I'm going to get a bit dark here. But in a good way. (For the most part.)
This is my last Beer O'Clock review of 2022. I've had a lot of good beer this year—no... scratch that. I've had some fabulous beer this past year. From a mind-blowing black currant cream ale to a tasty, peach-flavoured, non-alcoholic gose; from a selection of vintage ales with dear friends to a juicy, hazy pale ale; and from an ice-cream-inspired stout to a stout that was infused with roasted cocoa nibs, I've drunk well.
I even got drunk, once, while reviewing some beer.
My taste in ale styles has grown, as well, and I hope for the better. But when asked what my favourite style of beer is, I think I still have to say, deep down, it's still a good stout. I really love a good hefeweisen or saison, and I can never seem to get enough of the tropical pale ales, but my first true love continues to be the dark ales.
See? I said I'd go dark.
With the Christmas season breathing down our necks, many people in the beer, wine, and spirits business are cashing in with special releases—gift packs of their products. I look forward to cruising the aisles of my local LCBO, during the early parts of December, looking to see which brewery has packaged which of their premium or seasonal offerings that I can sample.
(I don't necessarily buy these gift packs to give to someone: they're gifts to myself.)
I have also already tried one of the beers in the box before, but there were two cans that I hadn't had yet—one, that I was eagerly looking forward to trying.
Let's take a look at the whole set, shall we?
I'll start with an old and beloved friend (I'm actually shocked that I haven't reviewed this stout before—or, at least, I couldn't find a review on The Brown Knowser or my old Beer O'Clock blog). And while I pride myself on a good flavour memory, this stout had me wonder if the brewery has played with the recipe.
McAuslan Brewing, Ltd.
Montréal QC
Appearance: a deep, dark brown that almost lends itself to black, with a taupe head that pours foamy to start and clings to the side of the glass, but reduces to a thin cap and then a tight lace.
Nose: smoky, roasted malts that almost seem burnt. There's also a dark-roast coffee aroma with which I'm familiar, but there is also a whiff of prunes that I don't remember from the last time I had this brew. Have I been gone from this oatmeal stout for so long that I've started confusing it with other dark ales?
Palate: the roasted malts are an immediate welcome on my tongue but I also detected more burnt flavours and a hint of licorice—something with which I attribute to an Imperial stout or a Baltic porter. Even thought there's only 5 percent alcohol in this pint, the flavour profile makes it seem headier than it should be. There's an acidity that made me think that I had opened the wrong can, but the photo doesn't deceive.
Overall impression: either my senses have deceived me, my memory has faded, or the brewers at McAuslan have changed the recipe of their oatmeal stout. But I have had other oatmeal stouts, not so long ago, and I know what to expect in this style of beer. And this, while still good, ain't it.
Just as a server once poured me a Guinness when I had ordered a St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout and insisted that she had given me what I requested, I feel as though I'm being led astray with what I emptied from the can into my glass.
This was not the stout I was looking for.
If I'm to blame for my long absence from this stout, my opinion of it has changed. While I liked it, I no longer love it.
Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺
I then had to go for the can that I haven't had before. It was a style of stout that gives me warm fuzzies every time I anticipate drinking one. When I first tried a milk stout, more than 10 years ago, I thought it was the best beer ever.
I still do.
Appearance: dark-walnut brown with a medium-beige head that initially fizzed like pouring a cola and grew to an almost overflowing dome. After about 10 minutes, the head settled to a thin, solid, creamy cap.
Nose: hints of cocoa and a medium-roast coffee, but the aromas were shy in coming out.
Palate: a bitter coffee that approaches a sourness. Hints of cedar and toffee that carry to a lightly creamy and slightly sweet finish.
Overall impression: I had high hopes for this milk stout but there's something about it that was lacking from my expectations. While it's obvious that there is a milk protein that is added to the stout, there isn't enough creaminess to the flavour. The body isn't rich, and on subsequent sips I felt this stout was a bit watery—it's almost like expecting cream in your coffee but getting skim milk, instead. And the sourness made me think that the milk was slightly off.
I often associate chocolate-chip cookies with a milk stout, and there's none of that here. I'm sadly disappointed.
Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺 + .5
I'm going to be brief about the next dark ale from this four pack, mainly because I've had it before but also because it's name offends me.
Maybe offends is a strong word: it bothers me to the point of distraction. What does India have to do with this style of ale? WTF does the P stand for if it's a black ale??
There's nothing about this beer that resembles an IPA, in my opinion. What's wrong with simply calling it Black Ale and leaving it at that? That's what it is: nothing more.
Appearance: pours a root-beer brown, with a slight tinge of garnet red. The light-beige head starts foamy but settles to a thick, creamy cap. The oatmeal stout is darker, so I can't even call this ale black.
Nose: roasted malts and espresso coffee.
Palate: burnt toast and over-roasted coffee beans, with a bitter finish of orange peel.
Overall impression: this dark ale is really in your face with bitterness but that's all that it has in common with an IPA. The coffee and roasted malts are more in-line with an Imperial stout. I used to think that anything that McAuslan makes is good, but this is not very. I only drank half of it before putting it down the drain.
Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺
The final can in this release is a style that I have a healthy respect for but it's not really one that I choose to reach for. But I can still judge it fairly.
Appearance: pours a near black (more black than the so-called Black IPA) with a creamy taupe head that lays down as a solid cap.
Nose: smoke, burnt toffee, and prunes. None of these aromas is overpowering and the combination makes a pleasing bouquet.
Palate: the sweet prunes are forefront, followed by roasted malts and coffee. I was expecting a strong hit of licorice with the powerful alcohol, but I didn't get that. Instead, I got a bit of cedar and tobacco that provided a rich and lasting finish.
Overall impression: I was expecting to think that meh, another Baltic porter, but the flavours that I find tend to slap me across the face merely rested a warm hand on my cheek. There are a lot of classic flavours but they are somewhat tempered with the fruit characteristics of prunes. It's quite a nice Baltic porter. And though the alcohol level is high, it's not a boozy brew.
Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺 + .5
Should you pick up the Dark Series four-pack for the holidays? I would suggest that you pick up some of the oatmeal stout (even though my memory tells me that the recipe has changed, it's still a decent brew) and treat yourself to the Baltic porter, but skip on the milk stout and black ale. They're okay but not worth the four-pack.
I said that this would be a dark post and I mainly meant for the beer, but I'm sorry to be so harsh on one of my favourite Canadian breweries. I expected a lot from this gift set and it let me down for the most part.
Whatever alcoholic beverage you go for over the holiday season, don't forget to drink responsibly and have a safe and happy holiday. I can't wait to see what brews are in the offering for 2023.
Cheers!
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