Southern Tier Blackwater Series: Warlock
Imperial stout brewed with pumpkins
Warlock is brewed to enchant your palate on its own and also to counterpoint our Imperial Ale, Pumking. Make your own black magic by carefully pouring this Imperial Stout into a goblet.
Dark and mysterious, the Blackwater Series is serious about high gravity. Reanimate your senses with Warlock’s huge roasted malt character, moderate carbonation and spicy pumpkin pie aroma.
2015 vintage 10.0%
Warlock is brewed to enchant your palate on its own and also to counterpoint our Imperial Ale, Pumking. Make your own black magic by carefully pouring this Imperial Stout into a goblet.
Dark and mysterious, the Blackwater Series is serious about high gravity. Reanimate your senses with Warlock’s huge roasted malt character, moderate carbonation and spicy pumpkin pie aroma.
2015 vintage 10.0%
3.7
719 reviews
Lakewood, United States
Community reviews
Dark color with a subtle pumpkin pie spice aroma. Strong alcohol flavor, reminds me of a Belgian strong. Mild sweet pumpkin pie flavor, a nice overall beer. Not overly sweet or spicy. Mild bitter aftertaste.
12 oz bottle. Pours a dark black brown with a dense tan head. Big pumpkin and spice smells. Sweet toasted malt under big vegetal pumpkin and some spice note. People should stop putting pumpkin in beer. It doesn’t work.
Black color poured into a snifter with two fingers of a tan head. It has a nice pumpkin spice aroma with a taste of pumpkin and spices on a malty backbone. It is a bit in the strong side. Very nice.
Aromas of tons of pumpkin accompanied by more subdued dark roasted malts coffee cocoa nibs and chocolate. Taste is insanely well balanced pumpkin coffee espresso dark roasted malts cocoa nibs toffee subtle charcoal licorice star anise and brown sugar hints on the tail end. Overall, the pumpking was incredible but this is even better. It's not extreme on the pumpkin either. The pumpkin flavor blends effortlessly with the decadent dark stout flavors. Impressive stuff.
Deep dark brown coloured body with a nice two to three centimetre tall pure white head that fades relatively quickly and doesn't leave much in terms of lacing on the glass. Aroma of vanilla, lactose, milk chocolate, allspice, licorice, anise and a deep molasses and burnt sugar note, but the anise, allspice, clove and nutmeg bite are quite strong. Medium to Full-bodied; Strong rich malt profile with some earth, a lot of caramelised sugars, some coffee, chocolate, grain, spice and very vanilla-y flavoured profile shows first with a strong sweetness, a dose of chocolate bite and a more refined spice character with some brown sugars, molasses and lactose coming through at the very end. Aftertaste shows some punch with the alcohol and warmth really coming through, but a lot of spice, malt, vanilla and pungent alcohol warmth finishes this off nicely. Overall, a relatively nice and strong, spice-focused stout with a lot of vanilla, caramelised sugars and a pungent grainy, nutty and earthy punch towards the very end that could use some aging, but the body isn't incredibly thick, especially if there really is squash in this one. I sampled this twelve ounce (I can't believe I haven't rated this before!) bottle, purchased from Harris Teeter in Arlington (Columbia Pike), Virginia on 17-October-2020 for US$1,87 sampled at my house here in Washington on Halloween 2020, 31-October-2020 after taking my three kids out trick-or-treating here in my neighborhood in the middle of a fake pandemic.
Outstanding beer. Though not the best drinkability
Excellent beer
When you smell it, it reminds me immediately of fall...very pumpkin spice....taste is the same...bold malt throughout, but a strong sweetness up front that dissipates quickly...thick mouthfeel...had during covid19 lockdown
bottled - Super dark black color. Chocolatey aroma. Sweet chocolate and pumpkin flavor.
Buona imperial con aggiunta di zucca, è morbida con note dolci equilibrate, cremosa, sentori di cacao.
Dark brown pour. Molasses nose. Sweet taste of pumpkin, brown sugar, spice. Palate is sweet with a hops finish.
Pours a deep brown with a medium beige head. Pumpkin and cinnamon dominate the aroma, though mild vanilla, spice, and ginger are also found. The taste has strong similarities with the nose. Pumpkin provides a solid base for heavier cinnamon and spice, while undertones include nutmeg, earthy malt, and ginger. The nutmeg and ginger constitute the aftertaste. Medium bodied and creamy in texture. Somewhat surprising here is the fact that this one isn't very sweet, and nowhere close to the level I was expecting. A very good beer all around.
12-ounce bottle pours dark brown to near black with ruby highlights along with a small creamy tan head and residual lacing. Aroma: molasses, fresh-baked pumpkin pie. Flavor: chocolate, molasses, coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, burnt toast with lots of melted butter, raisins. Mouthfeel: full-bodied, slick finish.
The pour is a deep pure black color. The aroma is pumpkin, pie, malt, and spices. Starts off a nice pumpkin, spice, crust, malt, biscuits and I like it. But sadly the finish is coffee, burnt cigarettes, and metal. Not the finish I wanted, what could have been a good beer is now meh.
This could be the lightest imperial stout that I've seen. I was expecting a thick/dark pumpkin beer. This is more like an imperial brown. Unique flavor, which reminds me more of the crust of pumpkin pie vs. the filling with all the spice. Still can taste the nutmeg, cinnamon, and/or all-spice though. It's good, just not sure if I am willing to spend $9 a bottle. The fifty cent sample was good enough for me...................................................................UPDATED ON 1/25/15- Bought a bottle of this during the season, but didn't open it until late January. Maybe the few month aging helped. Or maybe a full couple glasses vs 2-3 oz. sample gave me a better idea, but I am increasing this a few points. Not as much nutmeg or spices as originally noticed. Has a candy-like flavor. I will probably get one of these each season.
Tap Draft Taphouse CVille. Pours dark mahogany, light tan head. Aroma of spices. Tastes ginger and pumpkin pie spices. Not terrible. Just boo.
Pumpkin flavor with the Southern Tier signature Blackwater series stout flavor! This is a delicious pumpkin flavored stout! Enjoy!
Black pour into my teku glass. Smells of ginger, pumpkin, nutmeg, graham cracker. Tastes of pumpkin and baking spices. Imperial stout base. Decent
Pours a murky dark with a thin white head. Malty and slight molasses sweet. A taste a bit of cardamon spice, but not the pumpkin spice a described. A mysterious pumpkin beer indeed.
Taster pour on draft at The Grill Next Door. Appearance is very dark chestnut brown with no discernible sparkle, thin ring of beige head. Aroma is cinnamon and nutmeg, moderate roasted malt. Taste is cinnamon, rum, nutmeg, raisin. Palate is medium bodied with thick, frothy, smooth texture with pleasant alcohol warmth, and dry, crisp finish as taste. Overall, a tasty brew dabbling with pumpkin pie but delicious even without the pumpkin nod.
Easy drinkable, doesn’t have to be paired with anything. Nice Spiced pumpkin scent, roasted coffee flavors , medium body.
Pours black with a three finger, light tan head. Aroma is pumpkin, spice and roast. Taste is caramel and pumpkin, moving to cinnamon, nutmeg and roast. Finish is roast. A decent stout.
12oz bottle. Pours a cloudy, dark brownish orange with a moderate tan head. Aroma is pumkin spice, roast, and a little chocolate. Taste is pumpkin, cinnamon, roast, nutmeg, vanilla, and light chocolate. Slightly boozy. Medium-full body. Soft carbonation. Oily, somewhat chewy mouthfeel.
Aroma: From bomber, aroma is oatmeal hints of cinnamon with a touch of pumpkin. There are notes of nutmeg and warm pumpkin bread from the malts. No hop aroma noticeable and no additional esters.
Appearance: Body is dark brown almost black and opaque. Head is tan thins quickly and is a mixture of tiny bubbles with large bubbles. The head is retained on the body of the beer, stays thin.
Flavor: Sweet malts initially then quickly followed by roasted malts contributing to a little grain astringency . Hints of spice, dark chocolate and a touch of espresso coffee. There is a bit of hops contributing to a crisp taste but no overtly noticeable flavors from the hops. Balance is malty.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation is high complementing a medium body with a creamy mouthfeel overall. Low alcohol warmth. Low grain astringency but is not distracting from the overall drinking pleasure.
Overall: pumpkin beers can tend to be either too sweet or over spiced, this beer is perfectly balanced with just the right sweetness and spice to make this a very enjoyable beer to drink.
12 oz. bottle. Pours a black color with a 1/2 finger-thick tan head that settles to a film. Aroma is mostly pumpkin spice with some roasted malt. Full body. Flavor is a combination of the pumpkin spice and malt. Dry finish. Tastes like a pumpkin ale in stout form. Nice!
Bomber my partner shared from 2012. Pumpkin is muted but the taste is still pretty solid, probably a bit spiced for my taste but all in all a solid blend of an imperial stout and a pumpkin beer
I don't usually like pumpkin beers but this guy has a lot of coffee and toffee flavors that really mesh well with the pumpkin. The sweetness works in this case.
It was significantly more velvety and rich at 10% (like I like my jammies) before they drove the ABV down to a weak 8.7% simply for branding
for a pumpkin this was pretty good. a spicy aroma with pumpkin spice and strong cardamom aroma. the pumpkin taste wasn't overpowering.
11/22/17. Bomber from Warehouse. 2016 vintage. I didn’t really choose the 2016 and I certainly didn’t buy and cellar this... it’s just that Valdosta sucks so much that a store buys a case of craft beer and it rots on the shelf for YEARS. There are bottles of beer on the shelves in town from before I even moved here and I don’t even want to know how long some were there before I got here. Ugh. Black pour with a small tan head that sizzles away. Chocolate on the aroma, pie spice. Chocolate on the aroma, loads of pie spice, even after a year, burning nutmeg and cinnamon, lingering chocolate, hint of caramel. Meh.