Dark Lager
Waterloo Brewing

Dark LagerDark Lager
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From:
Waterloo Brewing
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
European Dark Lager
Ranked #70
ABV:
5%
Score:
73
Ranked #27,725
Avg:
3.16 | pDev: 18.99%
Reviews:
107
Ratings:
215
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 21, 2024
Added:
Aug 02, 2002
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  25
Looks dark, tastes light. It's Ontario's favourite dark lager. A dark beer that is slowly brewed with Canadian grown malted barley, specialty coloured malts, imported hops and pure cultured brewers yeast.

Dark lagers are enjoyed all year long, and they're not as filling as ales. Waterloo Dark will cut some of the heaviness in sauce-based meat dishes. Waterloo Dark is an equally perfect beer to go with appetizers suitable for watching sports games, or used as an actual ingredient when preparing a meal.

Experience what this great dark "light tasting" lager has to offer and why it has won multiple awards at the World Cup of Beer, Canadian Brewing Awards, Ontario Brewing Awards and the Monde Selection International Institute For Quality Selections.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by lstokes:
Photo of lstokes
Reviewed by lstokes from Illinois

2.86/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
This poured a dark brown with a tiny head, although it kept decent lacing throughout the glass. The smell is pretty non-existent, and the taste is roasted malt, some dark fruits, cola, nutty aftertastes but not really a lot of body here. Sweeter than I would ideally like, but it drinks okay and I did have two with dinner--but yeah, I don't think I'll ever think about this beer again. And it's too damn adjunct-y sweet.
Jan 03, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of paylstep
Rated by paylstep from Canada (ON)

1.75/5  rDev -44.6%
look: 1.25 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3
dark "light tasting" lager. Very little carbonation, smooth but not velvety as a nitro stout. unsurprising flavour. This is a great dark lager.
Jan 21, 2024
 
Rated: 3.77 by Boone757 from Virginia

Dec 17, 2023
 
Rated: 3.41 by Zylod from West Virginia

Nov 23, 2023
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

3.71/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Can purchased at Tiff Bell Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario.

This one pours a dark amber-ish color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like a touch of roastiness, with toasted bread and chocolate.

This is definitely a good “beginner’s” version of a dark lager, with a very smoothed over malt character – creamy, a bit generically sweet, but with some nice roasty and toasty flavors on the back end. I don’t get a whole lot of hop character.

This is light bodied, a little bit creamy, and pretty drinkable.

This is fairly average, but reasonably enjoyable all the same.
Oct 23, 2023
 
Rated: 4.72 by MakerMachiav from England

Aug 13, 2023
 
Rated: 2.79 by biteme398 from New York

Feb 24, 2023
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

4.11/5  rDev +30.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Can code, hard to decipher the date
Pours a frothy rich 1.5 finger tan head with good retention, sticky messy lacing, dark mahogany brown bordering blackish color

Nose nice dark malts, a bit of roast, fair chocolate, toasted chocolate croissant, bit of coffee and cream, a touch biscuit bready, faint baking spices

Taste more dark malts, but biscuity up front, with a mild sweet caramel-like character, and maybe a hint of nougat, more chocolate and chocolate pastry, bread crust, toast, coffee and cream with a bit of roast in general, light herbal to spicy hop with a low-med bitterness, drier finish, soft lager as well, med bitterness

Mouth is med to a bit lighter bod, quite soft, med frothy creamy carb

Overall a pretty nice dark lager
Feb 02, 2023
Photo of VandilioffReborn
Reviewed by VandilioffReborn from Canada (ON)

4.89/5  rDev +54.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Ah! Is there no finer time in the week then early afternoon on New Beer Sunday? As some carrot bread storms into the oven; its time for a beer.

Waterloo Dark Lager

Poured rather cold into a tall pint glass from sleek grey tall boy can; Waterloo Dark pours an absolutely gorgeous dark walnut brown with a thick tanned meringue head. Lots of big sticky bubbles and fine lacing.
Under the honker drifts aromas of coffee, roasted malts and back licorice. A rather full bodied aroma to say in the least.
Tastes of simple chocolate ice cream with notes of toffee and caramel. Somewhat bitter; however the bitterness is coming more from the barley then the hops. Its tastes really good.
Waterloo Dark is the beer that drinks a bit bigger than it is. As it coats the roof of your mouth with a light chocolate glazing it goes down rather fresh and quick. I could see this 5% abv lager beer going quite well with a heroic helping of fish and chips.
Dec 11, 2022
 
Rated: 4.44 by Dejas3514 from Canada (ON)

Sep 09, 2022
 
Rated: 2.93 by edthehead from Maryland

Dec 02, 2021
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

3.91/5  rDev +23.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Clear cola brown to coffee black with a moderately tall soft khaki head settling to a soft film leaving walls of insulation foam lacing.

Taste features an abundance of sassafras and raisin, accented by mild tobacco, fallen leaves and dry wood.

The second sip brings a little cola little and toasted malt via its slick medium round body, finishing powder dry.
Mar 05, 2021
 
Rated: 3.14 by Danzifer from Ohio

Oct 05, 2020
 
Rated: 2.8 by j0hnc2468 from New York

Jun 08, 2020
Photo of eberesford
Reviewed by eberesford from Canada (ON)

2.97/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours a dark brown colour with a thinnish head and slight reddish tints. Aroma: Thinish aroma with hints of caramel and chocolate. Taste: not particularly distinctive hints of toffee, chocolate, some coffee.
Aug 03, 2019
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

3.97/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
My local, in-person trader @tone77 was on a recent excursion into CANada & he brought back a number of CANadian CANned beers for me for inclusion in The CANQuest (tm)! I ran through a LOT of them on CANada Day & now, I am returning to polish off the remainder.

From the CAN: "Ontario's First Craft Brewer"; "Premium Beer"; "Since its first appearance on our award-winning Dark Lager, the mysterious wild boar has represented the stubborn pride we take in brewing our beer. Homegrown, handcrafted and without compromise. Pour the boar!"; "Four Simple Ingredients".

I Crack!ed open the vent only to hear an angry boar snorting at me from within! Ooh, I do so love a ChAlleNge. I beCAN a slow, gentle C-Line Glug so as not to rile it any more than it already was, but it still came charging up at me. I watched in rapt fascination as it performed a pseudo-cascade that settled into just over two fingers of dense, rocky, foamy, light-tan head with very good retention. Color was Brown to Dark Brown (SRM = > 22, < 27) with NE-quality clarity & cola highlights. Nose had a lightly smoky chocolatiness. I have been all over the map with these dark Lagers today so I was quite curious to have a taste. Mouthfeel was unexpectedly big, full & creamy! In a Lager!?! Wow. The taste was decidedly different from the others today. Here, it was like chocolate-enrobed caramel, like a liquefied $100 Grand CANdy bar, sans the crispy rice. Remember, just four simple ingredients! Man, this was a really nice surprise. I am not big on CANdy in my advancing age, but I have an increasing sense of nostalgia as a result. This really took me back to my childhood! I think that this would have been better on a cool, crisp Autumn afternoon as opposed to in the oppressive heat of the Summer, but I didn't know any better. Finish was in that Twilight Zone between semi-sweet & semi-dry. Very nice. YMMV.
Aug 03, 2019
 
Rated: 2.9 by matt_hill from Canada (ON)

Jul 06, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by 4ster from Canada (ON)

Jun 18, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by BlairmoreNewf from Canada (AB)

Jun 02, 2019
 
Rated: 3.64 by guzzleacoldone from Ohio

May 04, 2019
Dark Lager from Waterloo Brewing
Beer rating: 73 out of 100 with 215 ratings