Heritage Traditional Dark Lager

Kichesippi Beer Company
Formerly brewed at Heritage Brewing Limited
Style: American Dark Lager
Ottawa, Canada

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Shaker

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The best Dunkel I’ve been able to find this side of the Atlantic. Not quite like a tall glass poured in a smoky German pub, but very nice regardless. And to think, after many months of looking (not knowing that the kind of beer I tried and loved in Germany is called a Dunkel), it’s brewed just down the road from me.

Originally rated August 2004. Tried this beer for the first time at Zaphod’s in Ottawa, on tap, a few years ago. Was blown away ! Now I buy it in a 6 pack of stubbies. I have also bought this beer in a 20 litres and 50 litres for poker nights. Pours a dark amber-red colour with a medium beige head. Small amount of lacing. Low carbonation, but a good malt scent. Starts with a fruity-sweet taste and finishes with a mild bitter bite. Still prefer this one on tap. This brew kills the other one, Premium Lager, that they make. One of my favorite session beer.

Beautiful dark lager, first sampled at the 2007 London Beer Festival. (341ml bottle)

Nice red brown colour and pleasantly oaky body. Light but slighlty sweet malty flavor. A very acceptable drink.

UPDATED: DEC 12, 2007 341ml stubby bottle. Pours an amber colour, with a very minimal head. The aroma is an interesting blend of roasted malts with some odd elements, like chocolate, it kind of reminds me of Wellington’s Dark Ale, oddly enough. The taste is nice actually, mostly malts, almost like a bitter, but with some sour notes, and a very smooth, creamy body. It is kind of chewy and nutty for sure, not much hops to speak of, but with a sticky and sweet malty aftertaste that lasts. I actually am really enjoying this one, I don’t know what all the mediocre to low ratings are about, I guess maybe it’s not a perfect example of the style, but it’s still very tasty and enjoyable (then again it’s my after-work beer for the day so maybe I’m ready to enjoy almost anything). Nicely done Heritage brewing, I just wish I could have more access to your other beers ’round these here parts!

Pours a nice deep copper to red colour with a thin tan head that goes away almost instantly. Nose is a little bit smoky, and some sweet roasty malts. Flavour is pretty sharp and very sweet. There’s some nice bitterness in the finish. Carbonation is low, but very nice. On the whole a very nice drinking beer.

clear copper, off white head. sweet malt and citrus hop aroma. clean and crisp flavours of fruity malt hinting at orange and peach, and a citrusy hop finish. well done.

Good head retention and lacing . A fair taste of maltiness on the tongue. Not bad, not to heavy, for the style I can have some more of these.

Bottle (341ml). At Pub Italia, Ottawa. Poured clear amber with a small off-white diminishing head - not bad, but also not DARK. Citrusy hop/malt aroma - like fresh-squeezed orange and grapefruit, medium slightly roasty malt, a touch of oak and yeast - nice. Taste follows the nose, starts juicy sweet finishes somewhat resiny-bitter, and there’s definitely a caramel character in there too. Palate is lightly creamy but a little too flat - medium bodied. This is a lovely brew, but I have a hard time thinking "dunkel" when I drink it - nice and balanced and easy to drink.

Sample at April 2007 Brewnosers meeting. Brown with a fizzy off-white head. Toffee and citrusy hop aroma. Light toffee flavours with a citrusy bitter finish. Light bodied, but still refreshing. Not a chance I dould have pegged this as a dunkel. Given the ramblings over at the Bar Towel about Heritage dumbing down Sargeant Major’s IPA, I wonder if they didn’t mix up a batch and bottle this as the Sarge, because it certainly could have passed as a dark and somewhat dumbed down IPA. In any case, it was decent.