Rickard's Dark - Molson Coors Canada

DrJay

Massachusetts

2.45/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Clear, dark brown, still quite transparent. A thin beige cap appeared, but didn't linger for long. It did leave a modest collar and a bit of short lived spotty lace. Light aroma, mostly of caramel and toffee, light roast and burnt sugar, molasses, with a hint of smoke. Sweet, malty flavour, more caramel, light bitterness and roast towards the end. Not much in the way of maple, other than sugary sweetness. Decent texture, between light and medium bodied with average carbonation. Uninspired, but still drinkable, and not much of a porter.

Serving type: can

08-19-2010 17:54:04 | More by DrJay

jpro

South Carolina

2/5  rDev -33.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Poured from the can into an imperial pint glass... It's a crystal clear dark brown / mahogany - more brown ale than porter in color, with a two-finger off-white head that recedes but manages some slight retention. Aroma is of very slight roastiness (perhaps I'm imagining it) and a ton of caramel malt. Taste is more of the heavy caramel malt with a super / ridiculous sweet finish. The can reads "smooth finish that holds just a hint of Quebec maple syrup" - more like a friggin boatload of maple syrup! This stuff is so sweet with absolutely zero hop character its very tough to drink all 473mL. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and kinda creamy... drinkability = no thanks!

Serving type: can

08-06-2010 22:53:22 | More by jpro

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

2.78/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

341ml bottle poured into a pint glass

Appearance - pours a dark brown clear, low/average carbonation, small thin white head.

Smell - smells of coffee, burnt notes, slight sweetness

Taste & Mouth - seems watery, not a lot of carbonation, burnt/roasted taste, maple/sweetness. As other have said, tastes thin.. should be full bodied..

Drink - just an 'okay' beer. There are much better darks out there to be drunk.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2010 18:06:38 | More by spinrsx

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

1.6/5  rDev -47%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Ran out of homebrew at a BBQ, so someone passed me one of these. Claims to be a maple porter, sounds good. When all else fails I drink their white beer at bars that have no craft. Pours a dark brown with a moderate head that isn't lacing or lasting. Can't say I am surprised by that. The aroma is enjoyable enough a bit of sweetness there.

As for the taste? Unbalanced and cloying as fuck. Wow. Didn't see this coming. I guess maple means Aunt Jemima poured into a dark coloured beer that has no roasted or malt character. I can't tell if there is bitterness. Mrs. Butterworth is kicking the shit out of my mouth. There is nothing porter-like about the flavour. There is little maple, just cloying fake sweetness... This is horrible. I can't drink this after 5 bottles of oatmeal stout? My palate should be shot but instead I want to pour this all over shitty boxed pancake mix so it can meet its equivalent... Damn it. I finished it to be polite but I was contemplating kicking it over more than once.

Mouthfeel? Save the fact there is vomit mixed with the beer? Very strong carbonation. Drinkability? Take a guess.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2010 03:52:22 | More by kjyost

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

2.2/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Bottle: Poured a clear medium brown color ale with a fizzy small head with minimal retention and no lacing. Aroma consists of light roasted malt with no bitterness and lightly sweet adjunct dominated malt profile. Taste is also a mix between some light caramel with faint roasted malt. Body is way too thin for style with medium carbonation. Pointless.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2010 14:49:05 | More by Phyl21ca

pootz

Ontario (Canada)

2.2/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

On Tap:

Puts a transparent clear dark brown liquid in the glass. Weak head vanishes in a minute, weak lacing on the glass.

Aroma dominated with sweetness: sharp adjunct dextrins, light roastiness, hops undetectable.

Up front taste has some grains but is dominated again by adjunct sweetness, weak body, thin mouth feel, fast tasteless finish...no dryness just a touch of sweet and roast grain. Where are the hops?

Thin, weak, uninspired, poor representation of the style, Basically disappointing and pointless.

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2010 23:31:05 | More by pootz

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

3.35/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Rickards Dark poured black, like other porters, and had almost no head. There wasnt much of a smell, and the taste was the same. It was very light, and tasted watered down. Even though it was a porter it was very light, and needed much more flavor. Not a bad beer, but not a good beer either.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 03:25:56 | More by vette2006c5r

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.05/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

After wandering around for too long, too late, on a Friday night, looking for a decent place to eat, we had to give up, and settle on Red Robin, for convenience and timing. Upon crossing the threshold, I did not expect to see a big poster advertising a beer that I had not had before. When it came time to order, and I ordered a glass of Rickard's Dark, the waiter gave me a sommelier-esque smug look of approval, which bemused me to no end...

This beer appears a clear dark copper brown colour, with one finger of soapy pale beige head, which leaves some minor webbed lace around the glass after its brief existence is up. It smells of mild roasted grain, and caramel. The taste is floral, fruity, lightly roasted malt, and some vegetal, skanky bitterness. The carbonation is moderate, the body fairly south of medium weight country, but smooth enough, and it finishes off-dry, the dark, sugary malt fighting against the weedy hops, and mostly winning. Overall, not a bad accompaniment to a resto-burger, when you're not trying too hard to think about it.

Another side-step from their Red Ale 'template'? Yup. Average brown ale? Sure. English porter? Hell, no.

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2010 23:32:06 | More by biboergosum

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

2/5  rDev -33.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Mm delicious porter. Will it be better than Labatts?

Pours a clear dark red, no real brown, very thin off white head forms and quickly settles down to a fizzy ring, no lace and disappears pretty quickly.

Smell is similar to Labatts porter, vegetables and cola, some garbage, lightly sweet, brown sugar, very clean and lager like, corn, maybe a bit of chocolate, not good.

Taste is similar, sweet, lightly malty, caramel and corn, very light maple, brown sugar, a bit of fruit, sweet in the finish, basically the opposite of a porter.

Mouthfeel is light bodied with medium carbonation, too high for me. Wow. I would like to meet the geniuses who thought this one up.

Serving type: can

04-16-2010 15:33:05 | More by Viggo

byaeger

Oregon

2.17/5  rDev -28.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

On a ski trip in Whistler, the liquor store had limited availability and since the 6-packs were a whopping $15, I had to get a 12-pk just because they were only $27. And what's worse, the US-CAN exchange rate is virtually even, so no "built-in discount."

There were a few mixed samplers and ended up with Rickard's because my family loves White Ales, the Porter with Maple Syrup appealed to me, and I figured someone would want the Reds (one of my least favorite styles next to Ambers, and, oddly, Helles).

I was apprehensive about the "porter" because of the name, Dark, as well as the color depicted on the box--a chestnut red hue. Lo and behold, the beer poured just that. Too light on the dark-roasted malts, or worse, some caramel coloring? Call this a regular Brown Ale and it's fine, but call it an English style porter and I call bullshit. And where's this maple syrup of which they speak? Not happening. I guess I should be grateful it didn't reek of artificial maple flavoring.

After a hard day's skiing, any beer will do including this one, but I wouldn't order it by choice. Additionally, after drinking a Dark and a White, I discovered Rickard's is an imprint of Molson. At first I felt had, then I thought--too bad they can't make a good beer even if they tried. Let's put it this way, the Richard's White is no MolsonCoors Blue Moon.

Hey Rickard, take off you Hoser.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2010 05:21:40 | More by byaeger

cratez

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Deep ruby brown with red hues, a ring of beige head, and several spots of lacing on the nonic. Smell is malty adjunct grains, very light grass, and nutty biscuit. Weak dark malts in the flavour, a hollow sweetness from the maple, some table cream, and a tepid, wheaty dryness to finish. Not terrible, just indistinct. As others have noted, this is more like a dunkel than a porter. Mouthfeel is smooth, a little chocolatey, medium carbonation, dry aftertaste. A decent drinker.

Like most 'above average' macros, Rickard's Dark would be a good fallback beer in mainstream establishments. Certainly one of Molson's best beers, and comparable to the White, but that's not saying much. Acceptable in moments of desperation, forgettable if you want something interesting.

Serving type: can

02-12-2010 04:47:03 | More by cratez

mrmanning

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

473 ml can- Deep cola pour has reddish hues when held to light, pours a frothy mocha cap with good lace. Nose of roast, some burnt sugar, honey, some coffee. Tastes sweet, of brown sugar, honey, roasted malts, a bit of bitter hops. Creamy sweet finish. Good.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2010 19:56:24 | More by mrmanning

Shadman

Alberta (Canada)

3.18/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Brewed in St. John's according to the label. Porter brewed with maple syrup...interesting. Looks dark brown, acually more of a cherry red-brown when held to the light. Good head/lacing points from an aggressive pour.

Grainy malts, hints of chocolate & coffee...no maple syrup so far.

If I was basing the review on the front end this beer would be getting slammed. Grainy, with a definite adjunct-like twang. Back end is interesting with the aformentioned chocolate & coffee flavours coming through, albeit fairly weakly. Very slight maple flavour in the aftertaste.

Given the lower ABV, I found it to be slight creamy and smooth.

If this was on tap vs. Kokanee or Canadian, then it is certainly more drinkable. Might be a decent brew to offer newbies who are 'afraid' or 'don't like' dark beers.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2010 01:11:38 | More by Shadman

DoctorStrangiato

Alberta (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a 341-ml bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance - dark brown beer with amber hues and a thin beige head that flattens out to a thin foam quickly. Nice lacing along the sides.

Smell - soft, shallow roasted malt overtop a pretty subtle layer of toffee-caramel.

Taste - very even taste, a balance of light bitterness to the malty mainstay. Gets sweeter after more and more samplings.

Mouthfeel - pretty smooth brew overall.

Drinkability - easy to put away quite a few and the lower alcohol content is a bonus.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2010 22:29:17 | More by DoctorStrangiato

NightINgale

Quebec (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - Clear brown colour to the body, with an okay beige head. Good lacing and pretty decent head retention.

S - Caramel, a bit of dark chocolate, grain, and some nuttiness.

T - Starts out very grainy, with a fair amount of roasted barley notes, with hints of chocolate. Not very sweet. The finish is not very interesting, with some mild bitterness and lots of graininess.

M - Light-to-medium bodied. Some crispness from carbonation. Not that bad, but not very smooth either.

D - Pretty good. For the ABV, this is a very drinkable ale.

Overall, this is one of the better offerings from Rickard's line.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2010 04:56:02 | More by NightINgale

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

2.53/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Boy there's a lot of Rickards to be had now. I guess Molsons is simply trying to nab some of the cachet belonging to emerging craft brewers in Ontario by whipping up faux versions of styles that are showing themselves to be popular. However, there's more to it than just grabbing the name of a style and printing up a new label. Sigh.

Like the rest of the Rickards this is a pretty bland brew. Doesn't have the presence of a proper porter. Weak kneed across the board in its aroma and flavour. Thin bodied. Just uninteresting, but not unpalatable. Meh.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2009 00:51:08 | More by TerryW

Otterburn

Quebec (Canada)

3.2/5  rDev +6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

4,8% porter brewed with maple syrup...

from that 12 pack with red,white and this one.

First of all, I don't really notice the maple syrop. Except for the colour, wich it look more like syrop than a proper porter..

Apperence is nice, but not for a porter, not dark enought in my opinion.

The smell is very quiet,very small maple sent.

The taste is not strong, similar to the red.

The mouthfeel is alright and the drinkability is good, because its not very strong flavor
Molson brew popsoda beer wich are made to be easy to drink.

Got along very well with my cheese Macaronni.
I,m not kidding.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2009 05:26:08 | More by Otterburn

JOaikido

Quebec (Canada)

2.9/5  rDev -4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

341 ml bottle. Claims to be a porter brewed with maple syrup.

A- Dark coppery brown with red to amber highlights. Smallish beige head.

S- Faint caramel sweetness. Weak but not bad.

T- Smoky, sweet flavour up front, though not strong enough (in true Rickard's fashion). Fairly well balanced bitter background. Maybe a touch of maple, but it's faint. There is more of a caramel sugar sweetness. Ordinary.

MF- Medium to light body. Not too watery. Nothing bad, nothing great.

D- Easy enough to drink. Has more character than most Molson products. Not sure why it would qualify as a porter though.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2009 03:19:11 | More by JOaikido

cfrancis

Ontario (Canada)

2.38/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

This is so far from a porter, very much a "safe" beer. Non offensive, but does have some very nice maply syrup tasting notes. Dark brown in colour and not a lot of aroma but aroma is sweet with maple. Taste is again maple syrup with some malt. Beer is an easy drinking macro with really nothing of note or notable characteristics.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2009 22:05:08 | More by cfrancis

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.15/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

341ml bottle poured into pint glass nov6 2009

A clear reddish copper with a big head that falls to a 1/4in film that left some lace. the colors not what I expect from a porter but other then that it looks good

S mild chocolate and some sweetness but not maple perhaps a little cherry

T I get some sweetness but if its maple its pretty mellow

M thin for a porter but good carbonation keep it average

D nothing amazing other then the fact its a macro trying to make a porter

for a big name Canadian brand it`s OK but that`s not saying much

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2009 09:14:13 | More by wordemupg