Dirty Old Man Imperial Rye Porter | Tyranena Brewing Company

4.22/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle dated 10/31/16 poured into a tulip
A: Pitch black with a very thin tan head
S: Tons of cocoa, rye, some coffee/vanilla/bourbon
T: Rye up front followed closely by cocoa on the midpalate, chocolate malt, coffee, vanilla and bourbon/oak
M: Full-bodied, creamy
O: Very tasty and well-made

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4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

pours reddish-brown, almost ruby. tan head. lots of lace.

definitely lots of chocolate in the nose and mouth here. oak follows in the nose, but i don't get it much in the taste. caramel and a bit of spice from the rye.

viscous and thick mouth. creamy.

mighty fine beer. this one sat for a year on the shelves and doesn't show any wear for it. kind of surprising this one made it that long, because i'd want this around all fall.

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4.14/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle of the 2016 release. Served in a teku glass. Pours a dark cola brown body, fairly opaque, one finger offwhite head, good carbonation, not much in way of lacing. Smells of spicy rye, a bit of bread, milk chocolate, touch of cocoa, light smoke. Bit of oak also. Flavour follows essentially like a spicy chocolate milk, touch of oak and rye whiskey. Mouthfeel is medium lighter bodied, standard for Tyranena blended barrel aged beers, good chocolate and rye finish. I really enjoyed how drinkable and approachable this beer was, yet with a ton of barrel presence.

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4.34/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Dark brown pour with just under an inch of dense tiny bubbled beige head. Excellent restraint and deft touches with the appropriate (i.e. not a boilermaker) amount of bourbon and chocolate. Integrated in equal parts.

Taste is real smooth, mild whiskey and chocolate notes, oats, smooth transition, never hot, bitter, yet remaining thick and substantial. Rye seems to offer up just the tiniest amount of sweetness to it.

Wisconsin seems to have the barrel aged under 10% stout game on lock down.

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4.5/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is black, not much head, but rich and tasty. I get alcohol, malt sugars, roast malt and rye in the aromas. It has rich malt tastes with deep toffee and you can taste the rye and a little coffee from the roast malts balanced by the whiskey and vanilla from the barrels.

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4.29/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

12 FLUID OUNCE bottle
Served in a snifter

L - It pours very dark brown with less than an inch of tan head that disappears quickly.

S - The smell is interesting. I get some chocolate from the porter. There is a woody, earthy aroma from the barrel, and I get a rye bread aroma from the rye malt and possibly the rye whiskey. I like it!

T - This beer has a lot going on. It has some chocolate notes while being a bit dry from the rye. I also get some caramel and vanilla from the barrel aging. Each sip is delicious and adds more complexity.

M - Full and velvety smooth.

O - This is a very good beer. The rye adds a nice layer to the flavors going on in this beer. Another great installment from the Brewers Gone Wild series. I look forward to trying more.

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2.46/5  rDev -40.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Wow, really thank you rudzud, for pissing in my glass and calling it beer.

2012
no head or carbonation thanks to screw cap assholes, decent legs though, dark molasses almost black color with a touch of mahogany light sneaking through.

Nose brings oxidation, light cardboard, a bit of aged malt, a faint chewy messed up whisky note, a little stale fudge and old chocolate, some soy sauce like.

Taste brings old chocolate, aged stale fudge, lots of fudge, chewy oats yet a little thin feeling, mild oxidation and cardboard, faint bad whisky, little bitterness. Finish is sticky, fudgey, stale chocolate, more weird bitterness.

Mouth is fuller bod yet thin feeling, light carb, sticky messy too.

Overall icky, pretty bad, mostly due to oxidation and lack of carbonation, so I think it's safe to say the screw cap really f'ed this beer up. Really this beer is def not at it's prime, but it should have been able to hold up to the age aside from the shitty screw cap, those jerk-faces used a damn screw cap for a somewhat age-able beer.

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2.51/5  rDev -39.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Shared with JLindros. February 2012 vintage

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a rather clear dark brown hue with no real head to speak of or lacing.

S - Aromas of light oxidation, cardboard, old malts, stale whiskey, no real rye to speak of. Very light old chocolate. Ehhh...

T - Taste is more of the same like the nose, stale malts, old chocolate, old whiskey. Really didn't hold up to age at all. Of course it was a screw top so I suppose it was too be expected. Little oxidation too.

M - Mouthfeel is on the thin side, watery.

O - Overall this beer was an enormous let down. Oh well...

Serving type: Bottle

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3.91/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bottle as an extra from Homer321. Big thanks! Pours pitch black with essentially no head at all. Dense as can be. Aroma of big roast, smoke, oak, rye whiskey, spicy grain, chocolate, anise. Very nice. The flavor is very chocolatey roast, spicy rye, whiskey and oak barrel notes, sweet lingering milk chocolate on the palate. Medium plus bodied with light pleasant carbonation. An interesting brew that was not on my radar but am very happy to have the chance to try. A nice way to cap off the night.

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4.09/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pours black with a medium-sized blanket of light brown foam. Good head retention. Lots of fine bubbles cling together in clumps as I work my way through the glass. The aroma has a lot of chocolatey malt with a healthy dose of rye spice and some nice though mild barrel characteristics. I'm also getting some coffee, blackberries, dates and blueberries. The barrel-aging contributes a sweet, vanilla rye flavor. It's very toned down, which I generally like. Taste-wise, it's sweet and rich. Lots of fruit and chocolate. More rye spice. Light oak with that pleasant vanilla-forward spirit flavor. Mouthfeel is smooth and fairly thick. Another solid beer from Tyranena, though I still prefer Devil Made Me Do It by a bit.

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4.41/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz Stubby
$7.99 4-Pack
Steve's Mineral Point

Dirty Old Man is a rye porter aged in rye whiskey barrels. This concoction gurgles out of the bottle a coffee and cream brown but occupies the glass black without letting any light shine through. The head grew one finger high and was cocoa colored. As the head fell to a thick cap it became creamy and left solid sheet lacing here and there. You can see the carbonation crawling up the sides of the glass and keep the head alive.

The nose of this beer is big and distinct. There's a definite rye presence from both the porter and barrel aging that extends throughout the aroma. Coffee, roasty malts, and dark berries combine nicely to add layer upon layer of complexity. The oak is in there but seems more a component of the spicy rye then an aroma working by itself. I can hardly pull my nose from the glass.

The flavor of this beer is just as complex and delicious as the nose suggested. All the porter notes hit at first. Dark chocolate, mildly roasted malts, and dark berries lead the way in that order. The rye is in there as well with notes from the porter and the barrel. The rye lasts throughout the drink. Mild damp whiskey soaked oak shows up mid palate and a very welcoming vanilla bean presence comes along on the swallow. There's great depth of flavor here. The chocolate, dark berries, and vanilla make this beer delicious and the rye spiciness adds even more flavor.

The body of this beer is on the lighter side of heavy which is helped by the carbonation making it incredibly velvety and smooth. There's an ample amount of carbonation but it always manages to stay calm, making the body massage its way through the mouth.

This is a sipper just from the depth of flavor. It's a beer I would love to sip all night. Dirty Old Man is one of those beers that could be opened at any time of the day and fully enjoyed. I don't want my glass to empty, this is my last bottle.

Dirty Old Man is a great beer. One I would love to see available on a rotating basis. Hopefully this one gets made again. Of course I do love rye whether it be whiskey, beer, bread, or whatever. Tyranena has been doing some really incredible things with their Brewers Gone Wild series lately. They're quickly becoming one of the top tier breweries in the country. I can't get enough of their stuff.

Reviewed: 6/30/08

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4.31/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a nice pitch black with a small but dense medium brown head. Head fades slowly with decent retention. Spotty little bits of lacing.

S: Burnt rye bread initially. Pretty much dead on. Hint of rye whiskey when swirled, but very mild. It stands out a decent bit more once the beer has fully warmed. Decently charry.

T: Really nice flavor. Sweet chocolate with rye bread and a little rye whiskey all mixed together up front. Rye flavors fade, leaving the chocolate - a hot fudge type flavor. Yum. Quick hit of rye whiskey in the finish with a little bit of drying charred oak between sips.

M: Medium bodied, very very smooth and mellow. Feels bigger than it really is.

O: I was little underwhelmed at the aroma but the taste really opened my eyes. Nice flavors and great balance - especially the chocolate. Barrel character is mild but adds a subtle layer of complexity. Delicious beer, a great porter.

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4.16/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A- very dark brown in color with a head that quickly dissipates leaving very little bubbles and a thin burnt orange ring on the edge of the glass. Laces nicely.

S- cocoa, dark fruit, vanilla, and rye in that order

T- Figs and raisins on the front end, along with boozy oak characteristics, followed by vanilla accents finishing with a mellow cocoa flavor that lingers pleasantly on the back end. Nicely balanced, and not too boozy.

M- Medium body with low carbonation and creamy texture

O- I expected a fuller body and more complex rye flavor, but this is quite enjoyable. Very nice blend of cocoa, vanilla, and dark fruit flavors. I would have preferred a more prominent rye flavor and perhaps more carbonation. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this brew and would buy it again.

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4.2/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a snifter, the color was black with streak of auburn streaking through the beer. A slight mocha head topped the beer leaving lacing in the glass as the beer disappeared from the glass. A whiff of rye is most noticeable, though vanilla and a certain woodiness follow. Initially, one taste a limited level of rye, raisins, burned malts, and a hint of caramel. The rye aging becomes a little more apparent in the aftertaste as the dark fruits fade. Only a mild taste of alcohol is detectable, with little warming sensation to be noticed. Mouthfeel is impressive in the Dirty Old Man. It is thick enough to linger in the mouth for several minutes, as the rye notes mellow. I let this bottle mellow for about a year and a half. I think the taste and smell were a little more potent then, but this is still an enjoyable beer. In my experience, this beer did not age as well as I would have anticipated. Even though my current sampling is not fresh, I still love this beer.

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4.12/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: poured dark brown in color with brownish yellow highlights and a thin khaki colored bubbly head that left a thin collar of lacing sticking to the glass after every sip.

S: chocolate sweetness was definitely noticeable upfront in the aroma with no much rye character but did manage to sniff out a little molasses, maple syrup, dark fruit, whiskey barrel wood and good roastiness.

T; the whiskey barrel character was more pronounced on the palate alongside dark fruit accents, molasses, brown sugar maple syrup sweetness, good amount of booze heat, a touch of vanilla but not too much rye spice flavor.

M: the brew was medium to full in body with a fair amount of carbonation which had a sweet, roasty, very slight rye, wood barrel, semi boozy, mild dark fruity and creamy finish.

O: definitely one of the more interesting beers of the night but not disappointed at all. Glad to have another offering from tyranena.

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4.1/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Split with a bottle with my wife, and I have to say, it might have been in Dirty Old Man's best interest to have my wife do the review, as this is arguably her favorite beer now. If her 6 oz lasted 90 seconds I'd be greatly surprised.

As for me, I very much liked the beer, but not to the extent she did. There was a slight disjointedness between the spark of the rye and the smooth of the barrel. Tasted good, just slightly confusing. Perhaps because it's a blend. I will agree with the wife that the consistency was pretty damn close to perfect.

The BGW series is comically underrated. But I would love to see Tyranena really go wild and offer this as a fully barreled beer instead of as a partially barreled beer. It can't do anything but improve an already very good drink. Recommended.

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4.84/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12 oz bottle into Portsmouth Brewery tulip. About time I spread the wealth with my glassware. Had let the bottle sit out from the fridge for about 20 minutes before pouring.

A: Very, very dark brown. Almost black. Despite aggressive (read: full vertical pour), there was virtually no head. For a beer with a not so high ABV, this is a bit surprising, but not off-putting by any means.

S: Chocolate covered raisins all the way through. I'm usually not a huge dark fruits fan, but this smells awesome. I'm almost picking up on some prunes. Very intense smell.

T: The smell is replicated on the palette. I'm not picking up on a lot of the barrel, but it makes sense since it was blended. When I think about it, I can definitely pick up on it, but otherwise, I'd be none the wiser. Again, not a big dark fruits guy, but I'm digging this.

M: Velvety smooth and entirely enjoyable. Wouldn't want more than a few of these at a time, but the ABV is well hidden.

O: The only shortcoming is the initial appearance, but otherwise this beer is nothing short of great. If you see this, give it a shot without thinking twice about it.

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3.09/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Poured Jet black with a small dirty head that dissipates very rapidly leaving zero bubbles and light lace

S: Light peppery rye, vanilla, some light bourbon, cocoa

T: Muddled and confused. While I taste an initial light cocoa and bourbon the flavors tend to be muddy, undefined and sloppy. Vanilla peaks in with some roasted malts. Finish is a little sweet and syrupy

M: Rather well bodied, low carbonation is not satisfying and I believe t hampers the taste and creaminess of this beer

O: Average at best with some flaws.

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4.31/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

poured 12oz bottle into Tyranena snifter

A - Deep, dark burnt chocolate brown bordering on obsidian. Frothy 1.5 finger head, impressive in a beer that is barrel aged and about 9 months aged. Collar around the glass with small spots of lacing.

S - A nice roasty light rye, bready smell. Good hints of whiskey and barrel come through. Bakers chocolate, caramel, and vanilla seem to be hidden along with some sweet brown sugar.

T - Wonderful flavor of sweet, dark chocolate and roasted malts. Hints of whiskey and the barrel mix in with a slight rye spiciness. Sweet caramel, and brown sugar. Very nice as it warms and brings the flavor out even more so.

M - Medium bodied, very rich, smooth and mellow. No alcohol burn.

O - This is a great blended barrel aged porter 40% BA mixed back in to the porter. The rye whiskey barrels were a great choice. Ages very nicely.

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4.13/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a tulip

A: Pours a dark brown with a really big and thick light brown head that fades to a small layering and leaves some nice lacing on the glass. The head was so thick I couldn't swirl the beer at first until it go to about a 1/4 of an inch tall.

S: The nose is good for a regular porter but this is partially aged in barrels so I expected a bit more. Most bakers chocolate, cocoa, and chocolate milk. There's really no rye at all in this but that doesn't surprise me after 4 years.

T: The taste is very similar to the nose with very little barrel influence but a lot of nice flavors. There are notes of cocoa, vanilla, coffee, hops, and maybe a touch of rye spice in the background.

M: Probably one of the best mouthfeels I've had on a beer. Big, thick, and creamy with beautiful slow rolling carbonation.

O: I wanted to love this one and while it was pretty dang tasty I still think it could be better if it was 100% barrel aged. This is the 2nd time I have said this about a Tyranena beer so hopefully they'll start releasing these as unblended in the future.

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4.15/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle (2012)

Acquired via trade
Thanks, stig!

(Aged for 6 months)

Black throughout with a small dark brown head that actually stays around for most of the beer's duration, eventually leaving an oily sheen and spots of stick down the glass.

A pleasant combination of rye whiskey, chocolate, mild roast, and more barrel influence come together very nicely. Very minimal presence of alcohol in the aroma.

The flavor follows the aroma, with good amounts of rye whiskey, chocolate, and roast combining quite pleasantly. There's some sweetness and a low level of bitterness.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Very appropriate.

I was very much impressed with this one. This one came together very nicely and was a great way to end the night.

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4.05/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours black in color with about a finger of light brown head. You can definitely see some reddish-brown hues if you hold this up to a bright enough light. Pretty nice lacing on the glass.

Aroma: You can smell the rye right way. I'm also getting roasted malts, coco nibs, burnt coffee, and subtle dark fruits.

Taste: There's a nice combination of roasted malt and rye up front that sets the tone for some nice bitterness. The rye adds a spicy kick towards the middle. I'm definitely getting some oak from the barrels towards the back-end. The whiskey shows up in there as well, but it's pretty subtle. Pretty smooth and full bodied finish with nice lingering flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body with a nice creamy feel. Low carbonation level.

Morey's Bottom Line: Pretty tasty stuff to be sure. The rye barrels bring some nice flavors to the party. This bottle was a gift, but I'd definitely buy this if I lived within the distribution area.

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3.83/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours out a solid dark brown with a brief moment of tan fizzy head that dies back to a 2mm collared ring, no real lacing is present.

Roasted sort of malt and bitter chocolate smell is present in the smell, along with an unusually light whiskey aroma for a barrel-aged beer. Huh. Also the typical 'rye' spicy musky aroma seems a tad underused as well to my nose. But underneath these flaws lies a very nice malty porter aroma blend.

It does have a nice rich chocolatey porter flavor with a nuance of smokiness, rye spice, and bits of tangy rye whiskey showing up now and then as well... but the same issues of not quite enough intensity to suit my tastes shows up again too. However, the flavor of the exceptional porter base underneath really shines through, partially making up for this.

Medium body with light carbonation.

Almost there, just needs a few tweaks on the volume knob in order to truly shine as a "big beer". I was expecting a brew called "Dirty Old Man" to be...well...*dirtier* than this.

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4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: black in color, opaque, 1 inch head, moderate carbonation

Smell: dark chocolate and whiskey

Taste: complex-dark chocolate and whiskey dominate, touches of cocoa, and light rye at the end

Mouthfeel: sweet, oaky, moderate carbonation, heavy bodied

Overall: A very slow drinker that was executed excellently. Love the complexity here. The oak and chocolate merge better here than what some other brewers have done. I would have this again, but one per night seems about right.

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4.06/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer was chilled and served in an Imperial Pint glass.

A- I am a sucker for a dark beer. The body of this beer is black with just a tiny amount of ruby opaqueness to light. The head is thick and a very dark tan almost brown in color. Nice head retention noted. Very thick lacing noted as this beer rapidly vanishes before my eyes.

S- The aroma of the beer consist of darkly toasted, roasted and lightly chared malt, nice cocoa and lightly roasted coffee. A very subtle whiskey aroma rattles around in the aroma.

T- Nicely executed! Dark roasted malts hit all the right dark semi sweet cocoa, coffee and dark fruited notes. A bit of vanilla and a pretty strong whiskey component play about my mouth.

M- The body of the beer is medium and lightly carbonated. Alcohol is nowhere in the mouth. Very satisfying.

O- Tyranena has a wonderful porter as a base to play with. I have enjoyed many variations on the porter and look forward to more. Well done.

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