Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus

Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus comes from those clever brewers at the Sawdust City Brewing Co., from Gravenhurst, Ontario. These suds pack a wallop, punching at 10.2% alcohol and 60 IBUs. According to the 473mL can, this stuff is a "Uranal Imperial Stout", though it has the hallmarks of a Russian one. Perhaps Uranus was in the atmosphere above Russia when this beer was conceived?

Lovely to look at, LDVTU is a black hole of an ale topped with a thick foam of brown head. It's nose is pushy and bitter, with tobacco and cocoa at the fore. The mouthfeel is pretty velvety for a strong beer, though it does have a bit of a crunch toward the end of each sip. It's taste isn't exactly overwhelming, and features a blanket of warm booze on top of tobacco, molasses, and chocotastic notes. It's bitter, too, but not overly so. It doesn't taste abrasively strong, but it is, so tread lightly. 10.2% isn't to be sneered at.

Conclusions after my Long, Dark Journey to Uranus? The flavour isn't as assertive as I was expecting (hoping for), but it is clearly well crafted ale made by expert beer-smiths. It's smooth and inviting, warm and chocolatey, strong and tasty. Plus, it isn't too sweet, which, when downing strong stouts, is a real risk. Buy it? Most definitely!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.