Dark Skies: Little Bear
New Trail Brewing Company

Poured from a 12 oz can into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Dark, dark pour... nearly black. Minimal mocha colored head. Lasts 1/2 a second and fizzes out. No lacing.

S: Cinnamon and sweet roast with a bit of cocoa.

T.F: Semi-sweet dark chocolate.... roast and cinnamon/spice. Bitter French roast... some more dark cocoa and a bit of vanilla. Somewhat thin bodied. Well carbonated.

O: A fairly 'meh' offering. Too thin/fizzy. The flavor is okay but nothing special. The cinnamon works fairly well with the roast/coffee.

I have been relegated to drinking just one (1) beer a day due to my current USPS job, which requires that I work 6 days/week, 10.5 hours/day. I CAN do it & have adjusted nicely (sort of), but I find that it is usually one upon returning home & then off to bed to reChArNge for the next night. Yes, I am working the night shift, but I actually enjoy it! I CAN run a couple/few errands during the day, if I am so motivated & inclined + I really like many of my fellow night shifters where the day people are less so.

I was recently staring into the abysss, I mean, watching a little TV, when I happened to realize that I had a subsCANtial amount of New Trail CANs in abeyance & decided to revisit them for yet CANother brewery horizontal. This shall be the first of this newest set.

I beCAN, as I am usually wont to do, by Crack!ing open the vent to begin a slow, gentle C-Line Glug. In spite of, or perhaps in defiance of, my gentility, it performed a pseudo-cascade that ended up forming just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky deep-tan/light-brown head with decent retention. Color was Very Dark Brown to Black/Opaque (SRM = > 34, < 44) with cola highlights visible at the edges. Nose was mildly spicy, like MexiCAN chocolate, but with a vanilla sweetness as well as a roasty coffee quality. Mmm. This should be marked as a Stout - Sweet/Milk & I have submitted a ChANge Request. Mouthfeel was medium, but a little light for a Stout of any sort. The taste was very much akin to MexiCAN hot chocolate with the cinnamon & roasted coffee flavors really leading the way, but held in check by the vanilla maltiness. Mmm. Finish was right on the cusp of semi-sweet/semi-dry with the cinnamon spiciness playing a large part in its dryness. Otherwise, I would characterize it as semi-sweet, instead. Now, here's CANother idea - lobby for them to re-release it in the Fall! Why? This would be a great beer to warm, NOT heat!, in a double boiler or in a low crock pot & serve in mugs to drink while leaf peeping. I REALLY got into warmed/mulled/spiced beers a couple of years ago & I am always looking for CANdidates, including this one. YMMV.

 

Poured from a 16Oz can into a shaker pint
Pours a deep dark brown with a light orange tinge when held to the light
Smells of rich roasted grains with a hint of fruitiness and a slightly sweet smell
Tastes of rich grains and caramel with a background of coffee and a strong bit of chocolate similar to a chocolate tootsie pop
Firm bodied.
A good sipping brew that would go all year around.

Undated can into pint glass. Pours inky black with a brief tan head. No lacing. Initial impression is dark chocolate, followed by roasted malts, coffee, and milk chocolate. Mouthfeel is too thin for a stout. Finish is chocolate and coffee - interesting, but watery.

A - Black pour with no lacing at all.

S - Char and dark chocolate on the nose.

T - Cinnamon, some vanilla, chocolate malt.

M - Medium body.

O - Very flavorful!

 

Very good

From a 16oz can. From the Instagram post: “ Dark Skies: Little Bear is a “Campfire Stout” brewed with Graham Cracker, Vanilla, Lactose, and a wide variety of rich dark German Malts. Little Bear leads with a beautifully spicy aroma complimented by rich dark cacao nibs and finishes decadent with highly roasted coffee, sweet vanilla, and rich chocolate.” Very tasty.