Coopers Dark Ale - Coopers Brewery Limited

soju6

Missouri

3.45/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: Pours a dark brown color with anice tan head that fades to some lacing.

S: Aroma of roasted malt, nutty, some caramel sweetness and bit of dark fruit.

T: Taste of roasted malt with some caramel sweetness, bit of chocolate, dark fruit and nut. Mild bitterness and a clean finish.

F: A fairly full body, smooth, thick and creamy with a nice rich texture.

O: Drinkable beer without being fancy, Quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2013 03:34:14 | More by soju6

FLima

Brazil

3.89/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

Dark brown color with a two finger head with medium retention.
Aroma of chocolate, toasted malts, dark chocolate and refreshing hops.
Flavorful, zesty and refreshing taste at the same time. Toasted malts with earthy hops and clear notes of chocolate. Dry and mild bitter aftertaste.
Light to medium body with good carbonation and small bubbles. Slightly oily.
Delicious beer, very well crafted. Perfect session beer, high drinkability and pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 01:15:42 | More by FLima

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out as a clear brown color, it had a good amount of darkness to it which seemed to hold up against the light. The head was thin and cream colored, it didn't really lace or have much retention to it. The smell of the beer had some brown sugar notes along with some raosted malts and hints of coffee. The taste of the beer had a pretty good bitterness to it mostly from the dark malts I think. Could have been from the hops as well. The mouthfeel of this beer is on the thinner side,but remains pretty drinkable. Overall this beer isn't too bad, I wouldn't have a problem with drinking it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 04:13:10 | More by Knapp85

ADZA

Australia

3.5/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

It pours a dark murky copper hue with decent carbonation that leaves a creamy two finger head and a rim of lacing,the smell is chocolate,caramel and fruity spicy hops,it has a medium bodied mouthfeel and has tastes of light coffee,chocolate malts,dark cherries and finished with a touch of spicy hops and overall yeah its alright and better than the macro offerings out there but thats it.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2011 12:06:08 | More by ADZA

brod

Australia

3.75/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A nice dark colour when poured with a good head that remains.

A definite chocolate aroma that has a hint off fruit in its backgound.

The taste is one that is not immediately evident and is appriciated with a prolonged time in the mouth and allows for a very pleasant amount of biterness to remain in the palate.

A beer that I believe perfect for a cold winters night watching the football. It is a tasty dark ale that still allows for drinking during a prolonged session. The biggest disappointment is the carbonation that is a little too much.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 15:17:52 | More by brod

doktorhops

Australia

3.7/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4.5

This is the black sheep of the Cooper's line of ales (no pun intended). It's not easy to get and is generally glossed over by regular Cooper's pundits, however I thought I would give it a go.

Poured from 375ml stubbie into a Guinness pint glass.

A: The ale fizzed a bit on opening (must have been shook beforehand). A 4cm tan head dropped to almost nothing. The body is a deep earthy brown... perhaps an earthy ale taste will follow.

S: Hmmm, interesting aroma - promises of toasted biscuit from the malted barley, bakers yeast with grassy hops, but the malt is ever present.

T: All of the above; toasted malt dominates the flavour, with a light sourdough mid-palate (classic Cooper's bottle-conditioned yeast) and a finish with some grassy hops... very earthy (toasted earth that is).

M: Biggest letdown for this ale; it's thin and overly carbonated... apart from that qualm everything else is pretty good.

D: This is an ale that could do with a more intense flavour. The taste itself is good, however the wateriness and low ABV lets it down when this ale could be a real winner. I did find as I let the ale warm a bit towards the end that the flavour became more intense - I'll take note for when I crack open another.

Food match: Meat pie with mushy peas (classic Australian fare!).

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 09:27:06 | More by doktorhops

dgilks

Australia

3.65/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Slightly cloudy brown colour with a tight light tan head.

Mild coffee and fruit notes. Earthy.

Soft and malty. Lots of bubble fruit esters. Apple, stone fruit.

Medium-light body with moderate carbonation.

An easy drinking beer with a nice touch of malt complexity.

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2011 10:53:38 | More by dgilks

Macca

Australia

3.6/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

It's a good looking beer in the glass. Generous beige head over a dark brown body.

Chocolate on the nose. Maybe a bit of dark fruit as well.

Lots of chocolate on the palate. Not overly sweet though. Good bitterness.

Carbonation is a bitter higher than I would like.

This is a good sessionable dark beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2010 09:42:02 | More by Macca

Mora2000

Texas

3.7/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to ericandersnavy for sharing this bottle.

This is my first English Dark Mild Ale.

The beer pours a medium brown color with a white head. The aroma is dark malt with some caramel and toffee. The flavor is dark malt with some light coffee. The mouthfeel is watery with medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2010 22:42:19 | More by Mora2000

StJamesGate

New York

3.33/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours black brown with a loose tawny head of big bubbles that fades in an instant - honestly pours like a glass of Coke. Caramel syrup and slight malt nose. Mild molasses cake malt with some kola and hint of bark hops. Thin and light.

Nothing to this. Should a brown ale act like a summer drinker? Even to style this could have a lot more character.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2009 18:04:24 | More by StJamesGate

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.33/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Dark copper pour, small head that fades quickly.
Aroma is very weak. There's some toasty, nutty, chocolate notes and some very faint hops.
Flavours are much better, lots of roasted malt with some nutty notes. Light roasty bitterness.
Slightly watery, high carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2009 11:33:40 | More by CrazyDavros

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

2.42/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured from a 12.7oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a medium brown color, with a very thin off-white head that fades nearly instantly and leaves almost no lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of coffee, nuts, caramel, light roasted malts and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out with semi-sweet flavors of roasted coffee, caramel and some dark fruit. The malt character is pretty thin even for the style. The hops presemce is very mild but about where it should be for this type of beer and brings some balance. Certainly seems like this beer isn't sure whether or not it wants to be a porter or a brown ale. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: A little smooth and very watery, medium body, light-to-medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Not very tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, mild kick, not the best representation of style, there are definitely a lot of dark & mild beers out there that I would choose before this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2009 20:56:20 | More by TheManiacalOne

Offa

California

3.28/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

This is ok, decent and drinkable, but thin, a bit watery, and bland. It may be a mild, but milds needn't be so bland and one-dimensional.

Dark reddish brown, almost black, it is fairly bubbly and has a thin tan head that dissipates steadily to almost nothing.

The aroma is very mild chocolate, earth, old leaves, and pine with a hint of yeast.

The taste is also mild, mostly just toasty with light hints of chocolate, coffee, and singed leaves. It is neither sweet nor bitter, just dry and watery. It is thin and very light. The finish is little like old coffee grounds and burnt toast in water. Although it grows on me a bit, with the wateriness decreasing, it doesn't do much. I haven't had many dark milds, but Moorehouse's Black Cat is far superior.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2009 17:08:21 | More by Offa

juju7

Australia

3.05/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Dirty, dark brown almost black. Huge, fluffy off-white head. I'm waiting for it to warm up (it's not icy cold though, out of the fridge for about 20min) because it just isn't giving much on the nose. A bit of chicory and a touch of nuts but I'm almost snorting the beer to get it. Creamy mouthfeel with a bit of coffee and mild bitterness. Med-body, pleasant enough beer but not the best from the Coopers stable.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2009 11:32:00 | More by juju7

laituegonflable

Australia

3.6/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Looks black out of the light, but a murky brown really. Very thin lack of head, and a bit of lacing. A bit meh.

Nose has mild roasty characters, not too burnt, just soft aromas. A bit of burnt toffee though, which is sweet, and a hint of dates. Nice.

Subdued burnt flavour, like the nose is roasty without having the acrid quality of charcoal lingering around. Finish is long and pleasant with a lack of hops but quite appropriate for the style. Quite sweet with a good dark ale character. Decent effort, really. Mouthfeel is enough but not very full.

Nice and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2009 03:46:55 | More by laituegonflable

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.28/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a clear, deep, dark brown body with a very wispy, white head.

Smell: Humble aroma of dark fruits and slightly caramel-scented and bready malt notes.

Taste: Toasted bready malts and dark caramel, though with only a mild sweetness. Touch of dark fruitiness, mainly plums. Mild hop character and bitterness. Drying finish with one last hint of fruit. Grows increasingly watery in the latter half, it's good that it finishes when it does.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: Most of the Coopers have been poopers, but this Dark Ale, well, it's downright acceptable.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2009 20:06:46 | More by ChainGangGuy

indiapaleale

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown to black with a relatively thin off-white head.

Smell is plum, black licorice, sour apple, tobacco and sweet/sour sauce.

Taste is pretty tangy and yet light in body. Plum, soy sauce, dark sweet malt, light coffee and chocolate notes.

Fairly light mouthfeel and a lack of body make this one not a personal favorite. It is one however that is light in ABV and fairly drinkable for that reason alone.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2009 04:24:38 | More by indiapaleale

hwwty4

Missouri

3.55/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured a 12.7oz bottle into my Brother Thelonious goblet. When poured, this beer really reminded me the way that root beer pours. Pretty much the same color, and same effervescent head that quickly disappears. The aroma is of chocolate malts, brown sugar, and just a bit of plum. The flavor is much the same with the chocolate malts dominating the flavor profile but just a hint of plum skins, and apple comes through. The mouthfeel is light and very dry, almost a little to dry actually. This would be a great lunch beer. Something you could sit down to a meal with and enjoy 2 or 3 and still be able to fully function afterwards.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2009 22:33:41 | More by hwwty4

Tone

Missouri

3.33/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy, dark brown color. You can see the tiny bits of grain floating in this beer (almost motionless). 1/4 inch head with low retention and no lacing. Smells of some sweet malt, but mostly chocolate/brown sugar aromas. Fits the style. Very smooth, low carbonation, and fairly crisp mouth feel. Tastes of roasted malts all throughout the beer, especially in the aftertaste. There is a coffee flavor, but an additional more memorable bitterness. Overall, I was expecting more body than there was, too watery for my taste. Not as good as I thought it would be - not really worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2009 05:14:30 | More by Tone

foles

Australia

3.6/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours jet black, with a soft head that disappears very quickly. Very little on the noise. Nice fresh taste on the tongue, roasted malts, cocoa, dark chocolate, cola. Slight sour yeast twang is left in my mouth. Soft hit of bittnerness on the finish. The coopers yeast characteristic suits this beer well. Similar to an Australian stout, with a lower ABV, and not as strong flavoured.

Not a bad drop. I will pick up some more given its quite cheap.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2008 11:27:07 | More by foles

gmcfarre

Colorado

2.8/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Cooper's Dark Ale
12.7 oz bottle poured into traditional pint glass

A - Pours a dark cola-esque color with a small tan head that fades quickly. Some yeast sediment lies in suspension throughout the beer. Some lacing forms when tipped, but falls extremely quickly.

S - Sugary sweet roasted malt flavor with good dryness. Some brown sugar flavor. No evident hop activity.

T - Until this beer warms a bit it tastes mainly like a cola, which is to say its not very good. After sitting for a period, though, more roasted, dry flavors pop up which dominant the taste. A brown sugary sweetness starts things off. Finish leaves some residual dextrins on the tongue to complement the dryness. - 3

M - Medium bodied with an expressive carbonation and a dry finish.

D - In the end, its just a little to sweet for my tastes. Despite being a nice sessionable change of pace in terms of color and roasted flavors, this beer comes a little too close to tasting like a cola.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2008 17:16:08 | More by gmcfarre

WHROO

Australia

3.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured as expected nice & dark, although not opaque. 1 finger head that very quicky disappeared to a ring of froth...
Left a little sediment (synonomous with Coopers).
S: I enjoyed it...smokey & caramel - nice & sweet, some dark malts...smelt like it had good body
T: Again, smokey, & roasted malty, but not as strong & sweet as expected going on smell.
M: probably a little too spritzy & light for a dark ale for my liking...a little bitterness, but not really noticeable unless I think about it.
D: Nevertheless, I did enjoy it!!! Although Carlton Black (dark ale in my books) had more bite. I would definately have again

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2008 07:31:50 | More by WHROO

SpecialK088

Missouri

2.15/5  rDev -34.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass

A-Dark brown with a moderate head and laceing very thin can easily see through against the light.

S&T-My 2 main issues with this was there was nothing going on in eaihter of these areas it has extremly small notes of chocolate but was like drinking very weak tea.

M%D-Light body and a bit overcarbonated i could drink this beer again but im not sure why I ever would

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2008 23:02:46 | More by SpecialK088

naterock

Missouri

2.2/5  rDev -32.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours like dirty mop water with no head

smells like thin malts, nothing really

tastes like bready malt, bad aftertaste and horrible carbonation, almost no mouth presence and entirely undrinkable. I poured this out into the sink.

I although have cooked with it and have found decent results with marinades and bastes

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2008 00:48:36 | More by naterock

trackstar1043

California

2.13/5  rDev -35.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A - Pours a deep brown with a slight ruby hint, nice full 2 in tan rocky head with good retention, but thats where the good part of this beer ends.

S - The aroma or lack of was surprising, there was a weak smell of malts, brown sugar and a metalic grainy scent.

T - Again a lack of flavor just a slightly sweet malt, with a hollow grainy taste as if it were spoiled.

M - Med to light bodied, ok carbonation, left a bad aftertaste and residue to the palate.

D - If you have the opition, pass.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2008 15:25:58 | More by trackstar1043