Weyerbacher 21st Anniversary Ale

It feels like it's about a 1000 degrees outside and it is humid as all hell. While sweating profusely I thought to myself, “nothing pairs better with this kind of weather than an imperial stout.” So I went to my fridge and grabbed the brand spanking new offering from Weyerbacher, their 21st Anniversary beer. Even though the style of the beer may not be season appropriate, I could not wait for better conditions to drink this bourbon barrel aged imperial stout with cocoa & vanilla. That style of beer, despite sitting outside literally roasting, still sounds absolutely wonderful. Weyerbacher 21st Anniversary is also a beer that I am sure hit my market in a limited quantity. So I want to get the word out whether this beer is worth seeking out or not. Even if the bottles sell out fast locally it may be sitting on shelves in other markets or available on draft. And if it is anything like Weyerbacher's Sunday Morning Stout, then it would be a must-try and worth going the extra mile for. So I felt despite these warm and treacherous conditions, a review of this 11.9% stout had to happen.

Weyerbacher 21st Anniversary pours a brownish black with a light brown head. There was practically no head retention whatsoever. Roasted malt, smoke, chocolate and oak stood out in the aroma. Everything I tasted initially was very similar to the aroma. I was immediately hit with a lot of smokey, roasted malt. The smoke really stands out above all else. There is also a light vanilla sweetness and a hint of bourbon on the finish. My initial impression is that this could have spent some more time in the barrel. The very light flavors that the barrel aging imparted on this beer are nice, but they felt underdeveloped. The oak is there but after every sip I took I wanted more.  As it warmed the pleasant vanilla sweetness rose to the forefront before a smokey, bitter finish. The flavors here have a lot of potential, but the beer is just too thin, under-carbonated and underdeveloped. I am not saying this is a bad beer. It is just not as good as it could have been.


Overall I would rate Weyerbacher 21st Anniversary a 3/5. This is a fairly underwhelming barrel aged stout from the same brewery that makes Sunday Morning Stout. It is not worth going the extra mile for.

I would also like to have a moment of silence for my fairly new Spiegelau stout glass that did not make it through this review. This fantastic glass and I had a brief but good run. It will be missed.


Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!