball.
S - Very strange. Caramel malts, raisins and a strong sour vinegar presence. Not pleasant.
T - Taste follows the nose. A bizarre combination of caramel sweetness, old musty dark fruits with a powerful vinegar-like sourness. As my wife described it, "It tastes like sour raisins."
M - Medium body, and fairly no carbonation at this point. Still, it was drinkable in small quantities and not overly offensive.
O - Overall, this was pretty bad. It looked like pond water, had an unpleasant aroma, and did not taste very good at all. With that being said, it was tolerable in small portions, and actually better than I was expecting. I did not get any solvent or bile, as others have reported, just an unpleasant sourness mixed with old raisins. Bad, but not "Triple Bock" bad.
Aug 14, 2014A - Pours a dirty, murky brownish red. Mostly flat, and no head to speak of. Certainly not the prettiest gal at the ball.
S - Very strange. Caramel malts, raisins and a strong sour vinegar presence. Not pleasant.
T - Taste follows the nose. A bizarre combination of caramel sweetness, old musty dark fruits with a powerful vinegar-like sourness. As my wife described it, "It tastes like sour raisins."
M - Medium body, and fairly no carbonation at this point. Still, it was drinkable in small quantities and not overly offensive.
O - Overall, this was pretty bad. It looked like pond water, had an unpleasant aroma, and did not taste very good at all. With that being said, it was tolerable in small portions, and actually better than I was expecting. I did not get any solvent or bile, as others have reported, just an unpleasant sourness mixed with old raisins. Bad, but not "Triple Bock" bad.
Reviewed by chum_husk from Minnesota
1.83/5 rDev -29.3%
look: 1.75 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2
1.83/5 rDev -29.3%
look: 1.75 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2
big bottle shared amongst friends
gross; no carbonation. leather, vinegar, booze, dust; the essence of your grandparent's cellar distilled down into one seriously foul liquid
Feb 10, 2014gross; no carbonation. leather, vinegar, booze, dust; the essence of your grandparent's cellar distilled down into one seriously foul liquid
Idiot's Drool from Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
63 out of
100 with
137 ratings
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