Sleeman Original Dark

Brewed by Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. (Sapporo)
Style: Amber Ale
Guelph, Canada

Porterpounder’s description of “weak tea” – exactly. Would like to become a Newcastle clone one day but has the body of a lager. I used to get this for free from a contact and I enjoyed it on that level – it did have some malty taste to it, but really, there isn’t much to it. I love the deep well water corporate description though – keep diggin’ boys.

Seems like a lager trying to be an ale. Brown color and slight caramel aroma. Light body, a little sweet. Not bad, but nothing special.

Bottled - Blue Meaney Toronto. On first drinking this I thought it was an imitation of Newcastle Brown and I still think this is what they are aiming for but it is slightly thinner yet has more going on with a bit more nuttiness. Would try again to compare the two.

Deep amber color beer with a thin creamy white head that holds on a little longer than their Cream Ale.(which is not very). Clean lager-like aroma, not too much going on here. Taste remindes me of their Cream Ale, with a little more nuttiness and a little more hop bitterness in the finish. Some corn in there, for sure. I like the Cream Ale's flavor better. Well carbonated. Easily consumed beer for macro lovers that can be a weak spot for better beer lovers (like me). Sorry, that sounded beer snobbish.

Modified notes: They’ve changed the bottle to brown, which ordinarily would have earned it an extra appearance point, except that I overrated it earlier.Good whiskey-colored beer, good bottle, except it’s clear. This actually tastes a lot like a marzen. Nutty, lightly sweet, definite lager characteristics. Tangy, medium bittering. Decent mouth, with just the faintest bit of chocolate in the finish. Not bad, not bad at all. Zippy carbonation. This deserves better than a 16 percentile!

Looks like a glass of weak tea, a little bit of an off-white head, decent lacing. Halfway decent aroma, pick up some caramel notes and some peanuts. Has a sweet taste to it at first then turns a bit metallic near the end. Pick up notes of nuts, brown sugar and maple syrup. Not a bad moutfeel, has some thickness to it. Probably the best of the Sleeman Sample Pack that I picked up today.

Poured about the color of a dark iced tea. What little head there was left immediately. Aroma was of toasted malt and flavor of burnt malt and maybe some caramel. Carbonation adequate. I won't seek this one out again. I got this in a sampler pack and I'm afraid all of Sleemans products leave much to be desired.

Crystal clear dark amber ale with a medium sized off-white head. Hoppy aroma and some very minimal mild malt and fruit. Flavour is odd, metallic, with some molasses and brown sugar as well as an unidentifiable sour, sulphurous smell. Horrible balance with very little bitterness and plenty of sickly sweetness. The worst I've had from Sleeman's yet... and that's saying something.