O'Neill Stout
Left Field Brewery

 

355 mL can from the LCBO; dated Sep 21 2021 and served barely chilled.

Pours a deep ebony brown colour with ruby red highlights, while roughly half a finger of loose, soapy, beige-coloured head gathers atop. It is swiftly reduced to a bubbly collar of suds encircling a few patches of film on the surface; a delicate doily pattern of lace is also imprinted onto the glass. Bready malts, sourdough and roasted grains on the nose, the latter imparting suggestions of cocoa powder and lightly roasted coffee.

It's not bad for a light stout - fairly straightforward, with bready, nutty malts at the forefront that are soon overtaken by roasted barley flavours. Cocoa, dark chocolate and hints of bitter coffee grounds round out the tail end, which is followed by a slightly bitter, roasty aftertaste that lingers only briefly; leans dry, with little in the way of residual sweetness. Light in body, with assertive carbonation that feels prickly on the tongue, lending a crisp bite to this stout's relatively thin mouthfeel; high drinkability, but at 4.5% that's hardly a surprise.

Final Grade: 3.71, a B grade. Left Field's O'Neill would work alright as a session stout, but the truth is I found it mostly underwhelming. There's not a lot going on with this one - no notable faults, and it actually tastes fine, it's just one of those beers that leaves you wanting more of almost everything (save for maybe carbonation). In short, it's no grand slam, but there's nothing wrong with just another base hit. Worth a try - I'll revisit it at some point.

Look: Dark brown almost black with a solid 2 finger fluffy taupe head. Great lasting power on the head it's a solid half finger with lacing after 5 minutes.

Smell: Dark chocolate, roasted coffee, with a hint of warm milk and Ivory soap.

Taste: Roasted malt, hints of espresso and dark chocolate. Subtle, nothing dominates.

Feel: Creamy and open. It has a very dry stout mouthfeel.

Left Field typically cranks out good to great beers. GIven their inflated prices this should be expected though. This is a good stout, but there are plenty of Ontario stouts available that surpass it for less money. Graded on that curve I give it a B-. On the characteristics of the beer itself a solid B.

March 26 2024

355 ml can served cold into a pint glass. LCBO purchase for around $3.50 CDN. Canned September 21, 2021. Likely named after Canadian Baseball Triple Crown Winner in 1887, Tip O' Neill.

Appearance - Pours a very dark brown colored brew with a decadent 1.5 finger rocky light tan head. Very good staying power and attractive brew.

Smell - Plenty of roasty notes, a touch of nuttiness and a light bready aroma too. Traces of dark chocolate mixed in.

Taste - Again roasty with subtle bits of nuttiness. Some dark chocolate weaves in and out nciely. Fairly bitter throughout, but lets of at the end to avoid being overbearing.

Mouthfeel - Medium-light body, good carbonation , semi dry finish. There's a smoothness and near creaminiess to the body too. Good feel for a lighter stout.

Overall - Rather tasty little brew with good levels of complexity and depth, without swaying at all from a simple no frills attached nice roasted stout. Despite the steep price (for the volume) worth a try.

Lacks the kind of muscle or complexity you might expect of a stout. Looks good on pour, impressive head, some lace. Nose is dark chocolate and malt. Again, chocolate and malt to taste. Thin-bodied. Missing roastiness, coffee, etc. Ordinary as stouts go.