One Ping Only
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

 

Bottle from the LCBO for around $7

 

 

 

600 mL bottle from the LCBO; the last of four included in their 2016 Oktoberfest sampler. Listed at 8.5%, this is #56 in their on-going Wild Oats series. Bottled Sept 27 2016 and served slightly chilled.

Pours an inky, opaque black-brown colour with some crimson highlights, initially supporting a full inch of creamy, tan-coloured head. It dissipates within the next couple of minutes, producing a dense-looking collar of foam and a patchy, bubbly cap; a modest ring of lace is deposited simultaneously. Loving the aroma on this one - I'm getting a robust mixture of cocoa, cherry, prune and blackcurrant, with hints of coffee, roasted nuts, black licorice and a faint hint of smoked malts. Some oatmeal and molasses in there, too, with a pleasantly earthy, herbal quality. I am impressed so far.

A complex, bold-tasting porter. Oats, roasted barley and molasses start things off, followed by dark fruit flavours of raisin, prune and date. Coffee grounds and cocoa each come through loud and clear, while hints of vanilla, smoke, toasted nuts and herbal licorice provide subtle accents. Finishes with earthy hops, rye, more dark fruit and some herbal qualities, with a roasty bitterness lasting into the aftertaste. Medium-full in body, with low carbonation levels; this porter feels soft, supple, slippery and smooth in the mouth, though perhaps a bit on the flat side.

Final Grade: 4.19, an outstanding A-. One Ping Only is possibly the best Beau's product I've tried to date - which is saying a lot, because over the years I've tried nearly 50 different brews from this organic ingredient-obsessed outfit. I have limited experience with Baltic-style porters, so I can't really judge how "true to style" this beer is - but what I do know is that I like it... I like it a lot. They'd have to be fools not to release this one to the LCBO at some point, in single bottle format - unlike some of the other Wild Oats beers, One Ping Only would actually be worth the premium price point. A job well done.

 

 

 

 

 

Look - 5 | black with a mahogany tint, cream head that sticks around

Smell - 4.5 | nuts, caramel, cherry, plum current, raisins

Taste - 4.5 | nuts, roasted coffee beans, plums currents, raisins

Feel - 3 | medium body with low carbonation

Overall - 4.5

 

600 ml bottle served cold into a pint glass. This was my favourite beer in the Oktoberfest pack. Batch 5436. Bottled August 23rd, 2016. 8.5% ABV. Wild oats series number 56.

When poured it offers a thin tanned head, which never seems to dissipate. From the smell I get a nice nutty, molasses, black olive vibe. It's very inviting. The flavour doesn't overwhelm you, it's perfectly balanced.

 

600 ml bottle served cold into a pint glass. Purchased for approximately $6.50 CDN. This was the beer the sold me to try the Oktoberfest pack. Batch 5436. Bottled September 2, 2016. This rendition is advertised at 8.5% ABV. Wild oats series number 56.

Appearance - a dark cola brown in color from the bottle, the beer appears as black in the glass. A thin layer of dark tan foam is poured with goo detention and some sparse lacing left behind as it recedes. A tiny thin wisp of foam longs a little longer.

Smell - this is good. Nuts, black licorice, some pepper and a hint of molasses. There's also coarse grain throughout. Exactly what I had hoped for with this style. Even a fragment of smoke.

Taste - really good. Moderately bitter with molasses dominating. Some traces of caramel and nuts addicting sweetness and lots of black licorice,

Mouthfeel - full bodied, slick and oily, no booze burn. Carbonation is there but masked by the oily and slick creaminess.

Overall - maybe I was just in the mood for a good Baltic porter, but damn One Ping Only hits the spot. Loads of malty flavours, with black licorice and molasses starring, but there's enough other things going on, from the nutty aroma and slightly smoky and peppery aspects to make this a great beer. Quite simply one of the best I've ever had from Beau's if not the best, and completely lived up to my high expectations. I'm only hoping this can be released as a single bottle, almost to the point where the cost doesn't matter. One of my favourite beers of 2016.