Trafalgar Northern Harvest Dark Ale
All or Nothing Brewhouse

Trafalgar Northern Harvest Dark AleTrafalgar Northern Harvest Dark Ale
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From:
All or Nothing Brewhouse
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
Herb and Spice Beer
ABV:
5%
Score:
78
Avg:
3.06 | pDev: 11.76%
Reviews:
3
Ratings:
12
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 25, 2014
Added:
Nov 10, 2013
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jmkoscie:
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Rated by jmkoscie from Canada (ON)

3/5  rDev -2%

Dec 04, 2013
More User Ratings:
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Reviewed by ChrisCage from Canada (AB)

3.01/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5
A- Pours a hazy dark copper/brown color and with plenty of suspended yeast in the liquid. The head is negligent, as in NONE! There is however, a thin ring of foam around my glass and thin whips that have formed what looks like a Martian from Mars Attacks! The lacing is thin as well, with runny clumps swiftly sliding back into the glass. Nothing impressive here.

S- The overall aroma is sweet like brown sugars, caramel and milk chocolate. Its very desert like in smell and I don't recall any citrus or spice, as per the labeling. I don't detect any hop presence either....just a syrupy sweet aroma.

T- This is much more crisp and clean than I would have imagined. Aside from the dominant initial sweetness of the aforementioned caramel/toffee, chocolate and darker sugars, there is an Earthy, piney quality that just hits the back of the palate to balance everything. I would say that it's a blend of the Ontario grown hops, and I suppose the juniper berries used in the brewing process. It is somewhat woody, somewhat of tart spice and somewhat piney. It is unique to say the least.....

M/O- This is a thin bodied brew with plenty of carbonation, but not in the palate scrubbing fashion. It is thirst quenching yet with enough flavor that sticks to the palate for a time after the swallow. I don't know if this is a beer that I like enough to get again, as I feel there are better dark ales out there. I think I may give it another shot, as I don't find it offensive, but I think it leaves behind an uninspired memory.
Nov 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by iL0VEbeer from New Jersey

Nov 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.3 by SadMachine from New Jersey

Nov 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by Pmicdee from Canada (ON)

Apr 02, 2014
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Reviewed by TerryW from Canada (ON)

3.03/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
This is the first Trafalgar in longer than I can remember that I haven't had cause to immediately slag. Right out of the gate it is absent that odious Trafalgar funk. Progress has been made.

After that, though, I'm afraid the best I can do is damn with faint praise. A very ordinary beer, subdued across the board. A little bit of an oddly pleasant twist from the juniper. After that a very common dark ale, but drinkable.

And in an ironic touch, it looked very fine poured into the Pepsi glass I happened to pull down from the cupboard. Cola dark with a proper head, some moderate lace.
Jan 31, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by BigGruntyThirst from Canada (ON)

Jan 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by lgmol from Canada (NS)

Dec 25, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by cfalovo97 from Canada (ON)

Nov 24, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by RedAleMan from Canada (ON)

Nov 14, 2013
 
Rated: 2 by deonreds from New York

Nov 13, 2013
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Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

3.35/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
500 mL bottle picked up at the LCBO; best before March 2014. I swore off this brewery a while ago after enduring a certain cherry ale, but to be fair it's been over a year since I said that, and there's only so many new beers to try. Served slightly chilled.

Pours an attractive, hazy reddish-amber colour, with an aggressive pour producing a full finger of soapy, off-white head that seeps away over the next few minutes. A wispy cap and narrow collar manage to survive - this looks much better than most of this brewery's beers. Decent aroma, with nothing of real interest to note - toffee sweetness, roasted malts, maybe a hint of chocolate/coffee. A little spicy.

This tastes noticeably better than most of the beers in Trafalgar's portfolio. The malt backbone is lightly roasted and decidedly sweet, with brown sugar and caramel figuring in strongly. The juniper berries make themselves known closer to the finish, with hints of woody pine and light smoke also coming through. The aftertaste is slightly roasty, with some juniper and piney herbal astringency that lingers. Medium-bodied, with moderate carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel. This beer has a resiny quality that causes the aftertaste to cling to the palate - it annoys me a little, but if I were drinking this with a meal I probably wouldn't even notice.

Final Grade: 3.35, eking out a B-. Trafalgar Northern Harvest is a decent herbed dark ale, and a downright impressive brew when taken within the context of who brewed it - probably their best release since India Ink. It's nothing spectacular, but if you go in with tempered expectations this is a reasonably satisfying fall/winter warmer with a pleasant juniper twinge. Better than the Twisted Spruce I tried last night - I'd consider getting this again next year if it were a buck or two cheaper, which kind of speaks volumes.
Nov 11, 2013
Trafalgar Northern Harvest Dark Ale from All or Nothing Brewhouse
Beer rating: 78 out of 100 with 12 ratings