Beer O'Clock: Ah Stout

It was something that my mom would only get for us every once an awhile, as a special treat to take with us in our lunch bags as we headed off to school. Though a single package contained two mini cakes, she would give us only one, each.

(At the time, there were only three of us: did she keep the fourth cake for herself?)

I loved the Ah Caramel! cakes, made by Vachon. The combination of chocolate and caramel on a white sponge did for me then what cheese and bacon on a burger do for me today.

I can't remember the last time that I tasted an Ah Caramel! cake. Did DW and I buy a box, once, to give to our own kids as a treat in their school lunchbox?

But I'm now reminded of these cakes as I take a sip in a special stout that I found in my local LCBO.

Ah Stout Chocolate Caramel Cupcake Stout (5.9% ABV; 25 IBUs)
Sawdust City Brewing Company
Gravenhurst ON

Appearance: deep mahogany-brown with garnet highlights and a latte-coloured foam head that settles to a tight lace.

Nose: dark cocoa hits the nostrils straight away and a sugary sweetness of butterscotch.

Palate: the chocolate and caramel mix and mingle immediately. There's a sweetness that covers the tongue but a dry cocoa that hits the back of the throat and gives this stout a well-balanced, medium finish.

Overall impression: while this is a tasty and complex stout, I'm not quite taken back to my childhood school lunches. I remember the cakes to be overwhelmingly sweet, and for little cakes they sure were filling. In Sawdust City's take on this treat, they've certainly nailed the chocolate and caramel but I don't find it cloying—trust me, for a stout, that's a good thing to not be. The cocoa that I feel at the back of my throat doesn't jive with my memories of the Vachon cake but for this stout, again, that's a good thing. The cocoa tempers the sweetness and gives it a more palatable brew.

I'd take this stout over the cake any day.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺 +.5

While this stout no longer seems to appear on Sawdust City's beer lineup, you may still find some cans at your local LCBO. Snap it up while you can.

Cheers!