The last issue of the term? Already? It’s a sad state of affairs, but we have one more beer-y treat to bring to the refined palates of our wise readers. And don’t worry, unlike our previous beer selection, this one is indeed available at the LCBO. Despite the Big Brother’s tendency for monotony, we have managed to find a style and brewery we have not yet covered. Filling Dan and Neil’s glasses today is Ola Dubh from the Scottish brewery Harviestoun, an old ale aged in whiskey barrels. Sound expensive? That’s because it is. In order to afford this beer, Dan settled for the base model Fleshlight and Neil sold half his Sailor Moon comics. So please, dear readers, recognize the sacrifices that must sometimes be made in the name of good brews.
Dan: An Old Ale, as the name partially implies, is a dark, fruity, complex beer of English decent that has been left to age in some sort of fermentation vessel for an extended period of time. Old ales can vary quite a bit, with colour ranging from ruby red to near black and strength lying somewhere between 4% and 12% ABV. A strong dark ale can be a very tasty beast on its own, using various crystal malts to obtain rich sweet flavours. By aging the beer in a barrel or cask, it can take on some acidic notes from wild yeast strains, or can pick up flavours from the vessel itself.
Ola Dubh matures in no ordinary cask. This ale is aged in whiskey barrels obtained from the Highland Park distillery, resulting in a beer that features the peaty, smokey flavours common to their line of scotches. Aging beers in oak barrels has been common practice for several decades (we have the brew-gods over in Belgium to thank for this), but in recent years, there has been increased demand for beers aged in barrels previously used to store whiskey, and sometimes even port. The type of barrel used often depends on the region. Americans are all about bourbon barrel-aged beers whereas Scottish breweries are more likely to use scotch barrels. Here’s hoping Canadian craft breweries start to experiment with rye barrels.
Neil – If Canadian brewers begin experimenting with rye-aged beer as Dan suggests, we may have to worry about pushing back our impending graduation date! For now, an occasional purchase from Harviestoun will do just fine. The brewery was founded by Ken Brooker in 1984 within the picturesque Dollar Glen, Scotland (F***, it’s beautiful! Visualize the Plains of Rohan from the Lord of the Rings). Originally the brew house was constructed with pieced together (Frankenstein) equipment, housed in a modest 200 year old farmhouse…. I speculate the original brews might have been more than a little horsey, but nonetheless the locals seemed to like it well enough to allow a brewhouse upgrade within five years. In 2003, Haviestoun won CAMRA’s Beer of Britain Award for their zesty blonde ale “Bitter and Twisted,” effectively throwing them in the spotlight and skyrocketing growth. Today, Caledonian Brewery owns the much larger Harviestoun Brewery, but has thankfully maintained the brand with only slight improvements to marketing (namely the suave website and labels). A recent, novel, and very successful project is barrel-aging their “Old Engine Oil” imperial stout in single-malt whiskey barrels. These beers were renamed “Ola Dubh,” and further subdivided by the age of the barrels used. Consequently, the price varies according to the age of the whiskey barrels used. For example, the 12 year version that I reviewed is a mere $5.95/330mL bottle when compared to the whopping $18.95/330mL bottle for the 40-year version (which neither Dan nor I can afford). For those of you with deep pockets, you may taste something quite spectacular and unique in the 40-year Ola Dubh that Dan and I sadly passed up.
Dan’s thoughts on Ola Dubh 16: ‘Ola Dubh,’ Gaelic for ‘Black Oil,’ is a pretty appropriate name for a beer of this colour, showing off an opaque, ruby-tinged black body. A fairly aggressive pour yields a one-inch frothy head that would look equally fitting on top of a chocolate milkshake. Funny enough, the most prominent aroma is that of milk chocolate, but there’s also vanilla, oak, and just a touch of smokey peat. Surprisingly, the fruitiness I’d expect in the style is more or less absent. The smokey scotch flavours show up much more in the flavour, revealing themselves after an initial chocolate and caramel sweetness, then melding with a dry, earthy hop finish. The mouthfeel of this one is actually not as thick as the name would imply, but that might be for the best.
Overall, the Ola Dubh 16 is a delicious and complex beer. The scotch flavours are evident but not overpowering, allowing the smooth malt flavours to show through. Given the price tags, I can understand not wanting to try the entire Ola Dubh line-up. Treat yourself to one of these, and for Exmus, grab one for the scotch drinkers on your list who still thinks beer is nothing but yellow fizz. This will definitely change their minds. [4/5]
Neil’s thoughts on Ola Dubh 12: Well, my impending debt has lead me to pick the cheaper alternative of the bunch, so I suppose there’s some bias to my review already… Nonetheless, I will stay as objective as possible as I consume some five dollar joy. On first pour, this beer asserts its imperial nature: black and viscous with a quick to form tan-beige head. A quick whiff demonstrates some impressive complexity, burnt notes co-mingled with peat and a warm background. Indeed, I’m impressed so far… My first sip backs up the nose; this beer is the real deal. The stout component is very well done, almost exactly what I would want. However the highlight is most certainly the kicker, an oak background and gentle warming balances and complements the burnt malt. Whiskey the Great lives on in a new form, and one thing is for certain, selling half my cherished Sailor Moon collection was justified, maybe…[4.5/5]
Recommended for consumption if you enjoy: Scotch whiskey, Barley wines, Strong stouts.
Props to hops // Dan and Neil
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