Black Oak Nutcracker

Brewed by Black Oak Brewing
Style: Porter
Etobicoke, Canada

An excellent porter that I had the benefit of trying side by side at Caffe Volo in Toronto, with the nitrogen and hand pumped drafts - of course, the hand draft won hands down. It’s best when the warmer, less carbonated draft allows the flavours to emerge from the beer. It’s quite dark, with a light, frothy head. It is quite heavily malted with coffee and a bit of chocolate, and virtually no carbonation. An excellent cask draft.

Bottle: Nice coffee and chocolate aroma. Pours a dark brown with a little red shining thru when held to the light. Not much of a head. Flavor is mostly roasted coffee with some chocolate. Relatively light up front with the flavors increasing in the finish. A little sourness in the finish.

Licorice is the dominant aroma characteristic but there are some peppermint, cinammon and roasted malt notes as well. Opaque brown coloured with thin tan head that recedes to ring. Lots of roasted malt bitterness balances a strong licorice flavour with some minty notes. Mild butterscotch diacetyl in the finish. Somewhat still with medium-full body and sticky mouthfeel. Bottle. Thanks, jercraigs!

Not as good as last year. Tried on cask as well as in bottle. Rating is for the cask. Pours dark brown red with a thin soapy tan head. Smoked toffee, fruit aroma. Smoke carries over with molases. Grapefruit hops. Light milk chocolate. Sweet and sour. Favourable balance in the contrast of hops/malt. Earth and toasted bread in the dry finish.

2005 on tap and in the bottles: It is excellent again this year, probably even more flavourful with lots of cinnamon in the tap version. Plus Ken did up some nice labels and boxes for it as well. Probably now my favourite Black Oak offering, Cheers to Ken. Bottle. Extremely dark brown pour, very little tan head. Very interesting and unique aroma - roasted hints, mixed with lots of hops - lots of spice in there as well. Taste is full bodied portery goodness (yes, I just said portery - I like that made up word) - I want to say thick, but it is actually quite like on the tongue, with the cinnamon no doubt aided this "crispness" - this is a lovely easy to drink full bodied porter and a unique one at that as well. Well done Black Oak, a great tis the season beer.

Thanks Jercraigs. Nose is caramel, some grassy hops, chocolate. Cinnamon comes out in the flavor,with a nice sweet chocolate/coffee flavor. Sweetish finish. Some green hoppiness mixed with that cinnamon

2004 edition was like a dry stout. Black and very roasty flavour and aroma, would be good even after high growler fresh carbonation lessens. Drinkable with pizza. Nuts and spice and hops. Malt and bitter, evn high acidic coffee bean bitter, aftertaste. Thanks Pootzboy.

2004 edition; Poured from a bottle fresh from the brewery (thanks Jeremy). Displayed a deep dark chestnut color with ruby highlights when held to light. 1 finger tight pored brown cap that leaves some nice lacing. Moderate, small bubbled carbonation. Aromas of coffee, nuts, spice, treacle, some grassy notes...wonderful nose to this. Chewy roasted malts punctuated by toasty-chocolate tones, burnt treacle sweetness is well balanced by grassy leaf hops and spice notes (cinnamon? nutmeg?)...a bit of woodsy mustiness....the finish is long as the complex spicey malt character is stripped away slowly by an encroaching bittering.........damn fine porter with some unique character. Sturdy, spicey-bitter and warming and very drinkable. It’s a sin against man and nuture this is not more widely available.