Phillips Skookum Cascadian Brown

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

My least favorite of the "Hop Box" but still ok. Dark honey brown, with a nice crown floating on top. Dark heavy malts, with coffee, and massive hops, very nutty earthy end to the nose, slightly metallic. First sip watery and full of angry bee's. So much coffee, so much dirt, bitterness is nice. Never been a fan of the style but this one is drinkable. Taste varies from metallic to sour with in the same sip some how. So many nuts. Not digging the mainly sour, coffee of the taste. Comes across kind of chalky with a very earthy in the finish. Drinkable but I'll never purchase for my self again.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Bottle from trade: Pours a dark brown ale with amber highlights in the glass. Tight frothy 3 finger tan cap, Moderate carbonation. Aromas of citrus, cocoa and roast coffee, some mustiness and grassy tones. Lovely big chew on amber/chocolate malts in front, roasty, citrusy, long drying finish with a bitter snap at the end. I like this variety of style mixing...like an APA crossed with a porter..citrus and cocoa...nice effect.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Black Toque is dark and bitter. Contrary to beerchronic I find no notes of chocolate at all, but I find the bitter grapefruit very appraent after the beer has sat in the mouth for a little while. Feels a little thin however the flavour is great. IPA being my favorite style, loving the hops forward, and also having a particular british fondness for dark ales, this is a fantastic compromise. Will buy again and again.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

India Dark Ale??? Ok... lets see what we got here.
Got this beer in Radium Hot Springs on a torrential downpour after getting off of the RockWall Trail in Kootenay NP with that ass queen mmmmbeer. Poured out a really dark brown beer but give it some light from above and its a super clear darkest possible red. Gots me a perfect crown of light brown color that closes in on creamy and have some of the best retention I've ever seen on an IPA with full glass lacing. The aroma is nice and soft with sweet grapefruit, lemon and tangerine upfront. There are some roasted malts to go with the caramel and a hint of chocolate but the malts are mainly in the background and only balance it all out when warmer. That is not to say that it is all hop aroma. The taste is interesting, especially with the soft hops that has mint as one of the first flavors to hit. Pine, lemon, orange and obvious fresh and very bitter grapefruit, light caramel and medium roasted malts hold up the middle of this beer with maybe a hint of bakers chocolate. When I go past the pine bitterness the roast really comes out... and then it gets pounded back down with a second wave of stiff bitterness. Man, this thing is getting more bitter as I go. Light medium bodied, very carbonated and well done at that, the malts try to smooth this thing out and do then get punched in the face by the endless bitterness. Finishes bitter (pine) with a hint of roasted malts. Nice variety of the IPA style.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Bottle: Poured a deep black color ale with a huge foamy head with some great retention and some lacing. Aroma of medium bitter roasted malt mix with some dry bitter hops. Taste also consists of roasted malt with some bitter dry hops which is not the most interesting combination IMO. Body is about average with some great carbonation. Interesting but not necessarily something I would go for regularly.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

courtesy of Oakes - dark brown colour and a very little foam; slightly roasted malty nose with lemony and cheesy notes; effervescent with a good, oily malt body underneath; very dry, bitter and long vegetal, woody finish with hints of mint - a very good and boldly different beer

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

This sure ain't no regular ale! This pours dark dark dark, like stout or porter, and comes with a darkish foamy head. The aroma is mostly coffee, and much the same for the taste. No real evidence of any hops here until the aftertaste. Cool! Mouthfeel is also like a stout or porter, likewise the taste. Nice beer for a winter's day.