Export Stout
Henderson Brewing Company

 

Pours a deep, deep dark brown that is essentially black. There are no ruby hues that shine through when the glass is held to the light — this beer is dark, and portends some darkly rich character! One finger of very dense, tanned head appears and slowly recedes over the course of the next five or six minutes, leaving a thin cap of tan head and a ring of foam that climbs and clings around the glass.

Deeply roasted character aroma, followed by dark chocolate, bakers chocolate. Toasted, if not lightly burnt caramel malts with a nice caramelized/molasses sweetness to the nose. Is this earthy, slightly wooden aroma from some minor hop presence or the oats and barley? I can’t tell.

Much like a Guinness foreign or extra stout, a delicious dry strong roasted and lightly burnt malty taste hits you first, but without the overbearing character of said extra stout. It’s balanced by a nice sweetness that picks up over time, a dark/bakers chocolate. The moderate bitterness that balances the beer comes from the rich barley malt, and it is mildly earthy in character. There are hints of sweeter, dark chocolate desserts in the background but my palate isn’t developed enough to distinguish them, but it is quite pleasant.

Medium body with a slightly thicker mouthfeel, not quite oily or slick but mild hints of both that give it a smoothness. Milder carbonation with small bubbles gives a smooth sip that is even slightly creamy. Finishes fairly dry, with a long impression of deeply roasted grains, slightly toasty, that is bittersweet in nature.

I gotta hand it to Henderson, I am consistently impressed by their beers. This is an excellent addition to the lineup, and while it is heavier than many beers, it is easy to drink, and a pleasant option at any time of the year. Excellent, standard option that isn’t mindblowingly complex, but takes all the good notes of an export stout and absolutely nails them. Absolutely worth a try and might even replace your go-to stout option. Has all the great characteristics of an export stout, Irish dry stouts, and American stouts all in one.

 

Pours obsidian black with a big, chunky foam. The aroma is of roasty, espresso, dark chocolate malts and herbal, lemony hops. The taste is malty with an abundance of roasty malts, coffee, leather, tobacco and a floral, citrusy malt compliment. The mouthfeel is full bodied and creamy with carbonation. light bitterness and lingering roastyness in the finish.

A fantastic Export Stout - complex, roasty and hoppy. Dry and delicious. I'll be seeking this out again.

I bought a can at the LCBO in Ontario 473ml at 7%.
Poured a nice creamy 2finger head into glass..
Very smooth and creamy coffee and a hint of chocolate.
Medium bitterness level with a nice dry finish.
Overall a delicious stout beer.
Cheers.

Poured a 473ml can into a pint glass. A half finger of fine brown head on black. The head soon diminishes to a ring. lots of fine lacing.
Mild roasted malts and coffee in the nose.
Coffee merging into cocoa with a mild dry hop finish.
Medium body and carbonation.
A nice clean dry stout.

can - pours a light-deifying black with a 2 finger mocha colored cap... demure nose to this ...light tones of roast grains, dark fruit, treacle, mustiness and dry grass...soft rounded mouth feel, roch body...flavor is malty and lightly sweet...big roastiness and enough astringent chat and hop to hold the sweetness at bay...long wet huge roasty finish...a fine stout

 

Big sturdy head that gives way to a ring and some early lace. Walnut black brew. Nose is overcome by the smell of alcohol wiping out the dark chocolate lurking there. Weak chocolate to taste, some ashiness. A hint of alcohol on the finish. Thin-bodied, slightly sour. Unremarkable, a little off in some ways, primarily because of the heavy hand of the alcohol.

Look: Dark brown to black. Pours with a 1 1/2 finger beige head on an aggressive pour. After 5 minutes the head has dissipated leaving a good amount of lacing.
Smell: Coffee with creme, dark chocolate and roasted malts. Very typical sweet stout smell, very pleasing.
Taste: Rich dark chocolate taste, dry smokey back end and aftertaste. Hints of leather and tobacco. The sweetness on this stout is very subdued, it's there but the bitterness chills it out very well.
Feel: Medium bodied, low carbonation but enough to keep it from being flat. Typical slick oily stout feel, Mouth filling. Finishes dry with a somewhat bitter bite.
A really good readily available (in these parts) export stout. I give it an A.

 

Tallboy from the LCBO; dated Jan 9 2020 and served at cellar temperature.

Pours deep brownish-black with garnet highlights; one finger of beige-coloured head is quickly reduced to a thin collar and a few wisps of film. Not a lot of head retention, with minimal lace; looks ok. I'm mostly getting roasted malt aromas - coffee and bittersweet baker's chocolate for sure, with hints of roasted grains, smoke and a faint suggestion of something herbal.

Nothing complicated about this one - just pure stout-y goodness, as roasted malt flavours dominate, imparting notes of dark chocolate and burnt grains. Very subtle hints of coffee grounds and smoke by mid-sip, with an ashiness coming through next before the bitter finish washes over the taste buds; the bitterness lingers on into a weakly warming aftertaste. It's hard to miss the fact that it's a strong stout, but the alcohol is very well-integrated. Medium-light in body, with low carbonation that doesn't factor in strongly with this brew's smooth, slick mouthfeel. A pleasant sipper - I wouldn't have minded a second helping... just not on a weeknight.

Final Grade: 3.96, a B+. It's not always easy to find a quality stout these days, at least if you're looking for a "regular" one that hasn't been adulterated with coffee, cocoa, or something else along those lines. Henderson's Export Stout is one of the better Ontario-made examples that I can think of - some may find it a little too bitter or a little too warming, and the body is admittedly kinda thin for a big stout, but I think they've done a pretty good job with a style that can come off as harsh when done poorly. Try it if you can find it.

473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. LCBO purchase for $3.80 CDN. This can was canned on January 9, 2020.

Appearance - Dark chestnut brown brew from the can, nearly black in the glass. A finger and a half of loose light tan head. Plenty of sticky lacing left behind.

Smell - Coffee, dark chocolate and roasted malts. Not a lot else, but that's all there needs to be. A hint of peat and smoke.

Taste - Roasty malts, some smoke and slightly ashy flavors. Coffee is in the background. Not much chocolate. A little overroasted and flavor is a little weird with white pepper coming in at the end.

Mouthfeel - Slick, medium-heavy bodied, could use a bit more body and a touch more carbonation.

Overall - I like this brew, but with a few tweaks I could love this brew. Still I am happy to see a local brewery making a new rarely seen style in these parts. Gives me a nice little vibe. Needs just a bit more richness to be a truly great export stout.

 

 

 

Somewhat thin and malty. A bit of bubbly white head. Quaffable but not a very good export stout. S'ok. Can use more body and chocolate malt. Cheap enough.

Looks very nice on the pour (although there is not much head retention) and has a beautiful nose. But with the taste, one hits a dry, sticky wall of bitterness. Hardly any of the nose comes through.
And even though it's very bitter, it's also somewhat watery. It seems a bit of a mess.

Feb 7 2025

Deep, solid dark brown body, almost black; poured aggressively, it forms a dense, mocha coloured head with several minutes retention.
Dark roasted malt, strong black coffee beans on the nose; some dark cacao.
Flavour is more chocolatey - bitter dark chocolate, almost raw, feeling creamy and powdery in turn. Bitter, but roasty (without much acidity), espresso in the finish, which is super dry. The roast malt flavours linger on the palate, strong and relentless. Medium body and carbonation.

Really well done, this is one of the better stouts I've had in a while. None of that tart, acidic espresso taste that sometimes comes with the territory. This is pure, clean roasted malt. Single-minded, but that focus is for the best.