Camerons Dark 266

Brewed by Camerons Brewing Company
Style: American Dark Lager
Oakville, Canada

Nice clear dark brown pour with pale highlights, and a silent tan head that sinks in. Smells lightly sweet with a hint of very inviting dark fruit. Taste shows very little ’lager crispness’ or hops to it and leans to a more light cherry-raisin fruit of a Mild Dark ale or something like that. A bit grape with hint of late hop bitterness. Long subtle aftertaste has toffee coffee and chocolate all hinted at. I believe the style is looked down at but in some cases like right here this brewer has a certain simple genius. Like a masterfully brewed Schwartzbier, the sum is greater than all parts.

Bottle. The beer is a dark chestnut brown colour with a one inch gray brown head. There is molasses and raisin in the aroma with gingerbread and cinnamon. Mouthfeel is reasonably light. The flavour is full of raisin, some water, caramel, sweet brown bread.

courtesy of Laurent Mousson (WBA) - clear dark ruby-amber colour with a solid and persistent beige foam; the nose is quite mineral with notes of biscuit, strong herbal notes; sticky mouthfeel, sweet and medium- to full-bodied, very watery and short finish with light notes of caramel - modest

Pours a mahogany brown with a thin white cap. The aroma is malty, a little toasty, a bit of nuttiness. And the flavour is pretty much an exact reflection of the aroma. All and all its a tasty refreshing brew, however I much prefer there cream ale.

341 ml bottle - pours a deep, deep chestnut that looks pretty opaque until held to the light - only then do some gorgeous ruby highlights make themselves known. Fluffy tan head that leaves nice lace - if someone told me this was a brown ale or even a porter (in a more dimly lit locale), i would believe them. Definitely more schwarzbier than dunkel in appearance. Aroma sweet malt, molasses, caramel, toffee, burnt treacle and a good amount of grassy hops. Flavour sweet upfront, with - as pootz notes - some charred husk character. Solid body for a lower abv%, which is commendable. There is a mild bitterness which creeps in right at the end. A unique dunkel, one I would certainly get again.

Bottle: Pours a dark chestnut-cola color...lightly hazed..decent sticky tan colored cap lasts and laces the glass. Aromas of mocha, cocoa, toffee, a light blush of wet hay and earthiness. Big dose of caramel and roasted malts in the front leave a burnt toffee on toast discernment...midway there is a wee bit of complexity with some nuts and earth tones added to the sweet roast character. Finishes slowly as the metallic and burnt husk astringency tastes slowly take over...aftertaste is lightly charred bitter with some caramel. Ample Malt backbone, sturdy body, creamy mouth feel, roasty-earthy character. Certainly a well crafted Canadian dunkel with a unique character which I enjoy. smooth, flavorful, satisfying. Certainly this brewer’s best offering and the second best dunkel on the Ontario market...hope they make this a mainstay brand.

[544-20070818] Sample @ BeerBistro (Golden Taps, Toronto, ON). Dark roasted coffee aroma is a little sweet. Dark dark black red body with a long-lasting light tan head. Grainy yeast background flavour has medium alcohol and light licorice notes. Medium-full body is a little watery. Fair, would prefer more carbonation.

341 mL bottle. Dark orange-brown with a small head that recedes to a film. Aroma of toast, hops, and dark malt. Smells like mid-boil homebrew, actually. A quick taste is enough to remind you that this is, after all, a lager. Flavour is mild, with some maltiness, a bit of mocha, a touch of hops. Nicely carbonated, but mouthfeel is a little thin and oily. Not bad, for a lager.