D Is For Dark
Yukon Brewing

1L howler from Sherbrooke Liquor Store - once again, how the hell does this get down here so fast from Whitehorse? Oh, right - Yukon Dave, what WAS I thinking?

This beer pours a clear, dark orange-brick brown colour, with one measly finger of puffy, finely foamy, and fizzy beige head, which leaves but a few specks of remote islet lace around the glass as it quickly blows off.

It smells of semi-sweet, grainy and faintly smoked pale and caramel malt, edgy root beer (in the vein of Barq's), a sort of metallic flintiness, some muddled berry fruitiness, indistinct earthy and otherwise zingy spices, and wan leafy, weedy, and floral noble hop bitters. The taste is bready and doughy pale malt, a further toasted caramel sweetness, some free-range wet ashiness, more blended dark berry fruity esters, damp black licorice, and more earthy, musty, and generically green hoppiness.

The bubbles are rather active in their sometimes probing and otherwise playful frothiness, the body a so-so medium weight, and mostly smooth, the expected smokiness here not of the egregiously interfering sort. It finishes off-dry, the complex base malt reminding us that the guest smoky and fruity essences are tangential at best.

All I can say is, keep bringing these kinds of slightly askew offerings our way, Yukon, and we will continue to gobble them up. As for the purported style, the understated ashy character is duly appreciated, as is the upped fruity one. Anyways, there's more of this brew to get to, and a dwindling amount of the evening remaining in which to enjoy it, if yaknowhutimean.