The w00tstout: Made by Geeks, FOR Geeks

In the spirit of YouTube’s self-proclaimed “geek week,” I bring to you the tale of three geeks and the journey to great taste and libations. Stone CEO Greg Koch has apparently corresponded with actor Wil Wheaton on a number of occasions and since Wheaton is a homebrewer (with an impressive set up at the “Wheaton Castle”), Koch decided to ask him to collaborate on the next Stone collabo-brew. There was only one problem—who would the third collaborator be? Wil Wheaton had the answer: fark.com founder Drew Curtis. Three proud geeks (of beer, and much more) came together to create: The Stone Farking w00tstout.

When I asked Wil Wheaton what the most enjoyable aspect of the brew was, his answer was simple: “All of it.” Wheaton is a homebrewer of two years and already has a regular brew schedule for every other weekend. As a fan of craft brews and a beer geek himself, Wheaton couldn’t help but boast about the opportunity to brew with Stone, using some of the best brewing equipment around. For him, the hardest part was staying focused and not getting too excited about the one-of-a-kind opportunity at hand. Wheaton’s advice for any brewing beginners? “Just give it a try. You will always learn something from it, and you will always have beer.”

For Drew Curtis, this was his first experience brewing beer (lucky bastard). However, Curtis enjoyed the experience so much that he does see himself brewing beer at home from now on. He likens the farkin’ w00tstout to fark.com because of the beer’s unique flavors. Or, he adds, “maybe it was the pieces of Greg’s beard we threw in there.”

Finally, Greg Koch (lead beer geek) particularly enjoyed the “balance between experience and novice, which can actually be a good thing when it comes to idea formulation.” When Koch teamed up with Wheaton, they wanted someone who was creative enough to bring new ideas to the table and have an elfin’ good time in the process. That’s where Drew came in to finish off the trio.

So what did these three dudes create? A partially barrel-aged pecan, rye and wheat stout. This collaboration brew has a little bit of everyone in it. Curtis is from the south, bringing the barrel-aged pecans and rye into the mix. Need I explain the WHEATon aspect? And finally, Koch is known as a hophead, so it does have a hoppy bitterness to it (plus a piece of his beard).  All three co-conspirators (Koch’s words, not mine) believed that these ingredients were the most important part of the brew because of the unique flavors.

Wil Wheaton and Drew Curtis both were very surprised to see how crazy the response to the brew has been. Curtis can’t even find a bottle at stores in his hometown of Lexington. Koch, of course has a bountiful supply. The ABV is 13%, which was not an overall goal for the collaborators, but none were surprised, considering the grains and fermentable sugars that make up the brew. However, Wheaton explained that this is “the most drinkable high ABV brew he’s had.” Wheaton added that the brew “drinks like a wine” that is smooth even with a bit of a dry finish, compared to most high ABV stouts, which are drinks that you need to sip for hours.

It pours on the thick side, almost pure black with a bit of brown mixed in (similar to the color of oil coming out of a pan). The collaboration brew has a nutty aroma. Dare I say you can actually smell the pecans, followed by a bit of chocolate/mocha-coffee scent. The taste was very good and pecans added a new “nuttiness” that is a bit sweeter than usual. Coffee and mocha flavor come through well and the more I think about it, the more I appreciate the dry finish.

The Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout is available for a limited time.