Grognard
Bellwoods Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle: Poured a dark black color ale with a very generous brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of dry roasted malt with subtle coffee notes. Taste is also dominated by roasted notes with some light subtle dry coffee notes. Body is light with carbonation really too strong for the style. Enjoyable session-style stout but carbonation is almost like a Coke and doesn’t really fit the style.

 

 

 

 

An excellent beer that is absolutely perfect for a Sunday afternoon. Wish I'd picked up more!
Pours a near black with ruby and chocolate tones when the glass is held up to light. The creamy milk chocolate coloured head has impressive retention. Very nice aroma of roasted dark and chocolate malts, with light coffee tones. The flavour is well balanced and has great depth. Many malt levels with all the roasted highlights of chocolate, nuts and toast. Truly a well crafted beer that I would highly recommend.

Grognard certainly doesn't look like a 'light' beer - hell, it's pitch black! They don't come much darker than this. Of course, opacity (or a steely grey head for that matter) is not necessarily an indication of strength, and in this case it's inversely proportional.

Some styles require an advanced, experienced palate, without which full appreciation of the beer simply isn't possible - this is not true of Sweet Stouts. The style's moderate coffee, melted chocolate and milky lactose flavours can be noted (and enjoyed) by drinkers at all levels.

In both aroma and taste, the menu lists simply those three things (roast grain, cocoa and lactose sugars). So it doesn't offer much flash or complexity, but what it does have is plenty of substance. Those flavours, while simple and few in number, are more than ample.

Indeed, rich and decadent it is not - then again what 3.8% beer is? - but Grognard has a flavour profile that far exceeds what most would assume possible for a beer of its strength. It is also thoroughly refreshing which, combined with the engrossing taste, makes it truly sessionable.

Bellwoods has quickly become the Medina of Toronto's craft beer scene; it is a tremendously important place for beer geeks. Given the option between a visit to the brewpub (where they have only 8-10 taps) or any of the city's best beer bars (with three times as many taps and a far more extensive bottle list), I'd still often chose Bellwoods. Their beers are that good.

 

 

 

Pours near total black with a lace emitting machine of a head. Retention is excellent. The aroma is chocolate, caramel and dry roasted malts. More roasted malts and some black coffee and dark chocolate in the taste. A herbal, lemongrass hop flavor lies in the back, keeping check on the malt sweetness. The mouthfeel is light bodied and creamy with subtle carbonation. Light bitterness and more dark chocolate in the shortlived finish.

This is a great dry stout. Nice and roasty with a good hop compliment and more girth than I was expecting for the ABV. Definitely worth a try.

Got this at the brewery when I was there this past summer. Looks like a cool place, so I was disappointed I couldn't stay for a while. Will try to rectify that next summer.

From a 500ml bottle into a snifter
Bottled 29 July 2013

APPEARANCE: A dark brown pour yields a one finger, medium looking, creamy, light tan head head with great retention. Head slowly fades to a decent wisp and clings to the sides of the glass. Black body and medium levels of carbonation evident. A faint wisp remains leaving dots of lacing down the glass. Good looking Irish dry.

SMELL: Lightly roasted notes, espresso and lots of sweet cream and lactose aromas. Hints of cacao as well, though, and I know this is not billed as a milk stout, the aromas of sweet cream and milk sugars are quite prevalent. Bold aromas.

TASTE: Lightly roasted with caramel sweetness up front. Sweet cream, vanilla and milky flavors through the middle into the swallow. Big and lingering finish is milky sweet with some bitter roasted espresso and cacao powder as well. Pretty flavorful and well balanced between the initial sweetness and bitterness after the swallow. Great.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Creamy on the palate, goes down fine and finishes a touch dry. Good feel, but could be even creamier for the style.

OVERALL: This is a really, really good low ABV dry stout. Really good. I could swear it's got a bit of lactose sugar in there, but that might just be me. Regardless, this is aromatic, flavorful, well balanced and very easy to drink. One I'd drink regularly throughout the summer if it was available. Don't be afraid to make a lot of this and get it into the LCBO. This and Roman Candle. Don't be shy boys. Recommended.

 

 

Nearly jet black, more than one finger of mocha head with a ton of lace as well. Smell is loaded with coffee and milky chocolate folowed by bittersweet, nice roast, moderately hoppy with a bit of black liquorice. Taste is roasty with chocolate, gentle hop bitterness, bittersweet and coffee flavours, with a lingering liquorice flavour in a roasty aftertaste. Medium-high carbonation, lightish body. Well executed stuff, very flavourful for such a light stout, mouthfeel suffers a bit but not much else to complain about here.