Muskoka Dark Ale - Muskoka Brewery

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

3.08/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Regular-sized bottle from the LCBO; no production code given. Last reviewed December 2009 from a can - I have decided to go back and re-review a number of my very early submissions to this site, mostly to see if my original assessments are still relevant.

Pours an opaque, deep brown colour with copper highlights, topped with a little less than two fingers of puffy tan head. Decent retention, with a few rings of lacing around the edge of the glass as the volume drops with each sip. The aroma is enticing enough I guess but not particularly imaginative for the style - roasted malt sweetness, caramel with hints of baker's chocolate.

Approachable taste, but once again there is little nuance and nothing particularly creative about this brew's flavour. It is, however, nicely balanced between sweet and dry. Roasted malts and caramel/toffee sweetness are dominant early on in the sip, with a hint of dark chocolate and bitter coffee grounds toward the finish. Dryness and malty cocoa notes linger in the aftertaste. Light-bodied and rather watery for the style, but it is quite smooth and drinkable. Soft carbonation provides some slight prickliness on the tongue.

Final (adjusted) Grade: 3.08, somewhere between a C and a C+. This didn't blow me away when I was new to craft beer, so I'm not exactly surprised that I'm even less impressed with it now. Not a bad brew by any means, but a polite, underwhelming one that possesses no superlative traits with which to impress the average BA.

I sincerely doubt I'll get this again; twice is enough for me. There are many Ontario-made brown ales and dark beers I would recommend long before this one. Muskoka can (and has) done much better than this.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 00:54:44 | More by thehyperduck

bgibbard

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2%

03-31-2013 23:03:27 | More by bgibbard

patre_tim

China

4.25/5  rDev +23.9%

03-31-2013 03:27:28 | More by patre_tim

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%

02-13-2013 12:44:33 | More by DaPan

mjacquard

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2%

01-25-2013 04:18:55 | More by mjacquard

CanuckRover

Ontario (Canada)

3.54/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark reddish-brown. Tan head has great staying power. Lacings are good and sticky. Lively carbonation is a bit of a turn-off.

Mostly just nondescript chocolate on the nose, not particularly complex, but by no means off-putting.

Chocolate comes through first. Carbonation kicks up some light fruit flavours. Roasty earthiness picks up in the finish and leaves a lasting bitterness.

Just a touch less carbonation would be nice.

Not a bad beer. Good flavour packed in there and it all slots together pretty well.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 20:40:15 | More by CanuckRover

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.74/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Deep brown, some ruby lights here, one finger of tan head, good retention and lace. Smell is full of chocolate and roast, caramel, coffee with a bit of spicy earthy hops. Taste is also quite roasted, chcoolate, fairly upfront bitterness, earthy hop flavours and finishes with more coffee and roasted malt. Med-high carbonation, med body and a bit prickly. Really quite a nice brown ale that I could have multiples of in one sitting, a bit of an underated and quite drinkable brew.

Serving type: can

01-13-2013 00:29:18 | More by peensteen

Vyronian

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +31.2%

11-16-2012 13:31:26 | More by Vyronian

cfalovo97

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -12.5%

11-06-2012 19:41:56 | More by cfalovo97

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

355ml bottle poured into pint glass 20/9/12

A dark cola with a reddish glow in the light with enough clarity to see that the liquids full of bubbles, light mocha heads a solid thumbs width and has decent retention and leaves some random lace

S chocolate milk and a little nutty toffee and some smoked meat, smells OK but a little faint

T some fruity notes on top of what I smell, I can't quite pick it out though, much like the nose the flavors decent but a little faint

M a little thin but the bubbles give it some life, I think there might be more flavor on the finish then while drinking it

O nothing wrong with this one but no reason to remember it either, just a little faint but what it has is decent

I wouldn't go looking for this but I'm not upset there's two more in my mixed pack

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 16:58:31 | More by wordemupg

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +16.6%

09-18-2012 22:47:03 | More by Molson2000

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

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

A - nearly pitch black, thumb of head dissipated to a thin covering with decent lacing
S - big roasty notes, mild chocolate, nutty and light grain
T - roasty malt and cola flavours up front, light nutty, a touch of grassy hops, and some light chocolate
M - too much on the light side for the style, fairly big carbonation, thin through the finish
O - a decent brown ale, good flavour mix but just lacking just a little something, but as part of a Muskoka 12 mixer not a bad option

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 03:53:21 | More by joemcgrath27

Lynn

Ohio

4/5  rDev +16.6%

08-28-2012 22:18:36 | More by Lynn

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance- Pours a dark cola brown with a finger width of bubbly mocha white head.

Smell- Roasted malts, coffee bean, dark chocolate syrup, vanilla.

Taste- The roasted malts, and coffee upfront followed by cocoa and dark chocolate.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied with light to medium carbonation.

Overall- A tasty English Brown by Muskoka. There are lots of robust roasted flavours from different sources that would make for an excellent autumn warmer.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 03:02:18 | More by leaddog

artemh

Alberta (Canada)

3/5  rDev -12.5%

08-16-2012 02:41:07 | More by artemh

sliverX

New York

3.75/5  rDev +9.3%

08-13-2012 02:39:09 | More by sliverX

decimator

Ontario (Canada)

2.73/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

473ml can poured into a pint glass. ABV 5%.

A - Poured a dark brown with a 1 cm light beige head. Head quickly vanished. No lacing.

S - Coffee, toasted bread. Light aroma overall.

T - Light toasted bread, some coffee, burnt notes in the aftertaste. As it warms there's some tartness in the finish.

M - Low carbonation, medium-light body, thin, dry finish.

O - Pretty plain for the style.

Serving type: can

07-27-2012 03:05:47 | More by decimator

RedAleMan

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2%

07-20-2012 04:41:36 | More by RedAleMan

slitherySOB

Ontario (Canada)

2.78/5  rDev -19%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

One thing I gotta mention about Muskoka brewery. They don't put their abv on the can. This beer pours a dark brown colour with a thick, two finger head. Smells of coffee, cherry, cocoa and brown toast. Tastes very malty, with a burnt coffee aftertaste. Mouthfeel is light, smooth and creamy. Overall, their are better beers for your money, but it's a decent session ale.

Serving type: can

07-12-2012 00:40:40 | More by slitherySOB

KrisDLSmith

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +16.6%

07-10-2012 04:10:07 | More by KrisDLSmith

BigGruntyThirst

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +9.3%

07-08-2012 02:33:26 | More by BigGruntyThirst

Yeoman9459

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance - dark brown, tan bubbly head that went away very quickly.

Smell - bit of coffee, bit of cherry, not too much going on.

Taste - isn't very much to speak of, tastes kind of ashy. Bit of coffee. Leaves a little coffee bitterness.

Mouthfeel - light bodied, fairly carbonated.

Overall - not my favorite from the brewery, but not a terrible beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 05:09:32 | More by Yeoman9459

Orbex

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%

05-31-2012 21:57:52 | More by Orbex

rarbring

Sweden

2.88/5  rDev -16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

The brew is dark brown, very dark, a quickly settling light tan head, leaving good lacing, some curtains.

The taste is ashes, burnt bread, coffee and soy sauce. A bit thin.

Starting with sweet brown bread crust, some soy sauce, a small coffee hint, some dark fruits.

Little carbonation, soft but watery, a small body, a dry finish.

This did not turn me on, a bit too simplistic.

Serving type: can

05-17-2012 16:56:49 | More by rarbring

MattPS

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2%

05-14-2012 01:16:41 | More by MattPS