I was saddened by the news I received the other day. A message I received by e-mail contained a link to an obituary for someone I respected very much. Likely, Henry Ortlieb’s passing won’t make the headlines of CNN, or the front page of the Wall Street Journal. But he will be missed all the same by those of us who knew him.

Henry Ortlieb was a brewer. The obituary stated that “beer was in his blood”, and I can’t think of a more fitting epitaph for the man. I only met him briefly, at the Poor Henry’s Brewpub in Philadelphia, first on one of local beer savant Richard Pawlak’s beer tours, and later when I visited the brewpub just before it closed in 2000. Henry loved beer, and you could easily tell that was true from the sparkle in his eyes when he talked about his company and products.

Recently, he opened a new brewpub in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, to great acclaim. His passing at the age of 56 is premature, and he will be missed indeed. Though not one of Henry’s beers, Old Heathen Imperial Stout is a lot like Henry: bold, vibrant, and full of energy. It’s also brewed in Pennsylvania, just as Henry’s beers were. This review is dedicated to the memory of Henry Ortlieb.

Pennsylvania is a great brewing state indeed. They seem to have everything you could want in the beer world, running the gambit from mainstream lagers with a local touch (Stoney’s of Smithton, Straub in St. Mary’s, Rolling Rock of Latrobe) to some dynamite micros (Victory in Downington, Stoudt’s in Adamstown). There’s even Pottsville’s Yuengling, America’s oldest brewer and a growing regional brewery.

My money, of course, is always on the microbrews. And I’m always happy to sample a few from Easton’s Weyerbacher. Take a sip of their Old Heathen Imperial Stout and you’ll soon see why. It’s a big, bold, beautiful beer full of rich flavor with an extra kick of alcohol in the finish. Once a seasonal brew, it’s now on sale year round, much to the delight of beer lovers wherever it is found.

Weyerbacher describes the beer as their winter warmer, and as an Imperial stout. I don’t see why it couldn’t warm you in winter, though classically the style is on the idea of old ale. These beers sometimes carry the “old” moniker, though some Yorkshire style ales do too. Old Peculier is an example of the latter.

All the same, Old Heathen is an Imperial stout. Most people think all stouts are stronger in alcohol content than say, a Budweiser or Heineken, but this is not always the case. Stouts are brewed with dark malts and roasted barley, but these do not add alcohol content to the beer. Only fermentation can do that.

Imperial stouts, however, are stronger. The higher alcohol content acted as a preservative for their journey from England to Russia during the nineteenth century. They were popular there with the Imperial court of the Czar, hence the name Imperial stout. Old Heathen has an alcohol content of 8% by volume; most beers weigh in at around 5%.

Weyerbacher’s Old Heathen Imperial Stout pours to a jet black color with a light creamy tan head formation and a delightful licorice-espresso nose. The palate is medium to full bodied with a silky texture and wonderfully roasty component. This is a beer for those who love beer, to be sure. The licorice and espresso notes promised by the nose emerge in the palate, where they mingle with chocolate and stewed prunes into the roasty, slightly sour finish.

A formidable beer indeed, and one I would welcome on any occasion.

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