I had a bottle of this the last time The Rhino got a batch of Garrison's beers, but I didn't review it because I was feeling a bit lazy. Now that the LCBO has them in stock, I had to redeem myself and do the right thing - sit down with the beer and a laptop in a quiet room.
The beer is hazy (well, it is unfiltered) and has a dark brown, almost black color. It pours smoothly with a creamy tan head with a very long retention time. Just a sip after I first poured it, I had to leave my glass on the table to go deal with something. When I came back 10 minutes later, a finger thick head was still sitting on top of the dark brew.
The aroma is amazing - roasted malt, some chocolate/coffee and a whole bunch of hops. The taste is bold with roasted notes coming forward and followed by hops. Some coffee/chocolate notes are present, but do not fully emerge on their own until towards the finish. The finish is hoppy with a lot of roasted notes and a bit of coffee. Some sweetness is present, but it gets easily covered up by the hoppy/roasted character of the beer.
Overall, this is a fantastic brew and I will be sad when it flies off the shelves.
Scores:
Cost - $4.25
Taste - 8.9/10
ABV - 6.2%
Overall - 8.9/10...hoppy with roasted notes - excellent
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