Hockley Valley Dark

Brewed by Hockley Valley Brewing & Malting Company
Style: Brown Ale
Orangeville, Canada

50cl can, Shelburne. Very dark brown, almost black. Sweet malty aroma. Nice feel in the mouth, roasted malts, sweet and nutty. Nice finish, some bitterness.

Thick, long lasting tan head of three fingers that leaves much lacing with dark red complexion body. Caramelized malts and hops to the nose. Dark bitter chocolate, coffee and malt taste with biting, bitter aftertaste. Palate is rich, creamy and bitter. Pleasantly surprised at the quality here. Worth buying again (and again??).

500mL can from LCBO. Pours a very dark red/brown, translucent when held to light. Small, vanishing head leaves a decent amount of lace. Aroma of malt, fruit. Nicely complex flavour, nutty malt with a good touch of sweetness, some fruit flavour, good level of hops. Finishes clean, bit of a nutty aftertaste, with a nice light body. Good when older, but superb when fresh (less than a month old).

473 ml can - pours a deep brown, almost black, but when held to the light, it is slightly transparent. One of the darker brown ales I’ve had. Nice head, though that goes fairly quickly to a surface layer. Aroma of chocolate malt, plum, light tar. Taste is really good - sweet, malty, nicely (under)carbonated - almost straddles the line between a malty brown ale and a mild ale. Not much finish. Very well-rounded. Also, I have had the 1L bottle, and while there are differences, the totals probably come out about the same (maybe a bit higher in the bottle’s favour). Nevertheless, I always pick up a few cans of this whenever I get the chance. A truly enjoyable beer of real quality.

Dark and somewhat creamy. This was my first experience with dark beers, so it was both attractive and bitter at the same time. It was one of those "gosh it’s so bitter, but i wanna try it again" experience. Nothing over the top, but a very good brew nonetheless. I can definitely taste the malt. Tan head and a little dry. It’s something that I would enjoy again.

Aroma: Roasty Sulphury (well water smell) Appearance: Brown with a tan head good foam stand with tight bead of bubbles Flavour: Dry raosty, Clean ester profile but with a sulphur character. Long bitter hang Mouthfeel: Good body, medium and dextrinous Overall: Easy drinking with clean esters lacks ale complexity, Sulphur character detracts

It hs a lttle greays tatse. Dark and good colour. Like a Ruby Mild. Veyr drinkable.

500 mL can. Dark, dark copper brown. Creamy dark head that sticks and persists. Nice aroma of chocolate and a bit of stewed prunes. Interesting flavour - a little more complex than some of the other brown ales. Very light-bodied. A lot of sweetness on the palate, with a slightly bitter finish.