-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Hibernal Vinifera Stout
Ska Brewing Co.
![Hibernal Vinifera Stout](https://cdn.beeradvocate.com/im/beers/88467.jpg)
![Hibernal Vinifera Stout](https://cdn.beeradvocate.com/im/c_beer_image.gif)
- From:
- Ska Brewing Co.
- Colorado, United States
- Style:
- Foreign / Export Stout
- ABV:
- 8%
- Score:
- 88
- Avg:
- 3.93 | pDev: 9.41%
- Reviews:
- 60
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 04, 2019
- Added:
- Dec 29, 2012
- Wants:
- 9
- Gots:
- 27
Oak Aged Foreign-style stout brewed with Malbec grape juice.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by katan:
Reviewed by katan from Colorado
4.2/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.2/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
12 oz into a pint
A - Dark black, like night. Mocha colored head. Well retained.
S - Light nose, mostly a roasted barley scent. Some hints of chocolate.
T - Smooth and easy in the start, lightly sweet, some hints of roast but not overbearing. Mid-stream gets a little more balanced, but hopping is nowhere to be found. Finishes clean, lightly chocolately. Not sure the malbec grapes make an appearance.
M - Smooth, creamy - velvety. It has almost a nitro approach to it. Hardly any afteraffects.
O/D - A nice and easy drinking stout. I can't argue about the taste, although I'm not sure how much it incorporates the uniqueness they were aiming for. Worth a try.
Feb 09, 2013A - Dark black, like night. Mocha colored head. Well retained.
S - Light nose, mostly a roasted barley scent. Some hints of chocolate.
T - Smooth and easy in the start, lightly sweet, some hints of roast but not overbearing. Mid-stream gets a little more balanced, but hopping is nowhere to be found. Finishes clean, lightly chocolately. Not sure the malbec grapes make an appearance.
M - Smooth, creamy - velvety. It has almost a nitro approach to it. Hardly any afteraffects.
O/D - A nice and easy drinking stout. I can't argue about the taste, although I'm not sure how much it incorporates the uniqueness they were aiming for. Worth a try.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
4.09/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.09/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
"Best by 5/9/15"; drank 5/1/15 (phew!) @ the Yarchives.
Dark brown appearance.
A rough pour yielded a decent tan head; a curtain of lace.
Fresh earth & red wine notes in the nose.
Medium thick mouthfeel.
Milk chocolate & fresh earth flavors up front; dry red wine finish. Booze notes emerged as this warmed.
Unique & very enjoyable; a nice surprise.
Apr 04, 2019Dark brown appearance.
A rough pour yielded a decent tan head; a curtain of lace.
Fresh earth & red wine notes in the nose.
Medium thick mouthfeel.
Milk chocolate & fresh earth flavors up front; dry red wine finish. Booze notes emerged as this warmed.
Unique & very enjoyable; a nice surprise.
Rated by DrAnnaNemis from Illinois
4.65/5 rDev +18.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.65/5 rDev +18.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Pours black with chocolate milk head. Heavy lacing. Chocolate and smoke flavors with a hint of grape. Taste buds strain to get more.
Jan 01, 2016Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio
3.86/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
3.86/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
Black with brown edges and a large tan frothy head. Flame-shaped peaks of surround the entire glass.
Lots of roastiness fills the nose, followed by coffee, cocoa powder, wood, raisin, and nuts.
Taste is bakers chocolate and heavily roasted malt verging on toasted sesame with prune and hints of grape and blueberry.
Body is thinner than expected, lightly fizzy, with a semi-dry finish
Dec 24, 2015Lots of roastiness fills the nose, followed by coffee, cocoa powder, wood, raisin, and nuts.
Taste is bakers chocolate and heavily roasted malt verging on toasted sesame with prune and hints of grape and blueberry.
Body is thinner than expected, lightly fizzy, with a semi-dry finish
Reviewed by crob3888 from California
4/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a very dark brown color with brown-mahogany edges and light brown head. Smell is immediately of red wine and American stout. Roast espresso, light chocolate flavors, and red wine. Nice mouthfeel, overall a very surprising blend of flavors that works better than expected.
Oct 09, 2015Reviewed by deleted_user_357747
3.83/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.83/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Ink black with a firm head of light mocha-colored foam on top. Powerful aroma; burnt black malt, herbal hops, coffee, chocolate, currants, hickory or oak. Impressive smells, not what I'm used to in export stouts. Tasting brings out a sweeter character that it's aroma might have suggested. Carmalized borwn sugar seems to be a dominant flavor, but also espresso, an almost rum-like character to it. A tad woody, a tad smokey, mostly roasty and inviting. Hops play a passive role, adding a bit of roundess to the taste, keeping the sweetness from overpowering the more nuanced tastes. Finishes on a sticky, lasting bittersweet note.
Overall, I really like this stout. Full bodied, lots going on. Not your typical stout, more sweet and more earthen-like flavors. A great seasonal from the usually lackluster Ska Brewery. Wish I knew what the hell the name meant.
Oct 07, 2015Overall, I really like this stout. Full bodied, lots going on. Not your typical stout, more sweet and more earthen-like flavors. A great seasonal from the usually lackluster Ska Brewery. Wish I knew what the hell the name meant.
Reviewed by Csoundguy from New Mexico
4.93/5 rDev +25.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
4.93/5 rDev +25.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Yumm. Didn't really realize exactly what I was ordering...I only knew it was the rotating Ska stout on tap. My companions went with pilsners and lighter beers on a fairly hot end of August afternoon, but I have never been disappointed in any Ska beverages in my glass and was not disappointed. As I mentioned, all I knew was that this Ska was a stout and nothing else about it, not even the whole name. Under the circumstances, a late lunch on the restaurant patio in late summer, I feel like it was the perfect stout to have. Not as heavy, creamy, or bitter as many stouts, I found it refreshing. The dominant flavor to me being a sweet, carmel-ly, coffee, with none of those three adjectives being dominant or overwhelming. A hint of carbonation made me wonder if it was on nitro, but it was not. I imagine it would be wonderful if it was on a nitro tap!
About 2/3rds through my pint, our Bavarian pretzel appetizer came with both slightly spicy mustard and beer cheese that seemed to pair really well. That was when I also began to question the ABV. I'm not a big fan of many high ABV beers that I feel like I can taste the alcohol, if that makes sense. So when I asked our server about it and he told us he thought it was only 5 to 6%, I figured it must have been my empty stomach making me feel the effects.
The misinformation about ABV also gave me less inhibition about joining in for a second round with my meal and my fellow companions. Although plenty flavorful, my tastebuds did not get overwhelmed by the second glass. It also paired nicely with my blackened salmon sandwich.
Looking back, after looking up the details of what I drank, I'm sure some of the sweetness was from the grapes....makes sense....though I'm glad I was able to try it without preconceived expectations. The complexity of the flavors gives the beverage just a taste of fruitiness.
Sep 01, 2015About 2/3rds through my pint, our Bavarian pretzel appetizer came with both slightly spicy mustard and beer cheese that seemed to pair really well. That was when I also began to question the ABV. I'm not a big fan of many high ABV beers that I feel like I can taste the alcohol, if that makes sense. So when I asked our server about it and he told us he thought it was only 5 to 6%, I figured it must have been my empty stomach making me feel the effects.
The misinformation about ABV also gave me less inhibition about joining in for a second round with my meal and my fellow companions. Although plenty flavorful, my tastebuds did not get overwhelmed by the second glass. It also paired nicely with my blackened salmon sandwich.
Looking back, after looking up the details of what I drank, I'm sure some of the sweetness was from the grapes....makes sense....though I'm glad I was able to try it without preconceived expectations. The complexity of the flavors gives the beverage just a taste of fruitiness.
Reviewed by BeerBrose from Illinois
4.6/5 rDev +17%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.6/5 rDev +17%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From a 12oz can to a miniature snifter.
Look: Deep dark black with a tan head that retains quite well while leaving a sexy lacing down the glass. Looks inviting!
Smell: Roasted malt, phenolic fruit, sweet grape and sharp oak. nice!
Taste: Sweet back note to a nice bitter roasted malt. Acidic wine and dry oak flavor on the back end. Very well balanced. This is by far the best wine/stout I've had, well done Ska!
Feel: Great full body and little carbonation. The oak and wine help dry out the finish but leave your taste buds tantalized!
Overall: One of my favorites. Great format, great price, and perfectly what it is suppose to be!
Aug 04, 2015Look: Deep dark black with a tan head that retains quite well while leaving a sexy lacing down the glass. Looks inviting!
Smell: Roasted malt, phenolic fruit, sweet grape and sharp oak. nice!
Taste: Sweet back note to a nice bitter roasted malt. Acidic wine and dry oak flavor on the back end. Very well balanced. This is by far the best wine/stout I've had, well done Ska!
Feel: Great full body and little carbonation. The oak and wine help dry out the finish but leave your taste buds tantalized!
Overall: One of my favorites. Great format, great price, and perfectly what it is suppose to be!
Hibernal Vinifera Stout from Ska Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
88 out of
100 with
278 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!