Lead Dog Olde English Ale - Yukon Brewing Company

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.01/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Bottle from wordemuog, 12oz into a tulip.

Dark brien, mahogany hues when held to the light. Tab head, with moderate retention and lacing. Nose has some sweetish, bready malts, a bit of chocolate, molasses. Taste has some roast, toasty bread, some sweet and complex malt character. Dry finish. Medium feel, thats lighter at times. Medium low carbonation, no alcohol. Quite easy to put back, I'd have several of these.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 02:20:43 | More by liamt07

Olek4374

Alberta (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

06-17-2013 02:06:11 | More by Olek4374

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -13.4%

05-29-2013 18:08:46 | More by Kmat10

BKLRIBS

Texas

4/5  rDev -1%

04-06-2013 03:29:03 | More by BKLRIBS

blackcloud

Alaska

3.5/5  rDev -13.4%

03-30-2013 01:41:22 | More by blackcloud

chickenm

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -13.4%

11-20-2012 03:23:48 | More by chickenm

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lead Dog Ale isn't quite as dark as a January night in the Yukon, but it takes staring at it straight into the light to find that it is, in fact, clear and that it does indeed have some colour beyond its blackish exterior. The pecan-brown blush is very attractive and emits a surprising amount of glossy highlighting for a beer so dark-hued. A good head forms but eventually collapses like a tent, its main post removed.

The bouquet has that super enticing blend of roasted nuts, chocolate, dried fruits and coffee that makes keeping your nose out of the glass for more than a few seconds at a time a very difficult task. Not overly sweet, not overly roasty - it is an unusually successful balance between dark porter-like elements (i.e., fudge, espresso) and somewhat lighter brown malt notes (i.e., toffee, molasses).

This "Olde English Ale" is indeed fashioned in a similar vein to many of Britain's celebrated strong ales (think Fullers Vintage or J.W. Lees). It nowhere near rivals these markedly complex and celebrated ales, mind you, but rather drinks like a simplified, made-to-order version of them. This is not to diminish its flavour, which is substantial in its own right, offering notes of pecan, molasses, golden raisin, roasted grain, cocoa and coffee.

Despite the abundance of malt flavour, the climbing alcohol content and the general makeup of a porter, the brewery's quite right about this beer's consumption not leading to an "overly full gullet". Of course, it's hard for me to fully put that claim to the test with only one bottle in my possession, but considering how quickly it's disappeared, I'd call it a fairly safe bet. If anything, it may be a wee thin for its flavour profile.

Lead Dog Ale has got to make the cold, dark, long Yukon winter more bearable. Or at least act as some token of consolation - you won't find it many places elsewhere. So while they might not have much sun, at least the people of the Yukon can rest easy knowing they have plenty of good beer at their disposal, Yukon Brewing makes darn sure of that. (Now if only they'd start looking after other people by distributing further south!)

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 03:08:09 | More by biegaman

wesbray

Alberta (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

08-01-2012 19:06:41 | More by wesbray

Reswald

Alaska

4/5  rDev -1%

06-26-2012 00:49:28 | More by Reswald

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to wordemupg for this one.

Poured from a 341ml. bottle.

Appearance: A very dark body with blood red tints and a very light brown, thick head.

Smell: Wisps of roasted coffee, sweet caramel candy, nuts (skin and all) and images of a wood stove. Comforting.

Taste: Unsweetened chocolate, faint coffee, dark dried fruits, raw nuttiness, toasted oats and a bit of candy sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Creamy & rich with a tinge of robustness that could have cranked it up a notch. Nice light bittering in the middle through the finish.

Overall: A nice winter warmer that felt real good to taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 11:14:10 | More by papat444

beerSexualizer

Ontario (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Great beer. Looks like a porter with its voluptuous black colour and amber red tints.

Smells of coffee, toffee, molasses and some cocoa

Tastes like delicious night fall in an arctic winter. Warming with its Toasted malt, caramelization and earthy brewed coffee. The flavours are mostly subtle but very well balanced. A bitter finish that balances and adds depth lingers on this beer.

Low-med carbonation with a hit of warm alcohol adding to the drying hop finish.

Buy this and drink it to the bottom.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 17:17:20 | More by beerSexualizer

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

4.47/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance- Pours with a thick white head. Dark black in colour and opaque.

Smell- Hints of roasted coffee, toffee/caramel and plum.

Taste- Moderate flavours of the roasted coffee, toffee/caramel and plum comes through in the taste. Slightly bitter at the end but doesn't take away from the flavours.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied with good amount of bubbles. ABV is well hidden in this ale and it very drinkable for the style of beer.

Overall- A nice olde english ale from Yukon Brewing. One of my favourites next to the Espresso Stout. This ale is great to have to warm up on a cold winter day.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 03:12:39 | More by leaddog

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a darek ruby red with a finger of beige head, decent retention and some sporadic llacing.

S - Roasted nuttiness off the top, some burnt sugars and caramel follow and finishes with a touch of leafy green hops.

T - Quite tasty, with the roasted characteristics coming through nicely alongside some dark espresso and burnt caramel. Touch of ABV sweetness is detectable and a bit of heat lingers on the palette with some faint leafy hops lingering.

M - Medium bodied ale, goes down surprisingly smooth and finishes with a bit of heat and dryness.

O - Easily one of the most flavourful offerings I've had from Yukon Brewing and no surprise that it is so well received. Full flavoured strong ale that is highly recommended. ABV is decently hidden, but is certainly not offensive.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 00:04:16 | More by andrenaline

MAB

Alberta (Canada)

4.58/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The Hop-In Brew has a few kegs of this, on-tap! (November 17, 2010)

While I really enjoy this beer in a bottle, it went to a whole new level of awesome on-tap last night.

Deep red, almost black color. Slightly dark head indicates roasted malts. Creamy, almost like a Guinness. This is looking good.
Nice roasted malt aroma, no hop aroma.
While it isn't a porter, and definitely not a stout, I haven't had many of either style that compare to this. Roasted malt flavor comes through, a bit of alcohol bite, nice hops to balance the sweetness, which is definitely present but less so than in the bottle.
Porter-like consistency in the mouth, low carbonation. Wonderful mouthfeel.
Emminently drinkable. I'm going back as often as I can to get more of this, before it goes away. The Arctic Red has been on-tap for years there (and still is) so I hope that popular demand keeps this one on the delivery schedule, as well.

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2010 17:25:11 | More by MAB

notdan

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from IronDjinn from CanBIF 6. Thanks!

Pours clear dark brown with a tinge of auburn, topped with a bubbly tan head with solid retention.

Smells quite nice. Fruit and toffee mostly, including some apple and cherry. An earthy/mineral edge shows up as well.

Taste was not what I expected based on the aroma, but still nice. Out of nowhere, the roast characteristic showed up, matched with a hint of tart cherry and some caramel/toffee. Dry, moderately bitter finish, but no noticeable hop flavours to speak of.

Mouthfeel is very nice; slightly slick with just the right amount of carbonation.

Alcohol is completely lacking in the flavour, which in combination with the mouthfeel, make this a very drinkable beer.

Good stuff, wish there were more examples of English and American strong ales around these parts.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2010 05:23:58 | More by notdan

ritzkiss

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle sent from wordemupg in CanCon BIF - thanks man!

Pours a dark russet, earthy brown with hints of auburn in the light, a nice finger of head off the pour which dies down to a thin collar that manages to leave some lacing down the glass.

Nose is dominated by toffee malt, earthy metallic notes, bread, and light spicing.

Toffee and caramel malt, day old coffee, earth (almost loam like), hints of cocoa powder, bread. Extremely dry and biting, sucks the moisture out of your mouth! Hint of the alcohol in the back but just barely, warming in the stomach hits you about half way through. Tingly carbonation, any less and this might stick in your mouth. Light sweetness runs through it but pales in light of the hop, malt roast drying that runs rampant along your tongue and cheeks. Lightish body, going for drinkable I believe though at 7% that could be difficult.

A really interesting beer. It would go well with food though I wouldn't call it sessionable. Well made, tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2009 19:47:28 | More by ritzkiss

Dawkfan

Alberta (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a deep brown with a thin head and not much lacing. Hum.... I remember this beer pouring & looking better than this. Hopefully the beer is still good.

S- The first thing I get is toffee and caramel. Some coffee and hops in here as well. This is a nice smell!!

T- Much like the smell with a hint of booze and nuttiness. The finish is bitter. A good balance between all the flavors.

M- Medium-full body. Moderate carbonation.

D- A really nice offering from Yukon. I haven't had many beers of this style, but I enjoyed this immensely. This kept getting better as it warmed. I'm still not sure what happened with the pour on this one, perhaps the glass wasn't cleaned properly, but everything else was spot on how I remembered it.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2009 04:13:35 | More by Dawkfan

Shadman

Alberta (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Dark as an arctic night ale would be an alteranate name for this brew. Dark brownish-red with a fizzy off-white head and decent lacing.

Complex blend of dried fruit, dates, rum raisen & of course a bit of good ol' booze( it is 7% abv after all)

I'm sure if you asked a high brow craft brew drinker from a big city if it was possible for a beer from the Yukon ( think sled dogs and brothels) could be this well crafted...Rich, well balanced tastes that include dried dates, mild coffee, rum raisin. Alcohol barely warms inially. Finishes very much like a fine English Pale ale with a withering dryness. It's only after about 5 minutes that you realize the alcohol has bitten your tongue.

Almost chewy and full in body. Very smooth given the ABV.

My new winter ale to be sipped and savored ever time I have the fireplace going.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2009 03:57:36 | More by Shadman

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

341ml bottle poured into 400ml dab glass on sept26 2009

A clear brownish copper with a thumb width of head that has only fair retention but even the final film left some lace

S some spice, burnt sugar and a tiny bit of booze

T the booze is a little more pronounced and it has some nice nutty flavor and toffee/caramel balance it out quite well.

M low carbonation and its leaning to the heavy side

D this one is perfect for this chilly fall night, overall several small things came together too make this one work

I'm stoked on this beer, this is one of the most underrated ales in western Canada. I like the stout and red ale from Yukon, but this one may be their best

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2009 02:32:05 | More by wordemupg

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I recall this being my favorite of the Yukon products, before my reviewing days...

This beer pours a clear dark reddish brown colour, with a finger or so of foamy off-white head, which leaves a ring of lace around the glass. It smells of lightly roasted toffee, my mom's zucchini bread (earthy spices, bread, and brown sugar), and a bit of earthy hops. The taste is mildly roasted caramel malt, some nuttiness, alcohol edginess, and weedy hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body full and fairly smooth, and it finishes dry, roasted, and nutty.

A very tasty strong ale, the booze sufficiently integrated. Still my favorite beer from the North of our Great White North.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2009 23:13:11 | More by biboergosum

hopdog

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -22%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle shared courtesy of Josh (thanks!).

Poured a deeper orangish color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, roasty, nuts, and some cardboard. Tastes of toasted caramel, nuts, citrus, and lighter cardboard.

Notes from: 10/26/07.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2009 16:08:16 | More by hopdog

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Amber brown, light tan head, some retention & lacing.

S: Spiced-up Christmas/fruit cake that's covered in alcohol; caramel; burnt toffee.

T: Fruit cake, spice, burnt caramel, roasted nut & orange rind. Balanced bitterness; alcohol is subtle.

M: Body is slightly heavier than moderate; smooth.

D: A nice winter warmer.

Thanks Bobsy!

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2008 02:57:42 | More by Derek

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Wonderful bottle with a picture of a husky on it. Almost like the Canadian North personified.

The pour produces a mahogany couloured body and a decent off-white head. There's good retention and some nice lacing. Malty, english strong ale aroma, with some raisin, dark fruity malts and treacle. Very nice, full, malty body. Lots of toffee and caramel at the fore, with alcohol soaked dark fruits, and some great roasty characteristics. There's also a slight hint off wood (not oak though) and a good level of bitterness. Its quite a rich and textured palate, which I really appreciate. Creamy, full-bodied mouthfeel with restrained carbonation.

This is a very solid beer - great flavours and a nice body. Yet another winner from Yukon, who also do an awesome red if anyone feels like tracking it down.

Thanks to BigBry for sending this one East.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2008 20:17:52 | More by bobsy

demcorhip

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to the fine trader markaberrant for sending this my way. Pours quite dark, a brown that is almost black, with garnet hues around the edges. Nice tight two finger tan head formed on a pretty gentle pour. Excellent head retention, and is already leaving sticky lacings as the head slowly recedes, and continues to do so as I work on emptying my glass.

Toffee, a touch of treacle and a hint of anise greets the nose. Slightly floral but a moreso earthy hop touch also presents itself.

Pretty good stuff here. A mild nuttiness is smothered in toffee and notes of treacle. Hints of smoke and anise also present. Metallic twang appears near the finish and gives way to earthy flavours of moist black earth and decaying vegetation. The metalllic flavours are easy to get accustomed to.

Medium in body, nicely attentuated, and hides its 7% abv well. Rich malts harmonize nicely with the hops. Mildly roasty and mildly astringent, making it very easy to go back for more.

For what this is this is a very drinkable ale, and is as sessionable as most if not any other 7% beers. The metallic notes almost detracted from this fine ale, but after a couple more sips the palate quickly adjusted. A nice and almost roasty strong ale, hopped according to the english tradition. Very well made, glad i got to try this one, and would certainly enjoy having this one again.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2008 05:11:53 | More by demcorhip

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Roasty aroma, pours blackish with some white head and lace drops in glass following drinking up. Mollasses, licorice and some coffee grounds so characteristics of a porter, a brown, an old ale. Above average carbonation which works.Understated bitterness and maltiness. Drying aftertaste. Very decent English strong and reasonable 7% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2007 04:14:01 | More by northyorksammy