Hockley Dark
Hockley Valley Brewing Co.

Hockley DarkHockley Dark
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From:
Hockley Valley Brewing Co.
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
English Dark Mild Ale
Ranked #39
ABV:
5%
Score:
83
Ranked #24,130
Avg:
3.65 | pDev: 10.14%
Reviews:
96
Ratings:
161
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 17, 2023
Added:
Aug 12, 2004
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  13
No description / notes.
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Ratings by scott451:
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Reviewed by scott451 from Canada (ON)

3.87/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Poured into a pint glass. A thin fine tan head which soon diminished to a ring. A clear reddish dark amber.

Sweet malt smells. Ripe fruit. Some phenols. Plums and figs. Ripe fruit taste. Plum and fig again. Quite lively for a brown ale. Bready yeast at the finish.

Quite light really. Moderate carbonation. Very sessionable.
Nov 07, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.19 by MakerMachiav from England

Nov 17, 2023
Photo of LanceBiggums
Reviewed by LanceBiggums from Canada (AB)

4.19/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours a near-opaque dark brown with only a hint of mahogany around the edge and a three-finger head of frothy, uneven, large-bubbled head that dissipates quickly and leaves only sparse lacing. The smell is rich, chocolatey, and earthy. The taste is full of chocolate and toffee malts, a hint of overripe dark fruit, and musty earthy hops. The mouthfeel is very smooth, maybe slightly fuller than middleweight. Overall this is a very good dark ale. For some reason I was very skeptical about its claims of being a "Traditional English Ale," but in fact this is actually does taste, smell, and feel quintessentially English. Cheers.
Feb 04, 2022
Photo of BPVandenbroek
Reviewed by BPVandenbroek from Canada (AB)

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Hockley Dark fills my glass a dark ruby color, edging towards leathery brown. Pinpoint carbonation supports a rocky, cream colored head with decent retention.
The aroma starts out with a combination of bread malts and ripe fruit esters. In the middle I get nuttiness like you would find in a good English brown ale. Hints of leather and earth combine with brown sugar sweetness. Ripe fruit esters remind me overall of dark stone fruits. All of this combines together without giving an impression of overpowering sweetness. I think the aromas of nuts, leather, and earth combine to balance out the beer’s other aromas.
On the tongue, Hockley Dark is smooth with a pleasant, up front sweetness. It tastes somewhat like a combination of rye bread, toffee, and the sweetness of ripe fruit. In the center I get a combination of earthiness and nuttiness, giving Hockley Dark’s flavor depth and structure. Medium carbonation helps carry these flavors smoothly, and easily across the tongue.
In making this beer, Hockley Brewing combined the English northern brown ale with the English mild. These are two beers that are very similar to each other, but have their own differences. Hockley Dark does a very decent job combining those qualities into a cohesive whole. I very much like how this beer presents sweet flavors balanced with more earthy flavors, giving the whole thing a very drinkable balance.
Mar 31, 2021
Photo of swim
Reviewed by swim from Canada (ON)

3.66/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
L: Very dark essentially opaque brown with a tinge of red when held to the light. Thin layer of sand coloured head.
S: Yeasty and a bit alcoholic, spicy and herbal hops, light crackery malts
T: Nicely balanced rich flavour. Warm notes of cocoa and caramel toffee malts. Not overly bitter. Light lingering aftertaste.
F: Light body, low carbonation, medium dry finish.
O: A nice light dark beer. Lives up to the claims on the can of mild, light body, full flavour.
Jan 31, 2021
 
Rated: 3.72 by quadmad from Canada (ON)

May 04, 2020
 
Rated: 3.88 by garthbrennan from Tennessee

Nov 14, 2019
Photo of VoxRationis
Reviewed by VoxRationis from New York

4.29/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Served from a can in a nonic pint glass at Marienbad Restaurant in London, Ontario.
A: Pour a crystal clear, dark copper color with garnet, diminishing to ochre, highlights, a 2 finger light brown head, solid retention and lacing.
S: Tangy/tart nose with aromas of caramel, molasses, and cocoa.
T: Tart, but semidry with flavors consistent with a light presence of molasses, sarsaparilla, cherrywood, and plum. Earthier as it warms. Solid bitterness keeps it very dry.
M: Light to medium bodied with moderate to strong carbonation.
O: This is a very flavorful and enjoyable, English Dark Mild. Wish it were available in my area, goes great with roasted meats.
Aug 27, 2019
 
Rated: 4.04 by bryanzk from Canada (ON)

Aug 23, 2019
 
Rated: 3.73 by RobinLee from Wisconsin

May 25, 2019
 
Rated: 3.95 by achepil from Canada (ON)

May 10, 2019
 
Rated: 3.66 by mistahmojoryan from Canada (SK)

Jun 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.78 by captainhampton from Canada (ON)

Nov 25, 2017
Photo of JPNesker
Reviewed by JPNesker from Canada (ON)

4.14/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Another bullseye. Spot on for the style. Yeasty esters dominate the nose and sip until the malt hits like a tsunami. Light carbonation and heavy body fooled me into thinking this was pulled from a cask for a second. Bravo! Nice burtonization here, minerality is perfectly executed.
Feb 24, 2017
Photo of Cramshawbar
Reviewed by Cramshawbar from Canada (ON)

3/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A harmless beverage, really. A type I might have enjoyed years ago, prior to getting to know the discriminating brews from around the world. Alas, this was my first and last try.
Jan 01, 2017
 
Rated: 3.77 by ikidunot from Canada (ON)

Aug 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.53 by nullbort from Canada (ON)

Jul 22, 2016
 
Rated: 3.9 by Geosuds from Spain

Jun 06, 2016
 
Rated: 3.74 by Mousel from Canada (ON)

Jun 06, 2016
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Reviewed by SenorBiggles from Canada (ON)

3.73/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
A solid dark ale that's on the mild side, but puts together a nice balance of flavours. I can't find much to complain about here, except that it 's not particularly complex or bold. Aroma and taste are more reminiscent of English ales then the other dark ales I've had from Ontario. which is a nice niche to have filled.
Feb 05, 2016
Hockley Dark from Hockley Valley Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 161 ratings