Alexander Keith's Dark Ale

      Alexander Keith's has been pumping out a lot of new products over the past few years. First came their traditional IPA, then their light ale, then their red, and finally came their dark ale. Keith's were producing a stout which they only sold on tap in a few Nova Scotian bars. They later decided to release Keiths dark onto the market. the beer poured well and initially formed quite a nice head, which later disappeared.


Beer: Alexander Keith's Dark Ale
Type: Dark Ale
Alcohol: 4.1% apv
Price: $3.95 for a 473ml can


Aroma: The first note that hits you is that chocolate malt. Its a very rich smell and has this almost woodsy smell to it. You can pick up a bit of coffee smell from it too.


Appearance: The beer is black with a hint of reddish brown. The head that formed consisted of very large bubbles with a a dirty brown colour.


Taste: Keiths rendition is weaker in flavour then a lot of import beers. You still get the fruitiness of the ale yeasts but more importantly you get that coffee/chocolate/caramel flavour combination that you can only find in dark ales. The hop presence is weak and its not as bitter as I might have expected it to be. It reminds me a lot of the Rickards Dark, but it doesn't quite live up to the dark ales of Europe.


Mouthfeel:  I'm usually disappointed with the mouthfeel that you get from domestic breweries. This was no exception. While the beer tastes good, smells good and looks good, the mouthfeel is quite watery. This was also apparent with how quickly the head dissipated. The beer was a little more carbonated than I would have liked and I felt bloated not long after drinking it. Overall I found the mouthfeel to be week.  but it is a little on the bubbly side. The mouthfeel would have been a lot better if the beer had a creamier body.


Drinkability: Overall it is very drinkable. It has quite a bit more carbonation than a lot of its European counterparts which make it a little harder drink a lot but because of the lighter density and low alcohol (4.1%).
This would make a good beer to have when drinking with friends. I love stouts but lets face it, any more than 2 glasses and you feel full. I can see drinking this rather than stout if you were planning on having more than a few.


Overall this a good beer.This is also a good beer for those who may not have the experience of drinking heavier bodied more flavourful beers.

Alexander Keith's Dark Ale

3.5 / 5