Barley Days Wind & Sail Dark Ale

Best damned beer I have ever had. What’s a complex toasted note?

On tap. Deep honey brown with a solid creme coloured head. Grassy hops, honey malt, hints of spices. Smooth, slightly tangy, finish, with a touch of grassy hops. Really enjoyed it.

Pours a deep burgundy with a very small off white to tan head. Nose is moslty roasted malt and some chalky dark bitterness. Flavour is very much the same thing. A little bit of coffee and dark bakers chocolate. It is kind of chalky in the finish, and there is a bit of toffee flavour in there somewhere if you pay attention. It is pretty creamy, but the carbonation is a tiny bit sharp for the creaminess to really feel right. Not bad though. Tastes a bit dark for how red it looks, but otherwise an enjoyable beer.

On Tap at the WINKING JUDGE in Hamilton, Ontario. Amber body with a nice brownish head that lasts through to the end. Sweet malty flavour....maybe some nutty flavour as well? Aromas of malt and something else I am not familiar with. Sort of strange aroma to be honest. Nice mouth feel, medium to full bodied.

341 ml bottle from LCBO. Pours dark copper in colour, with caramel coloured head, which dissipates quickly. Strong sweet, nutty aroma. Flavour is also sweet, roasted malt. Hoppy finish. Nice beer!

Draught sample at C’est What Spring/06 Festival of Small Breweries. These guys seems to have finally licked their infection problems, so they deserve to be re-rated. Pours a clear copper-amber with a thin tan head. Very nice aroma, nutty with some caramel and mocha. Body is on the thin side, but OK. Flavour starts with caramel malt, turns a bit soapy in the middle, and finishes with some coffee and roast. Quite well done - let’s hope they can keep it up!

Original rating: Bottle shared with blankboy, HogTownHarry & tupalev - courtesy me, from DerWeg. Ruddy amber colour, actually looks pretty nice. Aroma - not as overwhelmingly awful as the lager, but there’s definately some uninentional sourness behind the chocolate malt notes. The infection really comes through in the flavour, although the malt made it possible to get a couple of decent sized sips down before it joined its lighter brother down the drain... [3/4/3/2/5]

Dark reddish brown ale with a thin lacing off white head. To style in aroma, with nice butterscotch and caramel malt. In mouth, a decent caramel malt, with nutty notes, decent English hops, and buttery mouthfeel. A good renewal for this brewery. On tap at KBC, Sep. 30, 2006.

This ale poured a black colour with a nice dense, foamy, tan coloured head. To the nose there are scents of roasted malt, caramel, ripe fruit and coffee. First taste was serious on the roasted side, slightly thin but the flavour makes up for it. Slightly smokey with flavours of caramel and coffee bean. Finish was burnt and slightly bitter. Very good, reminds me of the Stone Hammer Dark from F & M Brewery in Guelph, Ontario, Canada