Londen
Dageraad Brewing

Very dark brown color, almost opaque. The head was a tan and poured the same height in the glass as the liquid. Constant stream of bubbles from the bottom (as seen just at the glass wall) replenishing most of the head, which after a couple of minutes is tiny bubbles at the bottom and large bubbles at the top. Leaving a lot of lacing on the side as the head very slowly collapses.

Dark roasted malt scent with a touch of something musty. There is a blend of some funky and spicy scents that I can't pull apart into individual strains. Swirling the glass kicks up several sweet floral and fruity bits.

The malts dominate, but there is a lot of dark fruit flavor that shows up moments later. Slightly sweet, blended with some tangy sour. It starts tending towards some bitters later. The aftertaste is a mix of bitters and sweet dark malt. Over time the malt and bitter flavors became excessive, in much the same way that some Indian or Thai food starts out great but builds in heat so much that you regret it half way through the meal. I initially rated this as a 4, but downgraded after drinking half the bottle.

Light foaming in the mouth; I don't know what happened to all the carbonation I saw in the glass. Heavy body with a slight oily feel. A tiny bit astringent after swallowing.

The flavors were overwhelming after about one third of a 650 ml bottle. I had to take a break. The bitters and the dark malt seemed to be in a competition to bully my mouth. This is a shame because there are some really nice flavors in there, futilely trying to get some attention. I turned the last half glass into a radler using Sanpellegrino Pompelmo in about a 1:1 ratio. The result was much nicer than a standard lager based radler, and was actually very refreshing. Here is your winter radler. I think that mixing Londen with soda water in a 1:1 ratio would retain most of the intended character.

Edit: I just went back and read the prior reviews, all from 2016. It is amazing how some aspects are so different, while others remain the same.

650ml bottle poured into Sam Adams pint glass.

Pours a dark red-brown with two fingers of tan head that leaves rings of puffy lace as it recedes.

Smells of toasted caramel malt, roasted nuts, black licorice, chocolate dusting and mild green hops.

Taste follows nose, but a bit weaker. Toasted caramel malt, nutty semisweet chocolate, muddled dark fruit, soft licorice and leafy green hops.

Feels light and fluffy. Medium-light bodied with soft carbonation. Finishes off-dry.

Verdict: Recommended. Decent Belgian take on a British beer.

 

 

Appearance - Pours a dark nut brown with two fingers of bubbly off white head.

Smell - licorice, earthy and leafy hops, earthy yeast, caramel malts, wafer chocolate, star anise, fennel, and dark fruits.

Taste - Licorice, fennel, and star anise dominates the brew. The caramel malts and dark fruits come into the mix after. Then the hint of wafer chocolate, earthy yeast, and earthy and leafy hops help to round out the brew. However, the licorice, fennel, and star anise are the predominant flavours.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes off dry with the licorice, fennel, and star anise lingering.

Overall - An interesting yet confusing brew. The licorice, fennel, and star anise dominated the brew at times which didn't allow the other ingredients to shine through.

The label bills this beer like a high class escort, travelling the world and getting little pieces from multiple places. Overall, it's a nice stout, with a bit too much anise/sambuca/black licorice flavor bouncing around. It's deep and dark in the glass, but the licorice smell is off-putting for me (more personal preference than anything else.) The final product is a drinkable, agreeable stout, but I'm not certain I would go out of my way to find it again.

650ml bomber poured into tulip 24/2/16

A dark cola liquid with a maroon glow when held to the light, thumbs width of mocha foam that has great retention and leaves thick partial rings deep down the glass, looks great

S licorice, fennel, root beer and cola, come out strong, some hard to place fruit, more licorice, chocolate milk, faint coffee, kinda smells like a paralyzer with a licorice shot

T more of the same really, like a licorice cola but not quite root beer, some earthy hops, yeast is there but not a big player

M medium bodied, silky entry with enough bubbles to give it some life, a little slick on the palate and earthy licorice lingers

O something different anyways, maybe licorice overpowers at times but interesting and easy enough to drink for 7%

I didn't mention licorice in the look category but it pops up everywhere else, I do happen to like the stuff but if you don't avoid this one

Imagine someone decided to take (for the life of me I don't know why they would) 1 part Belgian dubbel, 1 part English port and 1 part root beer and blended it. Decent enough beer, nice flavours to it, but drinking a full bomber became a chore.

 

 

 

650ml bottle, another denizen of a recent 4-pack of BC craft brew to be delivered to Alberta via the good graces of the Copper & Theory agency. Based on the label's ramblings, I can't imagine how this one should be classified here.

This beer pours a clear (I think), dark red-brick highlighted brown colour, with two fingers of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat bubbly tan head, which leaves a bit of low-lying snowbank profile lace in places around the glass as it gently subsides.

It smells of gritty, grainy, and lightly toasted caramel malt, a soft earthy and nutty yeastiness, indistinct black orchard fruit, subtle bittersweet chocolate wafers, a minor sour lactic note, and plain leafy, weedy, and grassy noble hop bitters. The taste is sort of roasted bready caramel malt, dark cocoa powder laced with near-expired milk, more hovering, but not quite alighting earthy yeast, a still muddled, but prominent dark orchard fruitiness, watered-down discount brand cola, wan baking spices, and a further weedy, floral, and slightly fruity hoppiness.

The bubbles are good and active in their supportive and additionally cheeky frothiness, the body a solid medium weight, and mostly smooth, just a wee bit of yeastiness spoiling an otherwise splendid party. It finishes well off-dry, as the cocoa-tinged pale and caramel malt (still ethereally touched by a wispy smokiness) continues to parry a lingering plum, cherry, and raisin fruitiness.

Overall, an interesting, if not particularly easy to define brew from this Belgium-adoring (they did use the Flemish spelling of the English capital in the name) Lower Mainland brewery. This is indeed a yeasty version of a traditional London Porter, filtered, I guess, through a minor bit of New World hop treatment. That, and a rather well integrated and elevated ABV make this a beast to be reckoned with.

 

A: Murky cola-coloured liquid with a 1/4" tan head that dissipated quickly.

S: Plums and dates from the Belgian yeast and that characteristic faint smell of black malt.

T: Plums and dates with smooth roasted grains on the finish.

M: The soft water characteristic and slight tartness almost makes this beer seem like it is halfway between a Foreign Extra Stout and a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. It is incredibly smooth which is a plus.

O: Chimay Black anyone? This beer targets the territory that is largely uncharted except for beers such as Tournay Noire. This is a very good thing. If you like Belgian Strong Dark Ales, Porters or Foreign Extra Stouts pick one up.