Author: Will Ziebell, The Crafty Pint
Original Article published on 30 May 2023
Hawkers don’t do things by halves and once again, they’re ready for winter. Over successive years, the Melbourne brewery have released what is frankly an astonishing array of big beers that are often barrel-aged and come spiked with delicious additions like maple syrup and cardamom. It means these two releases feel like a prelude of hefty Hawkers hits to come.
Somehow, the lighter of the two (at least in terms of booze) is Oaty McOatface, an oatmeal cacao peanut milk stout. The cacao was sourced from the chocolate makers at Hunted+Gathered while the heavy use of oats and lactose make for one slick and smooth dark beer. It also toes the line between being quite rich and effortlessly drinkable but full disclosure here, that might be mostly due to this writer's love of all things Reese's which was exactly where this beer took me.
If Imperial Stout is indeed a prelude to what’s to come for the rest 2023, hopefully it’s purely a harbinger of more big beers rather than the grim reaper on the can who's putting out the candle of life. What we can say, is the 10.5 percent ABV beer brings quite a bit of roasted and espresso aromas which are joined by dark chocolate and cherry notes and a balanced between sweeter vanilla and savoury umami.
