Waiting for Ghosts
Hidden River Brewing Company

Guessing this is a 2023 500 ml bottle, based on Untappd vintages, from @jzeilinger 10-16-25. Consumed 5-6-26.

Beer poured at 58 degrees black with a very nice brown head with the original pour.

Nose has very nice notes of coffee and cocoa.

Taste is a large mildly roasted malt base that is made roastier with the coffee addition. Getting a very nice combination of dark cocoa and nuts as i sip thru this. Finishes balanced and a tad dry with no residual sweetness.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth.

Overall, this is a really well constructed AIS. Love that all the flavors blend well together in the resting, well done Hidden River!

A big thanks to @jzeilinger for this one!

500ml bottle poured into a Hidden River footed stange glass

P love the matte black/opaque bottle design; pours black w/ a 2f tan head; looks great
N med to med-bold nose of coffee, roast, smooth milk choc, and booze
T smooth blend of robust coffee up front, followed by roast and cocoa; lightly warming finish; simple, tasty, and well-executed profile
Mf med-full bodied; super smooth and lightly creamy; soft-med carb
O a nicely done imperial stout; drinks easy for 12.5%

Review date: 02.22.26
Bottle date: not captured

poured from a 16oz can dated 10/06/23 into a TG MD snifter. pours dark brown with see-through edges but it settles in the glass with a light black appearance with a finger of mocha foam head. lightly peppery coffee, nutty cacao and roasted malts on the nose. taste follows with a full mouthfeel. the finish is smooth and creamy. just the slightest hint of malt roast and alcohol but it drinks easily for 12%. the combination of coffee and cacao makes for an almost cinnamon and almond smell and flavor. it works. it’s really tasty.

Agree with the consensus that this is a coffee bomb. Pours inky black, quickly dissipating tan head. Coffee forward scents and taste, dark roasted malt presence as well but it may be overpowered by the coffee, rye asserts itself well on the aftertaste. Lighter to medium bodied, slight mouth watering finish, boozy. Almost a one note beer, but it does that one note really well.

Blows all the coffee stouts I’ve had to this point out of the water. Huge fresh ground coffee and espresso flavors with some char and rye spiciness. Feel is slick and oily; very full. Excellent beer.

Pitch black pour, nice tan head on top. The smell is loaded with coffee. The taste has more coffee and a subtle spicy finish. The feel is thick but silky. Overall a solid coffee stout!

On tap at Hidden River brewpub. Poured into a 10oz goblet.

L- Black onyx color.

S- Incredible deep roasted malt with robust coffee aroma!

T- Absolutely incredibly balanced coffee, cacao, and roasted malt flavors !

F- Decent viscous mouthfeel with moderate carbonation!

O- One of the best coffee imperial stouts I’ve ever had.

Canned on: 10-3-22

A - Pitch black pour with dense, creamy caramel head that sticks to the sides of the glass.

S - Strong coffee roast along with roasty chocolate char.

T - Coffee / char and roast from start to finish. Finishes on the chocolate coffee bitter side and lingers for a good long time after the sip and eventually morphs into a roasty cocoa cream with a slight bit of spice (barely).

M - Big medium body with some slight thinness around the edges.

O - This one's a big roasty coffee bomb.

Canned ~10/8/2021; consumed on 3/8/2022

Pours a murky brownish black body topped with a finger and a half of fluffy, tan foam; good head retention leaves ¾ of a finger of creamy cap, rich, moderate collar, and a temporary few strands of webby lacing layered across the walls of the glass.

Aroma opens with fresh medium roast coffee dominating as roasted malts sweeten to hints of milk chocolate over time while rye grain proceeds into dark cocoa countered with tinges of grapefruit zest on the close.

Taste finds a prominent, robust medium roast coffee phasing into bittersweet cacao upfront and over the mid-palate, with shreds of grapefruit peel meeting dense rye grain on the back end and a bittersweet char on the finish.

Mouthfeel features a body on the thinner side of medium, with lower-end carbonation dispersing to a deftly thin prickle into the mid-palate as a lingering, charry acidity remains even and mild into a dry finish imparting a slight warmth.

Floral coffee is the freshly bittersweet and expressive cornerstone of this stout, with rye grain revealing an earthier detail entrenched in the backdrop; limited in depth, the profile shows a comprehensive balance along with a clean, straightforward presentation.