As part of some research for an article I’m writing for the next issue of TAPS Magazine, I’ve been revisiting a few beers that I haven’t had for a while. (Yes, drinking beer is “research” for me. Sometimes, I really love my job…) One of them is Brick Waterloo Dark, an old favourite from my early days as a craft beer drinker that I try to check in on every couple of years to see how it’s holding up.

Thinking back 20 years or so to my early drinking days, I’m pretty sure that Waterloo Dark was the first dark lager I tried, although I didn’t realise it at the time. Back then, I was absolutely sure that all lagers were light in colour, and that all dark beers were ales, so Waterloo Dark must’ve been an ale as far as I was concerned.

(I’m not sure where golden ales like Export and 50 were supposed to fall into this equation. I was young and usually drunk when thinking about these sort of things, so some flaws in logic were pretty much inevitable.)

It wasn’t until a few years later, when I had a closer look at the label and saw the small “Lager” printed under the logo, that I discovered the truth. I was confused by this, but also a bit intrigued, and if we’d had Google or Wikipedia back then, I probably would’ve quickly learned more about schwarzbiers and dunkels and other dark lagers. As it was, I just gained the basic knowledge that dark lagers existed, and the more detailed learning came later.

Part of that learning saw me moving away from the increasingly boring Brick line-up to more interesting beers, but I’ve always held a soft spot for Waterloo Dark as being one of the first “different” (i.e. not a pale lager) beers that I drank. Return visits over the years have often been disappointing (tasting notes I took in 2003 describe it as resembling “Red Baron with some colour added”), but a pint I had a year or so ago actually showed a fair bit of improvement, with some nice cocoa and toasted malt notes. Since it recently became available in 473ml cans at The Beer Store, I thought it was due for another taste to see if they’ve kept the quality up.

First of all, it’s worth noting that while I recall Waterloo Dark having an almost pitch black colour in the early days, both last year’s and this year’s samples were a clear ruby-brown, looking more like a dunkel than the schwarzbier the beer was originally styled after. The aroma is subdued, but has some mild toasted malt notes and a hint of smokiness. The body is thin, but suitable for a dunkel (assuming that to be the style that’s being attempted here). The flavour, like the aroma, is mild but pleasant enough, with sweet and nutty malt, a hint of chocolate, and a faint fruitiness in the finish.

20 years and thousands of beers later, I can’t see Waterloo Dark ever returning to the semi-regular role it used to have in my beer drinking rotation. But at least it seems to have been brought back to level of quality and consistency that it was missing for quite some time. Whether or not it lasts is something I’ll have to find out in a year or two when I pay another visit to this old friend.