One of my favorite surprises is finding a new beer on the shelves of my local LCBO. While drinkvine (a fantastic resource for finding out about upcoming wine and beer releases; sign up right now if you’re not already on there) has lessened the extent of that surprise somewhat, it’s still possible to walk into the Danforth location, for example, and find a product you thought you might have to go down to Queen’s Quay for.
Too bad that with Hogs Back Traditional English Ale (157560, 500 mL, $3.75) my excitement didn’t last much longer beyond the pour (which was quite lovely with a dark, amber colour and a fair bit of sediment). Maybe I’ve been ruined in super-hopped beers but I was fairly underwhelmed by the light body and mild flavor. There was some malt and caramel in there and a very slight, bitter finish but that was about it and the aroma was similarly-disappointing.
Honestly, it felt a little stale to me (the quickly-dissipating head worried me a bit too) and I couldn’t help wondering if this would’ve been a whole lot tastier pumped fresh.
I’d like to try another bottle or, better yet, get in on a cask but for now, I’ll stick with Fuller’s E.S.B. (106435, 500mL, $2.45).
How I came by the couple bottles of Rickard’s Dark currently sitting in my fridge is another matter altogether. I’d missed a tasting at O. Noir, a new restaurant where you are served food in darkness by blind servers, and the P.R. company associated with the event had sent me some samples.
In the back-and-forth battle between Molson Coors and Anheuser-Busch InBev to branch out through their subsidiaries, Rickard’s and Alexander Keith’s respectively, I’d been a practically non-existent spectator. While I’d hesitate to call either the Red of the faux-I.P.A undrinkable, they’re both unremarkable, especially when there are so many other delicious beers out there.
Rickard’s had definitely edged out Keith’s (why the hell does Keith’s White taste like Corona?) when it came to wheat beers but that’s like praising one of the slow kids because the gifted child happens to be out of the room (which in this particular instance is Weinhenstephaner Hefe Weissbier [75291, 500mL, $.3.05]).
Honestly, I generally prefer Rickard’s to Keith’s and it’s not just because one of the latter’s spokesmen turned out to have a thing for kids. I also think their beers are better, if only marginally so.
Seeing as I’d been out biking all day and worked up a powerful thirst, I decided to crack one open and see what this new, dark beer was all about. Described as being “brewed in the style of English porters” I was hoping for something with a nice body that I could order at a Firkin, for example, in place of a macro-lager.
It poured a dark amber (much like the T.E.A. actually) and retained at least half of the head a couple of minutes after pouring with some minimal lacing. The aroma was a bit trickier in that I had quite a bit of trouble detecting much of it at all beyond a hint of roasted malt and maybe some caramel.
A couple mouthfuls in, I was struck by how it managed to be both sweet and fairly watery; definitely lighter than I was expecting. Flavour-wise, it was a stronger take on on the aroma with a hint of maple syrup in the astringent finish.
This is definitely not a porter; it was more of a dark ale in the broadest sense of the handle.
While not as good as their White, it was definitely not going to compete against some of the porters from the States and England that I’ve had the pleasure of drinking. I’ve never gotten around to trying Keith’s Dark (incorrectly introduced to the market as a Stag’s Head Stout) but I would imagine Rickard’s take is probably the better one.
Do I hate this beer? No but I’m not particularly impressed either. You could do far worse at many bars but in this day where there’s usually at least one decent beer to pick at any given venue, I can’t see many people making this their go-to dark beer.
Everyone I’ve talked to who has tried it feels pretty much the same. I’m guessing Molson could style it as an introduction to dark beers but likening a product to training wheels for better beers is hardly the best way to carve out a meaningful share of the market.
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(Photo taken from Matthew Black’s Flickr Photostream.)
Everyone likes lists; especially when we get to make comparisons and argue over the results. 
An ex of a friend once brought a couple growlers of his home brew for a party. Despite being a bit “green” it was still remarkably alright and so when I read articles 
