Killer Bee Dark Honey Ale - The Tin Whistle Brewing Company

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

650ml bottle poured into pint glass aug28 2009

A deep dark amber when held too light, nice tan colored two finger head that left little lace but had fair retention

S much more coffee and chocolate then honey, not what i would expect here

T again not what i expected, nice dark roast coffee is what i taste most, some coco and the honey is there but not as pronounced as you would expect. this was a pleasant surprise from a brewery i had not known of

M a little thin off the start, but better than average carbonation makes it feel a little creamery as it goes down

D overall i liked this one and it easy too drink and well worth trying

I'm hope the other beers from the tin whistle are as nice as this one. for a beer i grabbed at random I'm happy

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2009 06:08:23 | More by wordemupg

BigBry

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +0.3%

05-04-2013 12:16:39 | More by BigBry

andrewfjohnson

Northwest Territories (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +0.3%

02-23-2013 00:52:54 | More by andrewfjohnson

schnarr84

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +0.3%

01-25-2013 03:49:01 | More by schnarr84

zachloveshisbeer

3.79/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

This one is good. I first had it after a long and boring interview for an insurance company. I just couldn't wait to bust this open as I had heard some good things from a friend who recommended it. I poured it into a pint glass and the head was about two fingers thick, the colour was dark hazelnut brown and it smelled of sweet honey and almost like something you would throw on some sweet baby back ribs. I drank it slowly and allowed it to warm a little and I must say, it was pretty good. Some of the big boys are using honey these days to cover up their crappy beers, but this one uses honey appropriately. This one is available year-round but I would say it's place is right beside a campfire in a pint glass. Delicious!

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 23:14:40 | More by zachloveshisbeer

KalanM

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +7.4%

11-29-2012 05:22:04 | More by KalanM

robuncorked

3/5  rDev -14%

10-18-2012 21:22:30 | More by robuncorked

Coastal_Brew

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +7.4%

07-22-2012 13:56:44 | More by Coastal_Brew

maclean25

British Columbia (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is one of my favorites and I've back to it several times. It pours with a some foamy, light-brown head but has little head retention. The body is dark brown. So dark that I cannot see through it. It has the aroma of honey, earthy hops and a hint of grapes or wine. The flavour is fireweed honey and molasses, some grain and the taste is sweet with some alcohol. It is smooth with some lingering carbonation and aftertaste. Overall, it has a deep but short flavour but a slight sweetness and bitterness that lingers. I could use this as a session beer, though it is 6% and only comes in 650 mL bottles.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 03:11:12 | More by maclean25

bumchilly25

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +0.3%

05-13-2012 05:09:13 | More by bumchilly25

EskimoDave

British Columbia (Canada)

3/5  rDev -14%

12-01-2011 06:39:30 | More by EskimoDave

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance. Pours a deep ruby brown. Slight tan head that fades quick.

Smell. Chocolate and honey. Mmmm

Taste. Sweet coffee, some milk chocolate and a little booze. Bit of honey, but not in the forefront.

Mouthfeel. Light body with medium-low carbonation. A little warming.

Drinkability. A decent drinker. A little sweet and boozy but not unbearable.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 04:21:07 | More by Rutager

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

2.8/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - a very dark amber, almost black, two fingers of tan head that retains well

S - caramel roasty malt, coffee, and more of a molasses smell than honey

T - I found some coffee taste along with a black licorace or sambuca flavour dominated, roasty maltiness present, and only a slight sweetness on the end. Not quite what I was expecting from a honey offering.

M - heavy smooth, and slightly bubbly, pretty standard dark ale

D - definitely not for a session, I would likely enjoy a pint and move onto something else. Fairly average overall.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2010 01:34:03 | More by joemcgrath27

MeisterBurger

Ontario (Canada)

2.85/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Got this in a trade with stagger. Thanks man! The bottle lists their website as www.tinwhistle.ca...but they don't seem to have a website when you go there. Odd.

Much to my surprise it poured an incredibly dark brown color with a slightly off white head. Great head retention but minimal lacing.

The aroma is sweet with honey and caramel with a hint of metallic hops (hallertau maybe?) Overall the nose is very subtle and subdued though.

The taste is caramel malt and honey sweetness up against, again, I would guess a German noble hop like hallerau, something spicy, earthy and metallic, but it gives it a nice bitter finish. There's definitely some milk chocolate here as well as a hint of coffee.

It's low in carbonation and a little thin and watery, which is a real shame. Bumping up the carbonation would really help this beer out a lot.

Get this only if you like sweet flat beers.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2009 02:18:24 | More by MeisterBurger

ChrisCage

Alberta (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- This was much darker than I was expecting....looks more like a brown ale than a pale ale. The head pours a thick, frothy and foamy and stays that way for a little while, settling down to a thin lacing over the liquid. There is also a thin lacing on the glass, presumably from the honey.

S- This is the only area that I wasn't overly happy with, because the overall aroma is weak. While there are some honey notes, I smell more of a coffee aroma, and some grainy notes. However, none of the aromas are dominant and you really have to smell for them. The alcohol does come through somewhat in this brew.

T- This was a surprising area for me as well. There is a fairly strong coffee flavor, along with some mild spice, which reminds me a little of cloves, as well as some powdered cocoa. In the backround, the honey notes are detectable, as there is a slight sweetness. There is also some hop zing on the finish, that lingers for a little while. This beer tastes more along the lines of a porter, but not as astringent.

M- This doesn't have a real heavy body to it, so it is a decently refreshing beer. The carbonation is relatively fine....providing a bit of a zing on the palate, but not unwelcome. The honey provides a gentle smoothness, keeping the beer well balanced on the palate.

D- I like this beer...it's different for sure, which is a good thing. I don't think I'd have more than one bottle of this in a sitting however, as the flavor is quite well defined and I think would work well with a meal better than on it's own. This still comes as a recommended beer for those who want to try something of interest!

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2009 02:06:06 | More by ChrisCage

ThreeWiseMen

California

3.75/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Doesn't look a lot like a pale ale to me; more like a tasty brown ale. Head foams up to about a 1/4 inch before quickly retreating to a thin, off-white film. Body is a dark, bloody, brown; turns almost totally red when held to light. EDIT: Second pour netted a much larger, fluffy, khaki-colored head.

Smell: A little bit of honey and... that's it. Weak.

Taste: A good deal of coffee in this one. Very surprising, and pretty damn tasty. Also getting malt, citrus, pine, and prickly hops. Nice balance. Sounds kinda like a porter right? Looks, tastes, and feels like one too.

Burp: Coffee frappe. Mmmmm

Mouthfeel: Creamy with active carbonation. Full-bodied for a pale ale (though possibly classified wrong), quite malty, and a tad chewy. Finishes clean and a bit dry. Hittin the spot right now!

Drinkability: I drank this because I was tired of it taking up space in my fridge. Definitely didn't have high hopes for this, but I'm pretty satisfied with the way it turned out. Easy to drink; great mouthfeel; nice taste; boring (and a bit funky) smell; but overall very nice. I still think this resembles a porter much more than a pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2009 21:21:45 | More by ThreeWiseMen

Graham5161986

British Columbia (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: pours a stout-esque dark brown with ruby hints providing a frothy tan head that reduces to a healthy film and leaves some decent sticky lacing on my glass.

S: chocolate malts and northwest hops with a touch of honey sweetness

T: good amount of hops up front giving way to a creamy, malty chocolate flavour, finishing off with a nutty, semi-sweet finish (that must be the honey)

M: thick and creamy, nice carbonation and a smooth, dry finish.

D: this is a great little dark ale - and I mean dark! Nice malt characteristics and a good hop character as well. The honey could be a little more pronounced - as it is, it tastes more like a chocolate stout. Still, this beer is quite enjoyable and I would buy it again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2008 02:39:26 | More by Graham5161986

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

At home watching the Oil play another team from a backwater American hockey city...anyways, I've been uncharacteristically NOT craving the normal beers all day. Huh? A nice Trappiste - it's getting ever colder outside - nope. Oh, then a big IPA for sure...uh uh. Not doing it for me. Well, I delve deep into the back of the fridge, and pull out...this! I forgot I even had this bottle. A bomber of triple-gold-foiled dark honey beer from the good folks at Tin Whistle, in one of my favorite places in Canada - Penticton, BC. I remember that I only bought this because my girl said she liked it, so, of course, it's been sitting in my fridge for 10 months or so. In the interest of enjoying something somewhat different, and making room in my fridge, I started peeling off the foil... (there's a Slapshot reference in there somewhere)

This beer appears really, deep dark brown in the pint glass, but with cola hues when held up to the light. The minimal head pretty much disappears right away, even with a torrential pour. Oh well. It has a fairly subdued smell, burnt malts and bitter chocolate, with a clover honey sweetness. Seems promising. The taste delivers a whole lot more of the chocolate and honey - this beer is not misnamed. The flavours are well blended, and the hops hold up their side, but it's tinged with a wee bit of excess carbonation. The slight alcohol warming wraps it all up in a pretty decent package. As mentioned previously, not exactly a session beer, but enjoyable for it's dessert-like qualities. I had it as an appetizer - worked like a charm.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2007 02:42:04 | More by biboergosum

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From a 650 ml brown bottle, gold foil around neck and cap. Pours out a deep, deep mahogany, still somewhat transluscent when held to the light, where it takes on a bit of a reddish cola hue. Smallish beige head that recedes quickly, not much retention.

Deep toasted malt and chocolate malt, some wafer, and definitely a good dose of honey with sweetness and light grassy notes on the nose. Chocolate becomes more dominant as it warms, a rich boozy kind of chocolate.

The flavour is quite rich and bolder than I anticipated. Some toasted malt up front, and then whammo, chocolate laced with the added sweetness of the honey presence, it reminds me of those booze-filled chocolates that come out around Xmas time. The finish is light and grassy and quickly overwhelmed by a cocoa-tinged aftertaste. Yup, this ale is all about the chocolate it seems. Yet it seems to work, it's not cloying in any way.

The mouthfeel is on the light side, but that is more than compensated by the richness of the flavour, balancing it out and making it easily quaffable.

I don't have much of a sweet tooth, and am not a huge fan of chocolate, but this ale still holds it together and manages to blow my skirt up somewhat all the same. Nowhere's near a session ale, at least not to my tastes, but I'll be getting more, and look forward to sharing it, especially as a dessert beer or a nightcap.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2007 23:08:16 | More by IronDjinn

BDTyre

British Columbia (Canada)

2.88/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This rates a bit lower than it should because this is definitley not a pale ale.

The only foil wrapped bottle from this brewery I've seen. Pours a deep red-brown with a good pale tan head. Smells funny: sour (like vomit almost) with honey and spices.

Taste is okay, almost a sweet-sour mix. I can detect traces of honey "and a hint of spice" but this tastes off. Almost too sour. I can't taste any hops and the the maltiness is hampered by the off-taste.

This is an okay beer. It tastes alright, but could be much better. The bottle describes this as a "dark honey ale" which, to me, brings to mind a sweet, chocolatey flavour which is certainly not present in this beer. For a honey ale, this is pretty sour. I might buy this again, but it is not at the top of my list.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2005 05:37:43 | More by BDTyre

Goldorak

Quebec (Canada)

2.48/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Dark brown with slightly reddish hues when placed against the light.

Smell: Dark honey, a little roasted malt, some brown sugar and maybe a bit smokey?

Taste: Watery, fizzy and sweet, it reminded my of those carbonated drinks health food stores sell to wean kids off their cola addictions. Body is way too thin and lacks any real character, a problem that many Beers brewed with honey seem to share.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2005 02:23:03 | More by Goldorak

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer looks nice and dark with a brown head but I thought I detected an off nose at first. Later as the beer warmed up the nose smelled of fermented honey which was actually very interesting. This brew has lots of chocolate malts with a fairly big flavour in the finish. These guys are really impressing me with their approach and quality.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2004 21:33:23 | More by canucklehead