Woodrunner
Kingsville Brewery

At Mamo Burger Bar on Ottawa St. in nearby Windsor, on a lunch date with my lady Pamela; chilled and on tap, in a pint glass. My third beer from the Kingsville, Ontario brewery, and second for 2025.

 

 

 

 

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this beer because I generally don’t like oak or whiskey aged beers, but this one is actually ok. Black in colour with a 1cm beige head. The Oakey/woody/whiskey taste is obvious right front the start. Not overpowering but present. The rest of the flavour is pure stout
February 9 2020

473 mL can from TBS; dated Apr 30 2018 and served slightly chilled. I really want to believe that the '2018' is a typo, but that's totally wishful thinking. Sadly, it's not hard to believe that TBS might have left an (independent craft) beer in the warehouse for a year.

Pours a deep, dark brownish-black colour; it's functionally opaque, though shining a flashlight behind the glass does reveal some crimson red highlights around the edges. Nearly an inch of foamy, khaki-coloured head rises from the surface, depleting itself at a casual pace over the next five minutes or so; it leaves behind a thin, creamy cap and collar, in addition to a smooth, even coat of sticky lace. Looks great, and the aroma ain't half bad either - there's some caramelized malts, chocolate and treacle sweetness, together with hints of whisky, oak and herbal, licorice-like notes. There may be a faint whiff of alcohol in there, too.

Not bad at all - it tastes mostly of caramelized sugars and treacle, together with notes of plum, date, coffee and cocoa. Hints of whisky, oak and vanilla are more easily discerned towards the tail end of the sip, with coffee also persisting through the finish and briefly into the aftertaste, which comes off as earthy and roasty, with very little sign of the alcohol. Medium-bodied, with moderately low carbonation levels that gently brush against the palate; feels smooth, but I still think the texture is probably this beer's weak spot - I know it's only 6.7%, but BA stouts should have more weight than this. Easy enough to toss back, but I think one would be enough for me on any given night.

Final Grade: 3.97, a B+. Kingsville's Woodrunner Whisky Stout is an undoubtedly solid brew. I will concede that it's not exactly anything too special by barrel-aged stout standards, but on the flip side of that coin, I wouldn't say there's anything all that wrong with it, either. The price point is also very reasonable, in line with the bulk of craft beers in this market, and actually significantly cheaper than most barrel-aged stouts go for these days. While it didn't blow me away, it was worth trying and I'd recommend it to other Ontario BAs seeking out an affordable whisky barrel stout.

 

 

 

 

Pint can Poured into a pint glass. Couldn’t find a bottled on date.

Pour: deep dark brown, not absolutely opaque as some light comes through. Small tan head fades to a ring. Minimal lacing.

Nose: caramel, coffee, dark fruits and dark chocolate. Very little booze. Not overpowering but present.

Taste: bitter chocolate, coffee, toffee, dark fruits. Some bitter aftertaste. It’s good but a little less complex than many BA stouts.

Mouth: fairly high carbonation for a BA Stout. Good viscosity and fullness.

Overall: good but not great and probably wouldn’t seek it out other than that I haven’t seen many Canadian crafts.

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 6/30/2017. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky tan head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, whisky, toasted oak, nuts, and dark/brown bread; with light notes of coconut, molasses, smoke, dark fruit, herbal, pepper, and roast/toast/oak earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, whisky barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, whisky, toasted oak, nuts, and dark/brown bread; with light notes of coconut, molasses, smoke, dark fruit, herbal, pepper, and roast/toast/oak earthiness. Light roast/char/herbal bitterness and whisky/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, whisky, toasted oak, nuts, dark/brown bread, light molasses/smoke, herbal, pepper, and roast/toast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, whisky barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a great roasted bitter/sweet balance, and zero cloying/acrid flavors after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/roast bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 6.7%, with zero barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is a delicious barrel aged American stout. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, whisky barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink, with the mellowly bitter/drying finish. Not huge on barrels, but definitely adequate. Nicely rich and well rounded stout malt complexity, with nice barrel presence. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.