Winter Beard (Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout)
Muskoka Brewery

Winter Beard (Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout)Winter Beard (Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout)
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From:
Muskoka Brewery
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,789
ABV:
8%
Score:
87
Ranked #16,415
Avg:
3.88 | pDev: 10.82%
Reviews:
73
Ratings:
182
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 06, 2022
Added:
Dec 05, 2010
Wants:
  21
Gots:
  30
Our Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout is rich and sturdy with roasted dark chocolate malts, real cocoa, 70% dark chocolate, and freshly harvested local cranberries. Pair that with a slightly higher alcohol content and you'll find yourself sharing this bottle of joy all winter long.

25 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Antikythera:
Photo of Antikythera
Reviewed by Antikythera from New York

4.55/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Great stuff. Caramel-coloured head and sweet chocolaty aroma. Practicaly opaque in the glass even if it's held up to light. Most stouts that say 'chocolate' on the label don't smell or taste like chocolate to me. This one does. I'm not sure where the cranberry is -- it might just be adding a little fruitiness to the aroma. Even without it, this is great stuff. The flavour is sweet, chocolatey, and dark, and it feels creamy on the tongue. Not as candy-sweet as a proper sweet stout like Dragon, so it's more than just a dessert beer.
Jan 14, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of Ghrymm
Reviewed by Ghrymm from Canada (BC)

3.91/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 473ml can. Canned on Sept.22/2022
A dull pour with mild nose of Chocolate and berries.
Taste is ok but nothing special and i do not get much Cranberry but a very drinkable Stout.
I did enjoy it.
Dec 06, 2022
Photo of InspectorHound
Reviewed by InspectorHound from Canada (ON)

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: Pours a dark brown with a ruby red hue. Two fingers of tightly bubbled beige head. The head dissapates into a ring of lace by the five minute mark.

Smell: Mild dark chocolate aroma, with cranberry and raspberry notes. Touches of milk chocolate and rye bread as well. The smell is very pleasing, but pretty muted.

Taste: Follows the nose, but more intense. Dark chocolate leads the way with cranberries a strong second. The taste is delicious, but simple. You get the same sip from start to finish, but its a tasty sip.

Feel: Light to medium bodied. Not boozy or hot in the slightest. Definate presence of oily slickness to be expected in an imperial stout.

This beer is no fuss no muss, it delivers exactly what it promises. The beer isn't complex or nuanced, but that's OK. It's a chocolate cranberry stout. Now that it is available in 473 ml cans at a decent price point, it is a worthwhile pickup. When it was a pricey bomber I wouldn't have been so pleased with it. It earns a solid B+ to passable A-.
Dec 05, 2021
Photo of Mysticmage
Reviewed by Mysticmage from Canada (ON)

3.22/5  rDev -17%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Poured from a Sept 2021 batch can offered dark brown pour with weak collar. Nose is unremarkable of light cocoa. Light tart cranberry with chocolate finish. Ok
Dec 05, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by Long813 from Canada (ON)

Oct 16, 2021
Photo of scott451
Reviewed by scott451 from Canada (ON)

3.85/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured a 473ml bottle into a pint glass. A two finger brown head on an amber black. The head diminishes to a thin layer. Minimal lacing.
Chocolate coffee smells.
Chocolate up front. Very mild hop finish.
Medium light body with moderate carbonation.
Very smooth and well balanced.
Oct 03, 2021
 
Rated: 4.22 by TheHammer from Canada (ON)

Jan 25, 2021
 
Rated: 3.79 by mdfb79 from New York

Dec 26, 2019
Photo of ChrisCage
Reviewed by ChrisCage from Canada (AB)

3.94/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A- Nice cork topper in the bottle and nice little logo to go with this masculine looking stout! The brew itself pours a dark cola color, shows good clarity for a dark ale, and I see plenty of little bubbles rising to the top. The lacing is sticky and clings well to the inside of the glass. Overall a decent looking beer....the only knock may be that the head doesn't show much in terms of retention.

S- Hint O' coffee, cranberry essence, chocolate (dark and milk), semi sweet darkened malts, burnt toffee/blackstrap molasses. There is an Earthy hop presence on the finish....

T- Cocoa, cranberry, chocolate, black coffee and hints of molasses sweetness accent the burnt chocolate malts. The finish has a certain tartness from the fresh berries and compliments the entire flavor profile!

M/O- Surprisingly light in body and rather full carbonation for a stout, however, the flavors are full and as it warms, the chocolate character becomes more intense. I would say that this is a social beer and I am enjoying it the longer I have some to sample. I think with some aging that this would be even better after say one or two years. Cheers!
Nov 24, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by boszormeny from Canada (ON)

Apr 21, 2019
 
Rated: 3.68 by gallaghercm from Canada (ON)

Feb 10, 2019
 
Rated: 3.89 by ummswimmin from New Jersey

Dec 25, 2018
Photo of timmy2b
Reviewed by timmy2b from New York

3.58/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Very dark brown color with single finger head which was off white with a very subtle pinkness to it. Scent of cranberry and some dark chocolate. Chocolate is present in the taste. Cranberry takes over as this warms. Decent, but a little too much going on with the cranberries.
Apr 09, 2018
 
Rated: 3.73 by kuhndog from New York

Mar 17, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by DannyBaldoni from Canada (QC)

Dec 23, 2017
Photo of patre_tim
Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand

4.13/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
Dark brown with the ruby tinge, and topped with two fingers of beige head. The head also has a slight pink tinge to it.

Smells of dark cocoa, cranberries, a variety of sweet and fruity notes, milk, and coffee.

The taste is much like a porter in my opinion. I get notes of chocolate, coffee, dark toasted malts, and then there's this fruitiness that comes in. There's cranberries and fruitiness, but there's more of a sour note probably from the cranberries. It's also sweet and chocolatey. Vanilla is in there too.

The body feels very light for eight percent. It's very smooth, and has a moderate amount of carbonation.

Although I purchased this in Kitchener Ontario, I'm drinking it in Muskoka. Today is December 19, 2017. This is a really good brew. Very light and pleasant on the pallete.
Dec 20, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by paulish from New York

Dec 07, 2017
 
Rated: 4.73 by preeper from Canada (ON)

Nov 09, 2017
 
Rated: 4.28 by kier from Canada (ON)

Oct 28, 2017
 
Rated: 4.04 by StormAles from Canada (ON)

Jun 29, 2017
Winter Beard (Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout) from Muskoka Brewery
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 182 ratings