Hockley Valley Dark

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

A very nice, unusual-looking dark with nuances of black, dark brown and purple concentrating in different areas of the glass. Subtle, pleasant aromas of dark malt, coffee and milk chocolate. Plush, creamy palate is exceptionally smooth. Chocolate flavours abound, and evolve from a milk chocolate beginning to a dark, almost bitter chocolate finish. The type of beer you use to convert a non-beer-drinker into a beer drinker.

Can and 1L bottle. Pours a dark chestnut color with a fluffy off-white head. Nice earthy/malty/chocolate aroma. Dominant malts in the flavor, a little sweet malt which is offset by the roasted/burnt notes. Not bad at all, especially as a warmer on a cool autumn day. Worth buying again.

500ml can. Deep brown in colour, head is tan and compact. Dark malt aroma. Flavour is again dark malt, roasty, dark chocolate notes, trace black licorice. Finish has some roasty asrtingincy. Quite a satisfying pint.

Can. Pours a dark ruby-black with a large light-brown rocky head. The aroma, which I really like, is of roasted malt, milk chocolate and caramel. The flavour starts with roasted malt and caramel then ends with a nutty lightly bitter taste. Nicely balanced with a good amount of carbonation. This is a well made quality beer and I get it often.

Thanks to a friend who brought it from Canada. Thick, fluffy tan(ish) head, dissipates at a medium pace. Extremely dark red/brown. Brown ale ? Maybe. Dunkel like. Malty aroma, nothing special, but nothing bad. The flavor consists of liquorice, caramel malts and nothing much else, simple but nice. Easy drinking.

Can (500ml). Poured a deep black with ruby edges against a strong light, very clear - an average light brown, creamy head with a few darker spots, fair lacing. The aroma is quite light - chocolate, medium hops, roasted malt and grains, and after a bit of warming interesting roast chestnut and root beer sweetness. Taste is grainy-bitter, semi-sweet chocolate, quite a bit of average strength hop & grain, some vanilla over top of it all. After a balanced start, it heads toward slightly bitter, with a grainy, woody finish. A slightly thick, sticky mouthfeel. A very interesting dark - definitely not a stout or porter - I will buy it again and am proud a southern ontario craft brewer does a good dark beer; it would be lovely on cask!

07.12.05 500ml can, non-nitro. Dark ruby brown, sparkling and clear, under an average sized light brown froth of diminishing suds. Average malts for a brown ale, caramel, toasty nuts; light grass and mild celery with hints of earth and wet leaves. Dr. Pepper notes as well, touches of cardboard and dates. Thin and light body is somewhat mineral, lively. Finish is earthy astringent with a detritus/acid tannic bite. I wish the acid-sourness was more assertive, otherwise it’s one of the better canned beers I’ve ever enjoyed.

Light malt aroma. Some sourness and malt. Very mouth drying finish. Session ale, drinks well. Not a lot of excitement.