Mara

Mara is a weird one. It’s a 9% alcohol bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout brewed with salted peanuts. Born in Toronto and sold in 500mL bottles, Mara is the brainchild of Blood Brothers Brewing. It’s a dark brown ale that pours murkily and with a thin tan head.

To my beak, Mara had a salty, slightly smoky aroma that incorporated a lot of its peanut pedigree. The flavour is honestly pretty wild—it has nuttiness and saltiness, but these notes are played against heavy chocolate elements, coffee, booze, and a woody sweetness. The beer tastes strong, but not 9% strong. And the back end is sweet, with a bourbon streak.

Mara is a weird one. It’s salty, smoky, and strong. It’s sweet, yet savoury. It’s good and interesting, but at $12 a bottle, I’m unlikely to reach for it again. It’s a bit more novelty than truly excellent beer, but there is some flair.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

The Patriarchy-The Father

Like its lower alcohol progeny, the 8.5% alcohol, 45 IBU brew known as The Father comes in wax-capped 650mL bombers. From Parsons Brewing Company in Picton, Prince Edward County, Ontario, this edition of the Devil’s Right Hand Stout series weighs In at a hefty 8.5% alcohol. 

Barrel-aged in bourbon (Woodford Reserve) and rye (Jack Daniels Rye—note to self: investigate JD Rye) casks, The Father has a thick and sticky licorice nose, mellowed with some woody aromatics. The flavour combines cocoa, espresso, licorice, vanilla, and a warm and boozy finish to create a formidable offering. Not too sweet (a regular failing of wood-aged beers)not too bitter, this beer had caramelized brown sugar notes and bitter coffee notes in moderation. 

A black beer nestled under a durable tan head, this beer looks exactly like a stout should, and tastes big: it’s both flavourful and strong. I drank The Father while I waited for a particularly exquisite steak to grill (thanks for taking my money Cumbrae’s—it was more than worth it), and by the time my cow was pink, I was salivating to a grotesque degree. This beer was a huge, indispensable part of the late lunch, and I am richer (actually fatter and poorer) for having enjoyed it. It’s late June, but I’m willing to gamble that this will be the best stout I have in 2018—prove me wrong, world!

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

KBS

During a recent trip to the ol' US of A, I effected a bold beer swap with the solid and courageous MM. To her went some of my favourite Ontario brews, and my way came some of her preferred American suds. One of those was KBS, a stout flavoured with chocolate and coffee. According to the Founders Brewing Co., of Grand Rapids, Michigan, this 2016 release of KBS is bourbon barrel aged and "is good for everything a flavo[u]red stout ought to be good for." No percentage was listed on the bottle, but KBS was clearly strong (the website told me it was actually 12.4% with 70 IBUs!!!).

Scent-wise, the beer was woody and sweet, with cocoa notes. The flavour was extremely full-bodied and wildly boozy, with notes of oak, chocolate, and java providing an assertive blend. The finish was quite bitter, but not enough to surmount the boozy sweetness that lasted from uncapping to finishing the ale. It had a very thick and syrupy mouthfeel.

 

As someone who spent a little bit of time working in government, I found the lack of explanation of the "KBS" acronym unbelievably frustrating, but I enjoyed the beer all the same. This beer was way too sweet to revisit in the short term, but I'd be glad to sip it again during the winter months. It wasn't my favourite strong stout, but I liked it well enough to revisit. The coffee notes could certainly have been stronger, but this sweet and potent Imperial stout was still pretty decent.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Weendigo Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout

Inside a wax-topped 500mL bottle that invites it's drinker to "taste the way less travelled" lives Weendigo Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout. A deep, dark, foreboding brew, Weendigo is an almost black ale. At 10.2% alcohol, it has heft to spare, and it pours with a determined and unyielding tan head. A product of London, Ontario, Weendigo is the product of the Forked River Brewing Company.

For such a powerful ale, Weendigo has a shockingly mellow, subtle aroma. It's nose is malty, tinged with woody vanilla, mocha, and molasses. These elements are duplicated in flavour form--malt is the driving force, with a sensual kiss of oak. Toward the finish, espresso bitterness demurely winks, alongside a shy but heavy hops profile. Again, for such a potent ale, it is almost mild and pleasingly smooth. As it warms, a bit more depth is revealed, with leathery notes becoming more evident. Also, its boozy warmth, evident from the get go, reaches new heights toward a pint's midpoint. It's a sleeper.

While I really enjoyed Weendigo Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, it has a real failing that is worthy of mention. Most barrel-aged beers scream their origin from the rooftops. They're aged in oak casks. They're bourbon barrel-aged. They're lovingly born of port vessels. This is a characterization that I expect and enjoy. Weendigo's packaging doesn't give any indication of its barrel stats--neither wood nor previous inhabitant. It took a visit to the Forked River website to learn that this ale was aged in barrels that once housed Jack Daniels. I'd guess oak. Too much work. That should be spelled out plainly. Otherwise, it's a splendid brew. A bit light on flavour and aroma, I was left a tad underwhelmed, but still engaged and enthusiastic. Should you acquire a bottle or two? Absolutely! Will it blow your mind? Perhaps not, though it will warm and mellow it. Will it satisfy? Easily.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.