Muskoka Winter Beard (Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout) - Muskoka Brewery

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BA SCORE
86
good
-
89 Ratings

rAvg: 3.83
pDev: 12.27%
Reviews: 53
Hads: 36

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Brewed by:
Muskoka Brewery

Ontario, Canada

Style | ABV
American Double / Imperial Stout | 8.00% ABV

Availability: Winter. bottle (49), on-tap (4).

Notes:
Our Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout is rich and sturdy with roasted dark chocolate malts, real cocoa, 70% dark chocolate, and freshly harvested local cranberries. Pair that with a slightly higher alcohol content and you'll find yourself sharing this bottle of joy all winter long.

View: Beers (13) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by ThinkAgain:

ThinkAgain

Ontario (Canada)

4.75/5 rDev +24%

01-31-2012 19:48:08 | More by ThinkAgain

More User Reviews:

seinfeldette

Ontario (Canada)

4/5 rDev +4.4%

05-16-2013 20:27:32 | More by seinfeldette

nullbort

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5 rDev +11%

05-04-2013 13:01:06 | More by nullbort

schnarr84

Alberta (Canada)

3.75/5 rDev -2.1%

03-19-2013 04:56:25 | More by schnarr84

timiskin

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5 rDev -2.1%

03-12-2013 19:08:56 | More by timiskin

IanSpindler

Alberta (Canada)

4/5 rDev +4.4%

02-27-2013 20:58:10 | More by IanSpindler

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5 rDev +11%

02-13-2013 12:45:56 | More by DaPan

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5 rDev -2.1%

01-26-2013 02:19:20 | More by papat444

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

4.04/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

750 mL caged-and-corked bottle from the LCBO (2012 edition). This is the only one of Muskoka's rotating seasonal offerings that I have not yet tried - but given past experience, I expect I'm in for a pretty good couple glasses of beer. Served only slight chilled; poured into a snifter.

Pours an opaque brownish-black colour, topped with one finger of creamy, foamy, beige-coloured head. Retention is decent; it gradually wilts away over the next five minutes or so, leaving behind plenty of sticky lacing, a narrow collar around the edge, and a spotty film on the surface. The aroma is enticing, with lots of cocoa powder and rich chocolate fudge, some mocha, roasted nuts, and a pleasant cranberry tartness to round it all out.

Somehow I doubt they're kidding about the 'double chocolate' part, because this brew's flavour is rife at first with rich dark chocolate and cocoa powder, and the chocolate notes don't really let up from there. Roasted coffee grinds come through as well, followed by dark cherry, anise, baker's chocolate and some light cranberry tartness toward the finish. Roasted, earthy aftertaste with a slight hint of booze and dark chocolate that lingers nicely. Full-bodied and fairly thick, with a slick, almost oily feel left behind on the palate. I must admit, I wasn't expecting an 8% stout to be this full, and it threw me off a little at first, but there's something to be said for its smooth, creamy nature.

Final Grade: 4.04, a solid A-. Muskoka's Winter Beard probably isn't my favourite of their seasonals, but it's still an excellent imperial stout. Surprisingly well-balanced for the style, with the rich sweetness of the chocolate being delicately countered by the roasted character and slightly sour cranberry. It's a brew that's almost too much - but never going overboard or becoming cloying, with just the right amount of warmth from the alcohol to make this into a perfect winter sipper. I really enjoyed this stuff, but at $10.95 a bottle I doubt I'd ever get this more than once a year (although I might get another bottle and crack it next January to see how it develops). Worth a try, but not a worldbeater.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 23:03:00 | More by thehyperduck

MaxwellSchaefer

2.9/5 rDev -24.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

Appearance: Light head, little rention.

Smell: chocolate and coffee notes shine here with undertones of caramel. I was surprised not to detect any cranberry whatsoever.

Taste: Silky mouth feel, almost like crushed chalk without the taste. The carbonation was tough and very strong--maybe thats where the particulate mouthfeel came from. The taste was chocolatey with some burnt coffee notes--I still couldnt really taste the cranberry.

Overall: the beer kind of sparkles in the mouth but feels muddled. For a beer that calls itself a winter warmer it did make me feel kind of warm. Next time I'll grab something else.

Serving type: on-tap

01-11-2013 20:03:20 | More by MaxwellSchaefer

mjacquard

Ontario (Canada)

4/5 rDev +4.4%

01-10-2013 05:21:35 | More by mjacquard

CSFerrier

Michigan

4.25/5 rDev +11%

01-04-2013 17:21:55 | More by CSFerrier

FEUO

Ontario (Canada)

4/5 rDev +4.4%

01-02-2013 14:38:52 | More by FEUO

GoHabsGo

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5 rDev -2.1%

12-26-2012 23:28:30 | More by GoHabsGo

sbarre

Ontario (Canada)

4/5 rDev +4.4%

12-26-2012 02:18:18 | More by sbarre

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.93/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a near pitch black colour, with a tanned, foamy finger of head that leaves some spongy lace. The aroma has plenty of chocolate on the nose, with a big roasted character and a light fruity cranberry sweetness/twang. Very interesting taste. Definitely chocolaty, and there's plenty of tangy sweet cranberry.

It didn't look too viscous, but it had a nice rich creamy texture, low carbonation, and a full body. Quite the unique take on an imperial stout, but a nice deviation, nonetheless.

Thanks Chris!

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 01:46:09 | More by EgadBananas

sliverX

New York

4/5 rDev +4.4%

12-02-2012 22:21:25 | More by sliverX

merc7186

New York

3.45/5 rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bomber into snifter glass.

A: Black Opaque Hue, Passes No Light, White Head Ring, Some Lacing

S: Mild Bitter Fruit, Mild Milk Chocolate.

T: Milk Chocolate, Mild Cranberry, Mildly Bourbon

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Boozy, Mildly Sweet.

Overall, a nice balanced stout but the taste was somewhat balanced.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 06:07:42 | More by merc7186