Black Oak Nutcracker

Brewed by Black Oak Brewing
Style: Porter
Etobicoke, Canada

Draught @ Gourmet Food & Wine Show: Man, I must just love porters, as they seem to be joining stouts at the top of my rates. This one is well deserving of a place near the top as I got a chance to try the 2006 (ie. 4th) edition of this seasonal. Pours red and black, very good thick head. Aroma of deep roasted coffee and spices, very inviting. The flavour is exceptional, boasting a lot of malts with a noticeable amount of cinnamon inside that dark roasted coffee and bitter dark chocolate. It’s complex and it’s so tasty I couldn’t stay away. It was the talk of the show tonight, can’t wait to try it again.

341 ml bottle. pours very dark brown. aromas of coffee, dark fruit, chocolate, a touch of cinnimon but only after it warmed. flavours are chocolate, fig, coffee and cinnimon in the finish. well crafted and enjoyable.

(2003 vintage) Very dark ruby-brown colour with a thin tan head. Complex aroma of coffee, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom & pepper. Body is rich, smooth and slightly creamy. Roasty, toasty, nutty flavour with notes of chocolate and cinnamon. Mmmmmm-mmmmmm-good!

341 ml Bottle from Harry! Thanks! Nose of rich chocolate, chocolate, more chocolate, and very faint spices; black with lightly hazy brown edges and a medium cinnamon colored head; flavor is chocolate, some hoppy bitterness, some roastiness, and a bit of cinnamon showing later just before the bitter finish kicks in. Pretty good porter! This is one I think Degarth would like!

on tap @ The Beer Bistro. Lovely beer, quite a bit more coffeeish than last year, but all the flavours are still there. lots of cinnamon, and spices, but a little more coffee, and bitterness than i remember, but all in all, very very nice.

330ml bottle/cask at the Victory Café - I bought 24 of these, simply assuming it would be great based on Black Oaks other beer (and especially their seasonals)...I was right. Pours black with a nice brown head, much like the crema on a shot of espresso. This is that dark as well. The head stuck around in a thin layer throughout the glass. Aroma is of sweet, roasted malt, with a good dose of cinnamon in there. This combines to almost smell of spiced fruit - maybe cherries perhaps? Flavour is actually quite light and very drinkable, but still full and rich. Roasted malt, cinnamon, light coffee and chocolate come at you in waves, before a slightly hoppy, bitter finish. Rather complex.The flavour stays a long time in the mouth. Very good porter, and perfect for the season. Yet another fantastic beer from Black Oak. Unique.

341 ml bottle - pours blaaaaack, with tiny ruby highlights at glass bottom, and with huuuuge tan head. Delicious slightly sweet aroma that really accentuates the cinnamon, but there is the roasted malt to rein in the spice element. Flavour is so great, the aforementioned cinnamon followed by some smoke and roasted malt, trailing into one of the longest finishing beers I’ve ever had - fading notes of both coffee and chocolate, with the cinnamon again playing an important role, sweetening everything up a bit. Body just slightly too thin, but that’s just a minor quibble. This is a beer that truly benefits from being served at cellar temperature - cool, NOT cold. Put it in the fridge 15 minutes before serving and you’ve got a mighty fine beer on hand. Superb, and perfect for the Christmas season. I’m so excited I’ve got 21 more to enjoy....Black Oak’s seasonals are things of beauty. This will single-handedly get me through the winter.

Picked up a few bottles at the brewery. Pours almost black with a huge brown head. Big aromas of coffee and nutty, dark chocolate. Taste is coffee, roasted malt and dark chocolate. Taste really improves as the beer warms. Medium bodied and smooth. Nice malt/bittermess balance. Well done Black Oak!