On Wednesday January 14, 2015 at the Vespa Pizzeria, Liberty Village Brewing Co. launched their third craft brew in their current lineup: Black Blessing Chocolate Stout
At the party were Liberty Village Brewing co-founders Steve Combes and Casandra Campbell, along with many local fans of the brewery.
Mick McNamara, a trained beer expert associated with Schoolhouse Craft Beer and who is a Prud’homme Beer Sommelier , and who can be found on Twitter (@Hopgobblin) offered some details on his experience of the beer:
“Black Blessing pours jet black and is completely opaque, with a huge frothy dark tan head which settles to a thin collar. Aromas of coffee, bitter chocolate and licorice, malts well-balanced with English hops. On the palate it’s very smooth and you’d never guess the ABV at a hefty 7.4%. Flavours follow the nose, with coffee and chocolate notes dominating, subtle dark fruits supporting and a clean finish culminating in a pleasing bitterness as a result of both the hops and roasted malts.
In terms of pairing food with this stout, McNamara states that: “Black Blessing would make a fine accompaniment to many foods, but with bittersweet chocolate and coffee flavours prominent and the high alcohol and hop presence, I would suggest using it as a foil for sweet rich desserts such as Red Velvet cake….Decadent!”
Liberty Village beers can now be had on tap at over 15 different restaurants and pubs across the city including the Vespa Pizzeria (formerly Bar Vespa) and The Brazen Head in Liberty Village. Check out the list of pubs on their website. Besides the newly-launched Chocolate Stout, the other two Liberty Village Brewing Co. beers are 504 Pale Ale and the Gose Buster – a kind of spicy wheat beer. Keep a look out for the 504 Pale Ale in cans at the LCBO soon!
