Cameron’s Brewing, Crooked Nose Stout, Oakville, Ontario (Alcohol 5.1%) LCBO $3.50 (473ml can)
When I’m drinking stouts I tend to gravitate to the heavier/stronger side of the spectrum, usually Imperial Stouts and the like, utlising them almost like a little nightcap before bed. Damn, I have great dreams when I go down that route; who needs sleeping pills? This is altogether different though, coming in at 5.1% it’s far lighter than the stouts I usually enjoy, and hence it’s…. dare I say it’s sessionable?
This was picked out from the LCBO shelves by our eight-year-old son for some rather obvious reasons (see the can design above).
It pours a deep, dark black with an attractive, creamy tan-coloured head which leaves pronounced fluffy lacing as one progresses through the glass. The nose is quite malty with loads of roasted grains, toasty notes, and dusty, dry hot chocolate powder. This chocolate character continues on to the palate, manifesting itself in cocoa nibs, molasses (some pleasant bitterness), black treacle, and a lovely touch of chocolatey sweetness on the very front of the palate. Not being a coffee fan in any which way, I was most happy to find very-little-to-no coffee aromatics or flavours here. The dry finish is all molasses, but it’s not particularly extended.
With the 5.1% alcohol I was able to knock back quite a few of these before it was bedtime for Bonzo; this was indeed a very pleasant stout-drinking experience.
(Three and a half out of a possible five apples)
