Great to see another dark lager on the market, and particularly one with such flavour firepower.
Loose Cannon, a gold medal winner at the recent North American Brewers Association awards, is deep brown in colour with garnet highlights. The Howe Sound head is in full effect here: rich and long-lasting (particularly for a lager), coloured off white and leaving some lacing on the glass.
There’s lightly roasted, bready malt on the nose with some subtle milk chocolate, a tingle of herbs and a whiff of smokiness. Overall, it’s a strikingly clean aroma.
A rich, nutty roastiness hits the mouth dead centre, followed by some milk chocolate. Oddly, there’s an almost citrus juiciness to the full, rounded mouthfeel, but it works beautifully. Bitterness rises in wave from below the back of the tongue before fading slowly to leave a satisfying combination of bitter roast and tangy herbal hops flavours, alongside a little coffee ground. The finish is clean and medium dry.
This is an assertive beer – much more so than B.C.’s classic dark lager, Hermann’s – that would go well with barbecued meats and simply dressed grilled burgers. The grill or barbecue would really latch on to the beer’s faint smokiness flavours, let alone its complex roastiness. Simple milk or white chocolate or red-berry desserts would work for a dessert pairing.
1 litre, from $8.50 , at private liquor stores
