Selkirk Stout
Mt. Begbie Brewing Co.

Another BCLDB find in sunny-just-for-one-day Kelowna...

This beer pours a solid black, with slight mahogany backlit edges, and two fingers of foamy, rocky light beige head, which leaves outcroppings of lace around the glass as it settles. It smells of lightly roasted malt, semi-sweet milk chocolate, and some very mild sour cherry orchard essence. The taste is fruity, sweet roasted malt, chocolate cream, an echo of soft tart cherry, and earthy, musty hops. The carbonation is fairly sedate, the body medium weight, smooth, and a little thinning towards the end. It finishes with a condensed milk, earthy hop combo.

A pretty decent milk stout - the proclaimed cherry addition really doesn't do much overtly for the flavour. It's hard to tell if it has anything to do with the inherent fruitiness. Nonetheless, drinkable, in spades.

Mmmm cherry stout...

This beer pours a very dark reddish brown with a decently thick tan head - not much in the way of retention or lacing. Aroma is of milky chocolate, roasted coffee and some definite bright cherry highlights that make it all the more inviting. I even get some incredible chipotle spiced dark chocolate notes in the background - very nice. Wow, taste is very fruity for a stout (it's very much like the dark fruits you get in a good RIS), incredibly bright cherry flavours with those spicy dark chocolate undertones and a roasty somewhat bitter hop finish. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with a slight creaminess that evolves into a very crisp, spicy and clean finish. Wow, this is one drinkable stout. The depth of flavours the brewers have achieved paired with its relatively low ABV make this stout a real winner for those cooler summer days when you want a break from all those wheat ales and pilseners. I had a feeling I would like this beer but it really exceeded all of my expectiations. Kudos to the guys @ Begbie for another killer beer.

Split between Wisemen Nick and Zach. Poured into two pint glasses

Appearance: Well, looks like the second glass got all the head and the first glass got nothin. If I average the two, let's call it one finger of creamy, tan head. Looks a bit sticky - drags some respectable lace. Decent retention. Body is opaque dark brown with ever-so-light shades of red around the edges. N: 4.0; Z: 4.0

Smell: Malt, roasted malt, and some cherries. N: 3.5; Z: 3.0

Taste: Starts with a tart zing that melds into delicious cherry flavors, and then finishes with creamy mocha and roasted malt. Really tasty! Unfortunately, the mocha aftertaste fades during the sesh as the cherry tartness asserts itself more. N: 4.0; Z: 3.5

Mouthfeel: Creamy but not as smooth as it could be due to a carbonation that's a bit too high. Then again, I (Nick) say that a lot about beers so maybe I'm being unreasonable. Goes down very easily and leaves a bit of a roasted taste in the mouth. N: 3.5; Z: 4.0

Drinkability: I believe this is only the second milk stout both of us as had. The first was Young's Double Chocolate. Probably an unfair comparison, but there are better milk stouts out there. This one shifts more toward the tart cherry taste after a few sips, getting away from the creamy mocha flavors that we experienced in the beginning. N: 4.0; Z: 4.0

Wiseman Nick: B+ (3.85)
Wiseman Zach: B (3.60)

Received in a trade with CBA:

A: Mostly blackish, though some reddish hues come through. Head recedes fairly quickly, but a trim remains for some time.

S: Roasted malts, some chocolaty aromas. While the cherry is certainly noticable, it doesn't come across as being overwhelming to my nose. Rather nice.

T: Cherry and chocolate - not a blend like chocolate covered cherries, which could be wonderful. The cherry doesn't have a flavour of cough syrup, which is a positive point, and something that seems to be a bit of a challenge for breweries.

M + D: Round, quite creamy, a soft carbonation. The light alcohol content makes for an easy drinker - maybe a little nicer for a light ABV after dinner beer or a cooler weather brew without going too crazy.

Appearance – Black with two fingers of nice tan head. It soon dissipates to a small cap.

Smell – It’s interesting here. There is a cherry like aroma with a little roasted malt and coffee. It could be a little less on the cherry side.

Taste – The flavor of this is nice. It begins with some roasted malt and has some delicately balanced cherry and coffee with it. There is a bit of chocolate as well but not much.

Mouthfeel – It has a nice body for a Stout. It’s thick enough but not quite there. The carbonation is noticeable but not overwhelming.

Drinkability – Goes down quite smooth. No complaints.

Thanks to elricorico for sharing this. I did enjoy it just as you said I would.

This stout pours fairly dark, with a bit of redness to it as it comes out of the bottle. In the glass it appears black with a half finger of creamy tan head. The head has plenty of staying power to it.

The smell is a bit odd. It is as if the cherry sweetness keeps the richness of roasted malt from fully revealing itself. Almost as if the two smells are in conflict, and it ends up deadening both.

The taste however has no such problems. This stout is very rich in roasted coffee bean flavour. The cherry is subtle, but can be noted in the dry, semi-sweet finish.

The mouthfeel is good for a stout. I would cut back just slightly on the carbonation if possible, but it is creamy and thick.

Good stout base plus subtle fruit addition equals nice beer. I'm pleased with this bottle, and I wouldn't hesitate to point any stout lover in its direction.

I bought this without reading any prior reviews, or without having tasted any other beers by Mt. Begbie. I am a stout fan and was curious to see how well a nuclear physicist could make a stout.

Then I saw it was made with cherries. I was somewhat wary because I generally don't associate stout, or beer in general with fruit. Don't get me wrong, the cherry and the rasberry Belle-vue Kriek was quite good, but still....

All I can say is yum. The smell is reminiscent of fresh cherries in dark chocolate, and the taste is your typical stout with a nice burst of tart-sweet cherry. Pours a muddy chocolate brown with a robust tan head that takes its [sweet] time to disappear. Nice and thick, but I could probably put away a few of these.

I will certainly be seeking this one again.

Selkirk Stout, named after the Selkirk mountain range near Revelstoke, BC. I admire the beer nomenclature of Mt. Begbie, using local curiosities and natural features to create some unique sounding beers.

Appealing stout appearance: jet black, mollasses, ebony hues. Consistent brown-tinged head, which goes down to 1-2 centimetres. Large bubbles, which create a dulcet wood-fire crackling sound when held near the ear, which is fitting for a beer with deeply roasted malt. Besides usual stout smells of chocolate, cocoa, coffee, raisins, dates, cream and butter, there is a hint of cherries: a delicate tanginess which heightens the sweet chocolate and roast smells. The cherries are not overly noticeable, but well balanced I suppose. All said, a creamy and appetising aroma, though perhaps a little lacking in complexity for a cherry stout. Mt. Begbie excels in creating a good-smelling beer. The taste is dry all the way through, especially on the finish, which is good. Semi-sweet up front, but not as sweet as I should have liked. Again, the cherries seem to be lurking in the background. Grainy coffee chocolate tastes, slight cherry tartness, a little milk-like sourness, alcoholic in the middle, with a nice roast taste left lingering. The aftertaste is by far the best part. Mouthfeel is very foamy and gaseous, but full. Nicely drinkable, on occasion. The dryness and foaminess limits its re-drink value however.

I think Mt. Begbie could have done something greater with this concept: I know they can brew with more character. So far this is my least favourite from them, but, still, when compared to so many other beers and even stouts, this is definitely worth a taste.

I have a few very good stouts in the last two weeks and I hoped this beer would add to that top shelf list but alas, The
flavour fairy removed the guts from this otherwise well balanced sweet stout.

Begbie uses cherries as an adjunct to slightly sweeten up
a traditional dry stout with some success. The problem I
had was the lack of creamy and malty mid body found in
great stouts. If the flavours were bumped up then this beer
would feel fuller in the mouth. Leave the cherries in the mix
though as it made for an interesting sweetness.