The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 6: Dark Helmüt

Beer # 396 Dark Helmüt

Brewery: Beau's All Natural Brewery


Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  2006

Location: Van Kleek Hill, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Imperious (*ahem* Imperial) Schwarzbier

ABV: 7.3%      IBU: 33

Format: Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 600 ml

Cost: $5.49 ($21.95 for a 4 bottle mix Pack) CAD   Purchased At: LCBO

beausallnatural

    @beausallnatural

All rise in the presence of... Dark Helmüt.

It's not exactly news, but we love movies here at Pint Jockey Headquarters. And if you put a gun to our heads and asked us what the one absolute greatest Sci-fi space adventure Parody starring Rick Moranis was... well we could only come up with one answer... SPACEBALLS.

Now that I think about it I guess that's the only answer... But I digress. What does this has to do with Stealing air from Druidia? Wait... No... We came here to use the Schwarz... Schwarzbier that is. Swarzbier is a dark lager rich in malt and coffee nuances. Just like Spaceballs is rich in silliness and pop culture references. Dark Helmüt is a beer from Beau's Wild Oats series which pops up every now and then and it is actually a beer I have had on my bucket list for some time. Mainly because... well... SPACEBALLS.

So without further ado...

PREPARE TO TASTE BEER

Ok... lets just go...

Pours an Imperious dark chestnut brown with a short helmut (I mean head) made up of small bubbles. Rich smoky malt, coffee, and chocolate dominate the nose. Roasty toasty malt hits you right off the bat followed by some good bitter coffee, and espresso. Light in body, warming and slightly sweet. Alcohol is present but takes a back seat to the flavour. Nutty, molasses, black licorice, brown sugar, and light green hints of hops spark at the end. Aeration gives us more brown sugar with carmelised figs, raisins and some prunes. Hints of dry grass, hazelnuts. hints of whiskey and vodka on the finish.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS
Christmas Cheer 5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

Wow, full of flavour and good mix of roasty and bitter flavours. Certainly lives up to the legacy of one of my all time favourite movies. A delicious beer if you can get your hands on one.

CJT

 Let's Stay "Social" Follow my adventures here

   @pintjockey




The Pintjockey Online


pintjockey

And don't forget to "Friend" me on Untappd.

8th Sin Black Lager Hop City Brewing Company

#205 8th Sin Black Lager

Hop City Brewing Company

Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Saint John, New Brunswick
Wholly Owned Craft Beer Subsidiary of Moosehead Breweries
Black Lager
5.0 % ABV 473 ml Aluminium Can 
$2.85 (Canadian) At LCBO 

Twitter: @HopCityBrewing

Another trip down to Hop City... (Sounds like a song). I was quite enamoured with this can and it's "Dias de Muertos" (Day of the Dead) decorated skull. The skull motif is very popular in Mexico where it is a remembrance of family and friends that have passed. Families travel to cemeteries to clean and maintain graves and then enjoy a feast and party to celebrate their lost loved ones. A special treat is often given to the children on this day a "Calavera" a decorated sugar skull. (I've had one, it's like eating a giant sugar cube, but very fun!)

Examples of Calavera

The 8 in 8th sin refers to the eight different malt used to produce is very dark colour.

Onto our tasting...

Pours and inky brown/black with fluffy off-tan head made up of small bubbles, that disperse quickly. Aroma is sweet malt, burnt sugar, licorice and vanilla. First sip is caramel, coffee, and nuts. Body is very light, almost watery. Finish is funky marijuana scented hops. Aeration accentuates the vanilla caramel, and slight mocha hints.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS

Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience:  4/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

Very refreshing and a surprising amount of flavour. Like a lager and a very light stout had a baby. However the body is very weak, a problem I noted with another Hop City beer, Hopbot IPA. Which is surprising because I am a fan of their other beer Barking Squirrel, which is not shy in the flavour or body department. Is it a good beer? Yes, very much so. Tasty? Indeed. Should you try it? Of course. Would I buy it again? Probably not... I do like my beers to have a little oomph.

CJT


Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

And don't forget to "Friend" me on Untappd.