A few places for stouts and porters tasting [Booze]

2013 Jan 6
(Argh, can't edit the title - it should read a few places LEFT for stouts and porters tasting...)

So I'm doing another tout and porter tasting event, and it looks like I'll have space for 2-3 more people as some of my past regulars can't make it.

The first tasting I did was reported on here: Forum - what to serve with (a lot of) stouts?

Second tasting's list: Brasseurs du Hameau (Zeppelin Framboise, Johnny, Fais-Moi Malt, Ramdham Noire Orange) which were all fairly blah; Stout framboise et chocolat; Trois Mousquetaires Porter Baltique Grande Cuvée 2011; Southern Tier Choklat; MacKroken Flower Grande Reserve; St-Ambroise Russian Imperial Stout 2011; La Corriveau; La Vache Folle Imperial Milk Stout; Dominus Vobiscum Triple

And this year's offerings - larger photo here: home.mycybernet.net

- Dieu du Ciel - Aphrodisiaque stout with cocoa and vanilla, 6.5%
- À La Fût - L'Apporteur porter, 5.6%
- Le Bilboquet - MacKroken Flower scotch ale with honey, 10.8% (not the Grande Reserve this time, I want to try the regular)
- Les Trois Mousquetaires - Porter Baltique Grande Cuvée 2012, 10%
- Flying Monkeys - BNL Imperial Chocolate Stout (made for the Barenaked Ladies), 10%
- Brasseurs RJ - L'Apocalypse Belgian double stout, 9%
- Le Castor - Oatmeal stout, 5%
- McAuslan - St Ambroise Russian Imperial Stout 2012, 9.2%
- Dieu du Ciel - Grande Noirceur imperial stout, 9%
- Harviestoun - Ola Dubh ale matured in 12 year old whisky casks, 8%
- Innis & Gunn treacle porter, porter with molasses, 7.4%
- Lava Icelandic smoked imperial stout, 9.5%

It's next Saturday, January 12, at 7pm at my place downtown (near Bank and Laurier). I'm also making chili for those who want to arrive a little earlier (non-vegetarian, a bit spicy). There will be some bread, crackers, cheese and chocolate duriong the tasting, along with copious water.

I can probably squeeze another 3 people. If interested, note me for details. I advise against driving. Portions may only be around 1-1.5oz each to start, but 2/3 of the stouts are 8% or more, and I want to be responsible (under the law, I am responsible).

2013 Jan 6
That's a nicely varied lineup Niall - Ola Dhub to BNL. I wish you well on the tasting! I was very impressed over the holidays with the BNL and L'Apocalypse. I've not had Le Bilboquet - was it found at Broue Ha Ha? I've a liking for wee heavy ales and that looks like it might be a good one.

2013 Jan 7
Thank you! BroueHaHa or La Trappe à Fromage both have the MacKroken Flower, but BroueHaHa tends to be the place to find the Grande Réserve. I have only had the GR version, which is why I'm going for the regular this time, but they are very highly rated, and the GR is one of my fave deep-flavour beers.

The BNL has a wide range of feedback, so I'm not entirely sure who will like it, but there will be plenty to like, especially in the second half.

I'll certainly give detailed feedback as with the other thread.

2013 Jan 7
Thanks for the info Niall. I found the BNL had the most chocolate flavour of any beer I've ever had the pleasure to drink, and was very complex and rich, so much so that I was very happy to have split it 3 ways - 250 ml was enough for me at one time. I would buy it to share if they produce it again (and hope to snag one of the remaining bottles in Ottawa to put away).

2013 Jan 7
Some found the BNL too chocolatey and that it left no space for a beer taste. But considering I liked the Southern Tier Creme Brulee stout, I think I'll like this. :)

It was brewed but once, so get your hands on whatever's left now. Kanata has the most bottles, a couple on the Glebe and South Keys stores, and that's it for Ottawa.

2013 Jan 7
I enjoyed the BNL a couple times over the holidays (and have a bottle put up for next year) and I thought it was a really well done choco stout. It is very chocolatey although I found it came through in the nose more than in the taste, which kept enough 'beeriness' for me. A similar beer might be the Southern Tier Chokolat, although I found that it was too overwhelmingly chocolatey and insufficiently beery. But to each their own.

And I agree with Andy -- that's a pretty great looking lineup. I've got a few of those in my own fridge at the moment. If I was still in Ottawa I'd already have been in touch about attending. Enjoy!

2013 Jan 8
This sounds like a wonderful event and I'd love to attend in the future as this month is just not doable.

Is there somewhere I can keep up to date on this?

Cheers.

2013 Jan 8
PB&A, I do have a bottle of ST Choklat in the fridge, for the chili I'm making. I found it beery enough, so if the BNL is a bit less chocolatey, it should be a really nice mix for me. :)

schnicken, I seem to do this annually, so I'll likely post another description next time on here. By "this", I strictly mean "grab a bunch of yummy-sounding dark beers in the middle of winter then realise just how many I have and that I can't drink it all myself so I better share"...

2013 Jan 13
Thanks to Niall for a great evening. Lots of interesting beers and a lovely chili beforehand. It's always nice to meet new people and get out of the house once in a while.

I've never had a beer that was so chocolatey as the BNL from Flying Monkeys. It was exquisite! Go buy some now.

The LAVA I could have done without, but it was a good change from the others and wasn't what I'd call awful. Some really liked it.

The Innis & Gunn treacle porter is probably the nicest of the I&G products that I've tasted. Very smooth.

Checking my notes ... which one made me say 'zoinks' ... ah, the Trois Mousquetaires. Very nice. My number 1 pick.

We had a lot of fun pulling the different tastes out of our collected memories and experiences.

Thanks again.

2013 Jan 15
Thank you Rizak for coming, it was a pleasure meeting you and your friend!

It was a very small tasting, alas, as half the expected people had to bow out at the last minute. So I have a lot of flavourful but flat beer to go through.

Almost more for myself and future references :), this were the main points for each of the beers.

Le Castor started the set, and was that "standard organic" taste, somewhat thin mouthfeel without any oatmeal feel for an oatmeal stout. Nothing bad, but there's so much better out there.

L'Apporteur had a sour component to the taste, otherwise very much a basic porter. Nothing special.

Aphrodisiaque had a good body, a strong cocoa component, but mostly of the "powdered hot chocolate" type. Vanilla was not found by everyone. Kind of okay, but not spectacular.

BNL on the other hand was nothing BUT chocolate. Immense smell, pouring it spread the aroma to everyone ("chocolate nose bomb"). It was clear this involved real cocoa pods, reminiscent of some of the SOMA chocolate bars I had on hand in terms of quality. Foam was deep brown. So very smooth, almost completely masking the 10% strength. Not for everyone, but if you like dark chocolate, I can't see you not liking this.

Grande Noirceur from the makers of Aphrodisiaque was an imperial stout, no added flavours, was described as "elephantine" - hits you with its nose quite strongly, yet has a weak imperial character, too thin in the mouth, and develops a bitter aftertaste after a few sips. Shouts its 9% quite strongly.

Innis & Gunn Treacle Porter on the other hand was a most pleasant surprise. The smell was very particular, and no one could quite identify it. The added molasses cuts the portery sourness, and gives a "candied something" element that's most pleasant. Very very easily drinkable.

MacKroken Flower scotch ale was quite appreciated, with the deep red colour and the alcohol very lightly present in the nose, but not in the taste at all, and at 10.8% that makes it "dangerously drinkable". I might prefer the Grande Réserve with additional aging, but there's nothing wrong with this one at all. The 500ml bottles makes it just a bit too much all at once for myself, but great to share with one other.

Lava was the head-scratcher I was hoping it to be, and gave me memories of two years ago. As Rizak said, it's pretty unique. For fans of smoked beers who want something decidedly different. Also masks its 9.5% well.

L'Apocalypse has this note: "YOWZA". Belgian double stout, a completely new style for me, and I admit I gave a not-very-polite moan tasting it. What a beer... what a beer! Incredible thinness in the mouth, flavour maybe not complex but exquisitely balanced, and the most polite 9% I've ever had. It's there, it's not hiding, but it says please and thank you while making your knees weak and your head spin. Absolutely fantastic, highly recommended.

St Ambroise Russian Imperial Stout 2012 was much better than last year's, almost as complex as the 2010. Filled with what Rizak called "dark fruit tastes", it's a great bottle and also very recommended for the style.

Porter Baltique Grande Cuvée 2012 - well here, my notes are a little... vague. "Unnnnh annnnh wow just wow" Head pretty much exploded. It has far less of a coffee/roasted flavour as last year's, and to me makes it extremely dangerous to drink. For me, this was THE beer of the night. 750ml is a lot, so grab 2 or three friends, share, and get ready for a ride. (This is the one that made Rizak blink, stare at his glass, then just say "zoinks!" which pretty much made us all giggle for longer than should have been necessary... had to be there? but still funny)

Ola Dubh 12 years had a sharper nose than the 16 year version, quite fine but I would better recommend the latter if it's to be found. Of course, after all the porters we had just had, the old ale was such a turn to left field, the comment "what the hell did I just drink??" also elicited a round of giggles. I admit it was partly for that reaction I put it last. :)

With bread, cheeses and crackers, and a better-than-expected chili beforehand, we were quite happy by the end of the night. And now I have many bottles to finish by myself...

2013 Jan 15
I am impressed by your efforts Niall, organizing, hosting and writing up. I appreciate others' opinions as it's a great way to try to narrow down the huge field of stouts/porters before laying out the bucks. I now know I won' be buying any more smoked beers, not my cuppa! It's not for everyone. So the Lava is not on my list to try, but the Mackroken sounds good as does the Porter Baltique (I've got a 2011 in the cold room), and I better lay in some 2012 St. Ambroise (still have a 2011 or two) and maybe an I&G Treacle. The Aphrodisiaque is one that I wasn't initially impressed with but repeated sessions with it opened my mind to it, in spite of the vanilla. Still, not a great beer but I can enjoy it. And the Apocalypse is already on my to buy list. Too bad about the Noirceur - I might have to buy one to see for myself.
While in Ottawa today I picked up a Shipyard Barley Wine, a Renaissance Porter Ale and a Propeller Revolution to try (as well as some Orkney Skull Splitter and some Spearhead Hawaiian IPA). Plus some Kichesippi for local balance. Gotta drink more or buy less!
Cheers!

2013 Jan 16
Yes, thanks for the write up. I don't have the time or energy to make it through all those 9%, but for now I drink vicariously through your descriptions.

2013 Jan 16
Thanks for the notes! My St. Ambroise and Porter Baltique have been waiting patiently but it looks like I'll have to get to them sooner rather than later now.

Andy, that Propeller Revolution is a fine beer. Some liquorice hiding in there too.

2013 Jan 17
Andy, doing this with 8 people is indeed a great way to figure out what is a beer I don't like versus a bad beer. And that's why I include something like the Lava - polarising opinions can be fun sometimes. :) It's always interesting to hear why someone doesn't like something that someone else loves. I do make sure that such beers are followed by something I feel everyone will really like. Such is the point of a tasting, for me - valleys and peaks.

PB&A, I would quite recommend tasting those soon, and a nice slightly blustery evening to really get the nice winter warming buzz a stout/porter is supposed to bring. (Also, thanks for the warning on Propeller Revolution, as I severely dislike liquorice.)

As happened before, going through beers afterwards, the cheap ones are barely drinkable when flat, but the good ones still have plenty of enjoyable flavour. And those I capped with a cork still have carbonation, so I can enjoy my Apocalypse still! (I think Friday will be Drink A Lot night, as I'm going dancing Saturday and these can't wait much longer.)

2013 Jan 17
Niall,

Give me a couple month heads up and I am sure I could add a dark beer or two from the nano brewery to your evening.

K,

2013 Jan 18
krusty, I will try to remember. I'm usually not very organised, it just tends to... happen. In a flurry of December shopping. :) Although if I do manage to move, I would have much more space and could get a dozen people in more easily, and thus could get more people from here. And at that point, such an offering would be most welcome! Thank you for the offer.