mcberko (47456) reviewed The Darkness from Strathcona Beer Company 2 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
473mL can, pours black with a small beige head. Nose is dry and earthy, with dry toasted, bready malt, earthiness, and a hint of dry cocoa powder. Flavour is dry, with plenty of earthiness, toasted malt, and a hint of dry cocoa powder. It's dry, it's smooth, but, even for a 5.3% stout, it's not got a lot going on. Drinkable, unexciting.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Can: Poured a slightly hazy/cloudy yellow color ale with a large white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of citrusy hoppy notes with some light tropical floral hops undertones. Taste is also a good mix of citrusy hoppy notes with some mango/tropical juicy citrus hops notes and floral undertones and some residual sugar. Body is below average with good carbonation. Easy drinking double NEIPA with great tropical flavors.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
473mL can, pours a minimally hazy copper golden with a medium white head. Aroma is loaded with tropical fruits, grapefruity citrus rind, some piney hops, and a touch of resins. Flavour has plenty of grapefruit zest, citrusy hops, a little pear, melon, and moderately sweet malt backbone. There's also something slightly odd to the expression, like a slight musty sweatiness. Overall though, nice hop expression, and lighter on the palate than some of the hazier Head Banger editions. Solid.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Can from The Gull, North Vancouver
Dark blond colour, hazy to cloudy. Strong hop aroma, at first it's piney, then some bitter zest. Lean body, minimal sweetness, it seems just fitting; the malt profile is a bit bready, wheaty; the hopping is bold, bringing strong bitterness, and piney character; traces of zest and candied pineapple; light incense, making it fitting the spirit of the holiday season.
Interesting iteration.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Dull, pale and hazy. Medium head. Aroma lacks brightness. Strong, big doughy pale malt. Hops are quite citrusy, balanced, light apricot and pear in there as well.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
Bright pale with a medium head. Light citrus, maybe pine, a touch yeasty. Some diacetyl here too, which is far less forgivable. The base is soft malt, the bitterness low -same base different yeast? But is it? Same butter. Same beer filtered versus unfiltered? Or just west coast of England? Who knows. It's incoherent.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
Now, I preface this by saying I don't believe in British IPA other than something like Greene King or whatever, another name for bitter. So I am unsure what to expect here. Murky dull amber with thin head. LOL British means butter. Soft malt, low bitterness, a bit of alcohol but yeah that yeast kicked off some nasty diacetyl.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Kind of a murky pale brown, medium head. I like that plum, light spice, mellow, feels quaffable, this is effective radler.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Poured from the tap. Lemon, ginger, mild plum. Cloudy red with small pink head. Flavours are there I guess. Nothing amazing, but competent.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Poured from the tap. Clear-ish yellow gold with small white head. Typical head banger slight booziness, nice hop character, enjoyable.