“See beyond conventional dimensions in the astral depths of our 2026 Imperial Stout. Rich, gravity-bending notes of espresso, dark chocolate, and deep roasted malt take you for a ride from which you may never return.”

Glassware: Snifter.

Appearance: Pours as black as midnight with a finger of brown foam resting on top. Good head retention and healthy lacing on the glass.

Aroma: We’ll admit it, we’ve been straight up ignoring these guys over the past 5 or so years as we’ve never properly felt the pinch of American (mainly) and a lot of Euro breweries ending importation to Australia. The void of high quality BA/imperial stouts available has never been larger so we thought it was high time we revisited Hawkers. Anywho, a hint of RIS to this with its kinda musky scent. Espresso, molasses, vanilla, dark chocolate, licorice. Noice.

Flavour: Comes on really strong with a boozy bite, bittersweet dark chocolate, rich molasses and a stewy dark fruit sweetness. Enveloping it all is a charred wood roasty-ness that settles into a roasty yet dry and ashy mid palate. Again, the booze ascends, bringing with it another wave of rich dark chocolate, licorice and molasses. Finishing with burnt wood, espresso, licorice and cigar skins. Excellent length on it too.

Mouthfeel: Thick with a good viscosity. Carbonation is kept low and the body is full. The 10.5% ABV is noticeable yet well behaved.

Overall: Our longing wish for more American BA/imperial stouts to return to our shores has brought us back to Hawkers. Look, their stouts are good but they are not worth their price tags. It’s unfortunate.