Imperial Black Berliner Weisse - Collaboration Pit Caribou Microbrasserie & Broadway Microbrasserie (Canada - Quebec)

Imperial Black Berliner Weisse - Collaboration Pit Caribou Microbrasserie & Broadway Microbrasserie (Canada - Quebec) 7.0%

Very dark brown and cloudy in a glass with a creamy head of foam. An oatmeal touch to the aroma, chocolate and earthy touch. The taste of this collaboration Imperial Black Berliner Weisse is unique as in very sour. I'm really glad I read the label so that this didn't catch me off guard, to wit:

The sour flavour hits all upfront, and fades out to be mostly replaced with roasty chocolate and coffee flavours in the mid-mouth taste. The aftertaste is smoky with a hint of grain and chocolate. The flavours of this sour beer work nicely together and is an interesting take on a dark wheat beer.

Rauchbier - Mill Street (Canada - Ontario - Ottawa)

Rauchbier - Mill Street (Canada - Ontario - Ottawa)

A red hued brown in a glass (aka huge stein) with a smoke and spice forward aroma backed with malt flavours.

The flavour is also strongly smoked with a light mouthfeel and a fairly light malt character but with earthy tones and a very faint flavour that reminds me of dark cherries. The finish is also predictably smoky but in it more malt tones also come out with toasted bread and subtle molasses aspect.

Smoke 'n Oak - Stack Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Sudbury)

Smoke 'n Oak - Stack Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Sudbury) 5.5%

A crystal clear burnt amber colour in a glass with an off-white head of soda like foam. A smoky, maple aroma that made me say "Mmm!" outloud to myself. Oak tones as well and the smoke aroma is quite strong, just on the tasty side of acrid; which is exactly what I would expect from a smoked ale that even has smoke in the name.

A sweet flavour, oak and smoke;  that list is roughly in the order of flavour strength. The smoke and oak in Smoke 'n Oak really comes across as a flavour you could imagine being from fresh cut oak boards that were toasted just long enough for some of those wood sugars to caramelize without very much charring. Also, that could be exactly what it's from. Smoke 'n Oak is a tasty smoked beer that is a bit on the sweet side and makes good use of oak.

Holy Smoke - Church-Key Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Campbellford)

Holy Smoke - Church-Key Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Campbellford) 6.2%

Dark brown in a glass, like a chestnut. Very smoky, peaty and slightly salty aroma. Based solely on the aroma I am sure this beer would appeal to Scotch drinkers that like a smoky, peaty Scotch. There are also some dark malt tones, like dark dried fruits such as fig or prunes, in the aroma.

The flavour is quite sweet and dark malt flavours now take the lead ahead of the smoke and peat flavour though the latter does continue to feature. A watery mouthfeel and some alcohol does come through but it would be highly suitable for a drink in a pub.

Regular readers of the blog will know that I tend to prefer my beers on the warm side. Particularly very malty and high alcohol beers. This beer also benefits from being served a bit warmer as the smoke and the malt flavours come out. Overall, Holy Smoke is very drinkable, the smoke and peat flavours are well done and tasty but its malty body is a wee bit thin, still a fine beer when it is all said and done.

Burnt Rock - Beau's All-Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill)

Burnt Rock - Beau's All-Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill) 4.9%

Opaque, dark brown with a gigantic mocha head of foam. Earthy chocolate and dark fruit aroma, vanilla and light wood smoke.

Strong vanilla flavour, a bit of coffee to go with the milk chocolate flavour; there is an earthy tone underlying everything as well. The vanilla makes up a much greater share of the flavour than it does of the aroma. A very nice beer, I find the vanilla flavour a bit strong in the afternoon or if you are drinking for a buzz but it would be perfect as a dessert beer.

Smoked Oatmeal Stout - Trafalgar Ales and Meads (Canada - Ontario - Oakville)

Smoked Oatmeal Stout - Trafalgar Ales and Meads (Canada - Ontario - Oakville) 5.0%

Quite flat out of the bottle but with a delectable aroma: chocolate, smoke, with a touch of grain (oatmeal) and some earthiness. Smoky dark chocolate is the theme for this beer. This stout also has roasty coffee tones and some very subtle dark fruit hints. There is also a distinctly satisfying oatmeal characteristic to both the flavour and the mouthfeel.

The mouthfeel is very smooth since, though it is not flat, this particular bottle is somewhat flatter than I think it is supposed to be. Or perhaps not, I just realized that Trafalgar's full name is Trafalgar Ales and Meads: the same people that make a fantastic Mead Braggot I had. Because of their stated "authentic methods and ingredients" used in making their mead I suppose this may be a naturally carbonated product in which case a less than typically carbonated may be the product of their methods. But I digress, this is a tasty, smoky, chocolaty, refreshing, roasty ale whatever the level of carbonation.

Yuletide Cherry Porter - Barley Days (Canada - Ontario - Picton)

Yuletide Cherry Porter - Barley Days (Canada - Ontario - Picton) 5.5%

Dark chocolate aroma, colour with coffee, some smoke and some subtle cherry scents. Opaque and chestnut brown with a red hue in a glass. It does not have much of a head to speak of: just a thin lace of tan coloured bubbles.

Strong chocolate flavour, red cherries with a smoky finish and a velvety mouthfeel that makes me feel like I'm eating a slice of black forest cake. Not just smoky, the finish also tastes fairly strongly of cherry and the aftertaste is a delicious mix of chocolate and cherry. This is an exquisite desert beer though it is not all that sweet so it's also a tasty quaffing beer. I think this would be perfect for Christmas holiday afternoons and after-supper drinks.

Obsidian Imperial Porter Rum Barrel - Cameron's Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Oakville)

Obsidian Imperial Porter Rum Barrel - Cameron's Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Oakville) 9.2%

This barrel aged brewed pours as dark as its namesake with a head of fine, tan (nearly brown) bubbles. The aroma is molasses, caramel, rum barrel tones, alcohol and burnt sugar. It tastes of chocolate flavours (both dark and milk chocolate) oak, dark dried fruit (like prunes and raisins) leather, black coffee, smoke, a bit of nearly maple as well as molasses tones and a somewhat spicy booziness that reveal the rum influence. Overall, Obsidian tastes like a sweet rum and chocolate fruit cake.

It may be too late to buy this beer but if my description sounds appealing keep an eye out for the next addition to Cameron's Oak Aged Series.

Edit (November 21st, 2013): I have been informed by Cameron's Brewing that Obsidian is still available at the brewery and at the LCBO.

County Dark Ale - Wellington Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Guelph)

County Dark Ale - Wellington Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Guelph) 5.0%

A dark mahogany colour in a glass with not much of a head. Creamy, nutty (hazelnut) and coffee tones to the aroma along with some light roasty and caramelized malt tones, a little like barley candy.

A chocolate forward beer with some earthy smoke tones and some roasty malt flavours of a red. Pub appropriate, easy drinking, refreshing with a nice mix of flavours Wellington County Dark Ale isn't going to blow you away with exotic flavours but it's an excellent after work pint.

2 Weeks Notice (Wild Oats Series #12) - Beau's All Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill)

2 Weeks Notice (Wild Oats Series #12) - Beau's All Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill) 6.0%

Pitch black, completely opaque with a creamy off-white head of tiny bubbles that seems tan but with a touch of grey due to how black the beer is. Sediment remained at the bottom of the bottle but no way to tell how much made it into the glass, the beer is just too dark! A chocolaty, smoky and earthen aroma; black coffee and (faint licorice) with a touch leather too.

Creamy mouthfeel, milk chocolate at first and then dark chocolate as the bitterness builds when you swallow. 2 Weeks Notice is very drinkable; some light dark dried fruit (prunes) tones and the slightest touch of alcohol. Leather and earthy tones are still kicking around, grounding the lovely flavour in the realm of dark, delicious porters. A bitter, smoky aftertaste with a touch of acidity and lots of chocolate. Very nice.

Turned at a certain angle (see below) and you have to ask: how many weeks notice?

Smokin' Banana Peels Wild Oats Series #11 - Beau's All Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill)

Smokin' Banana Peels (Wild Oats Series #11) - Beau's All Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill) 4.9%

A typical weissbier aroma of cloves, blossoms, nectar and banana; as well as a lightly smoke twist that is more like well-browned, nearly burnt toast than a smoky wood fire.

Pale gold in a glass and as cloudy as you decide to make it. Similarly Smokin' Banana Peels features a silky white head of foam that can get quite foamy if you agitate it enough to get some of the sediment.

Creamy mouthfeel, yeasty with tasty cloves, banana and nectar flavours: sweet summery wheat beer flavours all. It isn't as smoky as other rauchbiers but there is a touch there, it comes out a bit more with some sips than other, and I'm sure the smoke flavour could be accentuated by pairing with smoky food. Fortunately, Smokin' Banana Peels is a very tasty weissbier even if it isn't very smoky and I have to say the name is quite clever.

Le Sang D'Encre - Le Trou Du Diable (Canada - Quebec - Shawinigan)

Le Sang D'Encre - Le Trou Du Diable (Canada - Quebec - Shawinigan) 5.5%

As is to be expected from a beer with a name such as this one (translated to The Blood of Ink), Le Sang D'Encre is pitch black, completely opaque and also features a solid head of off-white to light brown (or mocha if you prefer) foam that leaves nice lacing.

The aroma is darkly malty, light wood tones, coffee, some hints of molasses and smoke. The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy though the beer is well carbonated. Coffee first and foremost, malt and some dry hops; chocolate, smoky wood tones and the lightest hints of caramel. The aftertaste is rather bitter and smoky but very pleasant.

Rescousse - Dieu du Ciel (Canada - Quebec - St Jerome)

Rescousse - Dieu du Ciel (Canada - Quebec - St Jerome) 5.3%

A red hued brass colour in a glass with an off-white head that leaves behind thick Belgian lace. A strong malty aroma of grilled bread, toasty notes, maybe slightly nutty, a little bit of smoke and hints of tangy fruit tones. Rescousse has a lovely roasted malt flavour, sweet and nutty with just the perfect amount of lightly bitter hops to balance. The light smoky flavour along with a hint of fruit esters (apple) puts me in mind of autumn and leaves a roasty, umami aftertaste with the barest hints of smoke. The beer is absolutely delicious, a perfect example of the style and would be the perfect aperitif as Rescousse's robust umami flavour really whets the appetite. Bring a six pack of Rescousse to your next BBQ and you are sure to please and impress your hosts. Serve it to your guests and they may never leave.

As an added plus, eleven cents is donated to rescousse.org for each bottle sold in order to help species at risk in Quebec.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen - Brauerei Heller-Trum/Schlenkerla (Germany - Bamberg)

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen - Brauerei Heller-Trum/Schlenkerla (Germany - Bamberg) 5.1%

Rauchbiers use malt that has been dried over a wood fire to give it that distinctive smoke flavour. The Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbiers are perhaps the best known of the style.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen has a smoky, distinctly beechwood and slightly spicy aroma with a hint of the malts of a hearty brown ale. It pours a dark brown in a glass with an off-white head.

The taste is smoky, no doubt, with the same pleasant beechwood tones as in the aroma. Sweet, toasty not quite caramel tones in the background. Some light coffee flavours from the malt as well. There is the slightest bit of acidity in the moderately bitter finish that is characterized by the lingering smoke flavour and a malty taste of the brown crust of multi-grain bread.

For all its flavour Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen is still very smooth and easy drinking and would pair well with roasts, stews, pizzas (especially wood fired ones if you really want to play on the wood smoke flavours) and pastas with red sauces.

Young's Double Chocolate Stout (United Kingdom)

Young's Double Chocolate Stout (United Kingdom) 5.2%


A deep black in a glass with a finger's width of tan head. Dark chocolate, smoke, and coffee all apear in the aroma as well as light fruit tones like dark cherry.

This stout uses actual dark chocolate as well as chocolate malts so it is no surprise that chocolate flavours lead the way as well as a smoky bitterness from the chocolate malt that keeps this stout from being very sweet. The smoke lends itself to some subtle wood tones that are supported by an appetizing grain flavour from the malty body. There is a little bit of fine sediment towards the bottom of the bottle probably from the added dark chocolate. It also make a really good beer cocktail (or beertail) when mixed with Fruli.

Gaspésienne - Pit Caribou (Canada - Quebec - Percé)

Gaspésienne - Pit Caribou (Canada - Quebec - Percé) 6.2%

Huge frothy light brown head. Dark and thoroughly opaque in a glass. Milk chocolate aroma, a bit of yeast and maybe a hint of alcohol as well as some smoke and wood tones. A bit of acidity in the aroma as well as the taste. Flavours of chocolate, coffee, sweetness, a bit of brown sugar. Some of the aforementioned acidity along with a bit of red fruit (cherry). A very nice Porter.

Mill Street Seasonal Spring Mix (Canada - Ontario - Toronto)

Spring Imp Spring Bock - Mill Street (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 7.0%

A glowing orange colour in a glass. The aroma is sweet and somewhat creamy with just a hint of dry Euro style hops, just the faintest hint of lemon. The mouthfeel is creamy but not at all cloying while the taste is sweet and malty, but not overly with a moderate alcohol flavour that comes across as just a little bit herbal; in short, Spring Imp tastes exactly like a Bock should.


Spring Thaw Maple Ale - Mill Street (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.3%

A roasty, lightly smoky, a bit of a hop aroma with only a hint of maple. Not quite the typical Maple Ale aroma - though pleasant. A deep amber colour in a glass.

The taste is smoke, dark malt, light roast and mild coffee tones; sweet, especially in the finish, without being sugary. The maple flavour is certainly not overstated, mixing with the smoke to give a flavour that is reminiscent of maple syrup made over a wood fire. Just a bit of acidity as well as a moderately bitter finish from the mix of barely cedary, mellow hops and smoked malt. The aftertaste is long lingering, sweet and tastes very must of maple. The maple flavour comes out a little bit more as the beer warms; the maple aspect of Mill Street's Spring Thaw Maple Ale is still not as pronounced as many other Maple Ales on the market. This more balanced maple flavour makes Spring Thaw Maple Ale all the more drinkable and not so one-dimensional as other Maple Ales.

Warsteiner Dunkel (Germany) 4.8%

Warsteiner Dunkel (Germany) 4.8%

Warsteiner Dunkel is a dark brown with only a hint of amber and a off white head that faded fairly quickly. The aroma is an appetizing mix of sweet milk chocolate and light coffee with just a hint of smoke from the roasted malt.

The taste is exactly along the same lines: quite sweet with milk chocolate and hints of light coffee. This really is a nice dark beer that is light on the palate but still well representative of dark malt flavours.

Pénombre - Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! (Canada - Quebec - St. Jérome) 6.5%

Pénombre - Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! (Canada - Quebec - St. Jérome) 6.5%

A very dark brown, not quite opaque with a tan head that leaves behind good lacing. The aroma is roasty with dark chocolate and coffee/espresso hints but also some resiney hops. I'm looking forward to tasting this one - the aroma sets my mouth watering.

Sooo nice, smoky, dark chocolate, roasty malt with bitterness especially in the aftertaste. There is a pleasant and mild cedar or resin flavour to the beer as well. A bit of pine comes out as the beer warms. Pénombre is a really nice beer, it bills itself as a Black IPA but it seems more like an American Stout but it's a blurred line not a clear demarcation so if they want to call it a Black IPA I'll call it a delicious one.

Guinness Black Lager (Ireland) 4.5%

Guinness Black Lager (Ireland) 4.5%

True to its name it is indeed black, just about opaque too with a head that is just a shade paler than beige. The aroma is sweet with some roast, something distinctly lager-like and some dry Euro hops.

The taste is a little like any other European Lager but with a bit more bitterness and quite a bit more malt character. There are tastes of roasted malt and some smoke tones. There is a caramel note kicking around in there too. All in all Guinness Black Lager is a pretty nice Black Lager: refreshing and clearly a lager but with a more interesting makeup.