Stratford Empire Strikes Black
Stratford Brewing Company
- From:
- Stratford Brewing Company
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- Schwarzbier
- ABV:
- 7%
- Score:
- +5 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.51 | pDev: 7.98%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 5
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 02, 2009
- Added:
- Nov 01, 2009
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by eat from Canada (QC)
3.22/5 rDev -8.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
3.22/5 rDev -8.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
From notes taken at Volo Cask Days 2009.
Pours with an absence of head. Not quite black, it kind of looks like root beer with no carbonation.
Smells like molasses and oats. It's not surprising there isn't much smell given the complete lack of head.
Slight smoke, molasses, some sourness and a bitter, lingering hoppy finish. A little alcohol bite.
The feel is too thin but somehow also a little syrupy. There is zero carbonation, not even a bubble.
It's goes down easy enough, it's just nothing special. I wouldn't go back to this one.
Dec 02, 2009Pours with an absence of head. Not quite black, it kind of looks like root beer with no carbonation.
Smells like molasses and oats. It's not surprising there isn't much smell given the complete lack of head.
Slight smoke, molasses, some sourness and a bitter, lingering hoppy finish. A little alcohol bite.
The feel is too thin but somehow also a little syrupy. There is zero carbonation, not even a bubble.
It's goes down easy enough, it's just nothing special. I wouldn't go back to this one.
Reviewed by bartle from Canada (ON)
3.17/5 rDev -9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
3.17/5 rDev -9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
at Volo Cask days 2009
Pours black with a little brownish shining through. A toasted head.
It smells of toast and floral hops. It's yeasty and has a mild dried fruit aroma.
It has a touch of sour syrup, vanilla bean, backing with bitter dark chocolate and a pleasant herbal finish.
It's low on carbonation, making it a smooth easy drinker.
nice.
Nov 19, 2009Pours black with a little brownish shining through. A toasted head.
It smells of toast and floral hops. It's yeasty and has a mild dried fruit aroma.
It has a touch of sour syrup, vanilla bean, backing with bitter dark chocolate and a pleasant herbal finish.
It's low on carbonation, making it a smooth easy drinker.
nice.
Reviewed by Derek from Canada (BC)
3.77/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.77/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
An interesting odd-ball. I think a little more carbonation would make this seem more like a schwarz... although it is stronger than most.
A: Black with a tan head, very little retention or lace from the cask.
S: A slightly roasty aroma (coffee; roasted nut), dark bread, floral & grassy hops.
T: Well-hopped (floral & grassy), with light roasted nut, coffee & bready malt flavour. Good bitterness.
M: Smooth, moderate body.
D: A good drinker.
Nov 03, 2009A: Black with a tan head, very little retention or lace from the cask.
S: A slightly roasty aroma (coffee; roasted nut), dark bread, floral & grassy hops.
T: Well-hopped (floral & grassy), with light roasted nut, coffee & bready malt flavour. Good bitterness.
M: Smooth, moderate body.
D: A good drinker.
Reviewed by bobsy from Canada (ON)
3.85/5 rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.85/5 rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I don't like the pils that Stratford carries as its flagship, but I've enjoyed their one-off brews, and it continues with this one, which was brewed for Volo's 5th Annual Cask Festival.
Dark black colour with a bubbly tan head that soon died down to a collar. Neat hybrid character, with an interesting blend of stout notes and lager notes. Almost certainly a schwarz, some great caramel is apparent, a helps to cut some of the coffee and bitter cocoal elements. Alcohol is not remotely apparent. Medium body, and slightly more carbonated than usual for a cask, which worked well with this style.
This was a nice cask, and I'd love to get it on a regular basis. Hopefully if Stratford get any more offerings into the lcbo they will be more along the lines of this one.
Nov 01, 2009Dark black colour with a bubbly tan head that soon died down to a collar. Neat hybrid character, with an interesting blend of stout notes and lager notes. Almost certainly a schwarz, some great caramel is apparent, a helps to cut some of the coffee and bitter cocoal elements. Alcohol is not remotely apparent. Medium body, and slightly more carbonated than usual for a cask, which worked well with this style.
This was a nice cask, and I'd love to get it on a regular basis. Hopefully if Stratford get any more offerings into the lcbo they will be more along the lines of this one.
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)
3.55/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
3.55/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Volo Cask Days 2009. Rather a bit out of character for Stratford, for the better, a premium abv shwartzbier, and it worked and was popular. Some stout aroma, lots of bubbly head on a black body. A story in roast.Drinkable, though a pint is a lot of it.
Nov 01, 2009
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