Beer of the Week - Hockley Stout
Posted by Greg Clow in beer, beverages on May 8, 2007 at 10:06 pm
As noted in this column a month or so ago, I’m quite a fan of Hockley Dark, an authentic UK-style brown ale brewed by Orangeville’s Hockley Valley Brewing. So when I caught wind earlier this year that they were planning a dry stout to be released for St. Patrick’s Day via the LCBO, I was obviously very interested to try the results.
Well, they missed the St. Patrick’s Day target by a month or so, but Hockley Stout (LCBO 615625) finally started appearing on shelves a couple of weeks ago as part of the LCBO’s spring beer promotion. And having now tried all six of the beers in the rather meagre little release, I’m happy to declare this stout to be the best of the bunch.
In fact, I might go so far as to say that this is a quintessential example of a dry stout. Although the style is pretty rare around here, so aside from Guinness, there’s no real point of comparison.
It has a deep black body with ruby tints and a massive off-white head that recedes fairly quickly. The aroma is mild and malty, with notes of wood smoke, coffee and vanilla, and the body is a bit thin, but has a slight creaminess which is nice. The flavour is full and very solid, with all of the characteristics I expect from a dry stout - good maltiness, a bit of coffee and smoke, and a dry, faintly soured finish - and the fairly low alcohol (4.2%) is right on the mark for the style as well. Quite frankly, this is the beer that Guinness wishes it could be.
My only complaint about this beer would have to be the package format and price point. It’s offered in a 1 litre swing-top bottle which is attractive and distinctive, but which might be a bit off-putting to a curious customer who has never tried it. And even more off-putting is the $9.95 price tag. While I’m all for craft brewers charging (and hopefully getting) what their beers are worth, a price that translates to roughly 20 bucks for a six-pack worth of beer is bound to be a hard sell in a market where “buck-a-beer” is a popular buzzword, and the fact that this appears to be the slowest moving of the seasonal beers seems to prove that point.
Then again, it also translates to around 5 bucks a pint, which compares more than favourably to the draught prices at most of the city’s better beer bars. So why not look at it that way and treat yourself to a bottle or two of one of the best stouts to hit LCBO shelves in quite some time. And in the meantime, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Hockley is able to come through on their plans to add the stout to their regular line-up this fall in less intimidating and more reasonably priced 500 mL cans.
May 9th, 2007 at 11:24 am
I’ve got to agree with you, it’s a great beer! I bought 4 of them last week to take with me on a short trip up north. Very smooth, no bite, not sticky sweet, but the price is just too much. They are so easy to drink that all four bottles were gone within two days. I don’t like to compare the price of a draught bought in a pub with a beer bought off the shelf. At the pub or bar you’re also paying for the bartender, the service, the overhead, etc. Like you, I hope to see this beer in their regular line-up but carrying a more reasonable price.
May 10th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Greg we have received numerous positive comments with regard to Hockley Stout. I am very grateful. Andrew worked very hard to ensure the best of the best.
As with Hockley Dark we came out of the starting gates in our one litre swing top bottle for a couple of reasons.
First and foremost is cost. We can “dip our toe in the water” without having to purchase a truckload of cans. Literally spend a few thousand for a test market run instead of thirty thousand for a production run.
We all take risks in small business. Minimizing the risk as much as possible is in everyone’s best interest.
Interesting that “buck a beer” was mentioned. Here we are introducing a new product (new for us) at $9.95 and watching an amazing sell through at the LCBO while others are trying to do whatever they can to compete at the bottom of the price ladder. A great indication that there truly are many folks looking for quality.
Hockley Stout will be available in the LCBO this fall in our 473ml can.
We are moving in September to larger premises and once we have that under our belt Stout will be out in cans. At the same price as Hockley Dark.
Again thank you for your support of our two great beers.
Tom Smellie
President
Hockley Valley Brewing Co.
May 11th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Thanks for the comments & info, Tom.
I definitely agree with your comment about you and other quality brewers going against the buck-a-beer trend with better products at understandably higher prices. And as I said in my post, I really have no problem with paying more for the good stuff. My only concern with the stout was that the price point may be too high for casual customers, but if it gets the beer enough exposure to make a canned version feasible, then I guess it’s alright in the end. :)
January 6th, 2008 at 5:09 am
Fantastic beer. Full bodied and rich. I recommend it even if you’re not a stout drinker. It blows Guinness out of the water. Do not let this pass you by in the beer/liquor store. 5/5