Hockley Valley Dark

500 ml can. Poured nice and dark with a nice heavy head. Aroma of chocolate and fruit and a nice, full-bodied flavour. This is one of the best bitters going.

Poured out of the 500 mL can a really heavy dark tan head of big frothy bubbles. Everything else is a dark, opaque brown with red at the edges. The head hung around for longer than expected, remained a lacy topping throughout. Aroma is mild grassy hops (it gets grassier as it warms), sweet molasses and toasted malt. Mouthfeel is medium-full bodied with pleasant spicy carbonation that’s more intense than usual. Right away I detect grape sweetness on the tongue, some honey (more as it warms), mild hoppy bitterness. Some roasted coffee beans hang around. In the aftertaste, I get a bit of tangy chocolate. I enjoy this one quite a bit. It goes the extra distance without trying to be too explosive or too showy. Good to have on a warm summer night on the patio.

Can, courtesy of hogtownharry - thanks! Pours a clear deep mahogany color with a huge, foamy beige head that diminished leisurely. Aroma of toasty malts, roasty nuts, hints of molasses and vegetal matter, with some floral hoppiness. Flavor doesn’t live up to the promise of the aroma, somewhat sweet, again a nuttiness and roasty bitterness, hints of coffee along with a slightly unbalanced burst of herbal and vegetal hop flavors in the finish. Medium body and gentle carbonation. Not bad for a canned beer though.

Can. Poured a very dark amber color with a ruby tint and small tan head. Aroma of roasted sweet malt, light coffee, prunes, and a hint of olive juice that showed every time I swirled the glass. Sweet roasty flavor with some hop bitterness. Flavor at the end had some tartness. Something about the beer seemed to be lacking.

Nice, good aroma, nice smoky touches, smooth and subtle. Great brew, interesting depth. Nothing overly special, just good.

A great, sweet, chocolaty dark ale. I loved it, especially being from the convenience of a can, and Canadian.

Canette de 500 ml achetée à la LCBO (Kingston, ONT) lors d’un séjour au Charleston Lake Provincial Park. Arôme: Odeur de caramel, de chocolat et de petits fruits foncés. Apparence: La couleur est ambrée foncée avec une faible densité de bulle. Présence d’un moyen col beige mousseux et d’une large dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de caramel, de chocolat et d’épices. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture minérale. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Présence de caramel en arrière goût. (Rating #494)

New Rating 07/01/01: 1L Bottle: Found this one in a festive swing-top bottle for New Year’s Eve, figured it was worth another try. Poured light in head again, but this time a bit more orange and red to the colour. Extremely light-bodied, almost watery, with some elements of caramel, toffee, and roasted malts. Very one-dimensional and average.<P> Original Rating 06/05/22: 500ml Can: Not sure if mine was old or what was up, but I got none of the head the other reviewers speak of. Poured deep black with hints of red and zero zilch zip head for me. Aroma was an awesome sweet toffee, and it lasted throughout, as strong at the end as the start. High carbonation in the mouth, with a flavour heavy in sweet toffee and chocolate alongside coffee. Do as the can says and drink it "cool", as it approaches room temperature the flavours really come out. A well done dark ale, I’d definitely have it again. (8/2/7/3/16)