Sleeman Original Dark - It's okay... I guess.
Written: Nov 19 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It's OK, I guess.
Cons: It's... expensive. and... well, it's no masterpiece.
The Bottom Line: Could I interest you in a St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout?
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| headlessparrot's Full Review: Sleeman's Original Dark |
Guelph, Ontario's Sleeman Brewing and Malting – now a subsidiary of Japanese brewer Sapporo – is a brewery with an identity crisis that cuts right to the core of its very existence; an identity crisis that can be directly tied to the rise and fall of the company's fortunes since its Lazarus-like rebirth over fifty years after the dramatic death of John H. Sleeman's brewing vision at the hands of Prohibition and government taxation. And it is, even further, this very identity crisis that lead to the Sapporo takeover (a takeover that, while in the works for quite some time, has only become official within the last month, as of the writing of this text). That crisis, in essence, is simple – Sleeman positioned itself as the king of the hill of premium beer in Canada, while – regrettably, but true nonetheless - never actually offering the true premium quality to back up their marketing and warrant their best-of-the-best pricing scheme. In 1988, when the first pints of Sleeman Cream Ale flowed from the kegs upon Sleeman's re-opening, this was no real issue, as the market for premium beer in Canada was devoid of pretty much anything, save for, say, imported German pilsners. But with the rise of craft beer in Canada – Big Rock, Brick, Wellington, McAuslin et al., - and the coincidental rise of the buck-a-beer, yellow-fizz phenomenon – Laker, Lakeport, et al., - John W. Sleeman found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. And it's a position that they're still caught in, despite some progress (their purchase of, and decision not to tamper with the superb Unibroue brewery) though dawn may be on the horizon with the Sapporo deal.
But this is not to say that Sleeman is all bad news; in fact, far from it – though it may just be a masochistic, self-loathing longing, I do truly love some of their offerings. They – their Cream Ale, their Steam, their holiday Porter – do put out some good beers; they are, however, not great beers, and they bare a disproportionate price tag that only further exacerbates the issue of their middle-of-the-road quality. That said, they are, at the end of the day, a good company with genuine love of beer at their hearts – they are one of the few major beer makers to actually do their own malting (hence the moniker 'Sleeman Brewing and Malting'), and if they paid the same rigid attention to the quality of their beer as they did their packaging and promotion, everyone would be much better off.
I say all this because, in a sense, Sleeman Original Dark Ale is a beer that, for better or worse, seems to embody that identity crisis more than any other Sleeman beer. It is a decent beer, but average, even down to its very core. And it is, further, a beer without a style – while the brew is marketed as “Original Dark,” there is no mention in any of the brand's promotional material exactly what kind of ale this guy is. If I had to guess, I would venture to say it's an English Brown Ale, though I've heard others claim it as an Amber Ale, and beeradvocate.com lists it as a Euro Dark Lager (I gather that this is the 'odd man out' in style classifications, however). If it is, in fact, a brown ale, it is fighting an uphill battle against a long list of other brown ales available in Canada (from Wellington County Dark Ale to Black Oat Nut Brown Ale, and even, yes, Newcastle), most of which are much, much better. That is not to say that it's all bad. It's just... not that great.
Though its current incarnation dates to just 1988, the roots of Sleeman Brewing and Malting go much further, to 1834, when the elder Sleeman, John H., established himself in St. David's (near St. Catherine's, Ontario) to open his first brewery. After more than twenty years, he passed on his handiwork – the Silver Creek Brewery in Guelph, Ontario – to his son George, who not only expanded the business, but became the first mayor of the city of Guelph in the process. His own sons, Henry and George A., would continue to further the brand until 1933, when George was caught smuggling beer into Detroit – given the ultimatum of hefty taxation and leaving the brewing business, or losing the Sleeman brewery, he chose the former, and thus the Silver Creek Brewery closed its doors.
Fifty-one years later, however, came the brand's rebirth arrived in the form of the Sleeman family leather-bound book of beer recipes, which great-great-grandson John W. used to re-incorporate the company and rebuild brewery (though one wonders if this business about the 'family recipe book' isn't all jingoistic marketing nonsense – whether that is the case, however, there is no denying that it worked in capturing the mind's of beer drinkers, at least early in the brand's revival). Cream Ale – undoubtedly the the company's finest offering – flowed from the taps on August 17th of 1988, followed a year later by their Silver Creek Lager and, over the past eighteen years, several more. Sleeman Original Dark, introduced in 1993, is (allegedly) taken from page 50 of the Sleeman recipe book, an “all natural, all malt ale... brewed from a combination of roasted barley malts and English aroma hops...and deep well water.”
This description, however, is problematic, for other promotional material explain that a portion of Original Dark's malt was replaced with corn grits "to give a more lively body." Not only does this raise an eyebrow, it also turns the stomach just a bit and compels one to wonder whether the use of corn adjunct in beer even existed in the age of the elder John H. It is, however, a widely available beer, though given the brand's relative size, it simply cannot compete with the Molsons or Labatts' – or even the Mooseheads – in terms of its geographical reach (something, that I imagine, however, Sapporo will be rectifying). However, according the company's materials, it is widely distributed to both Michigan and Pennsylvania, and is freely available in the United Kingdom. You will, however, pay a premium for it (in this case, an undeserved one). In Ontario, a twelve-pack of the 5.5% ABV Original Dark, in 341mL bottles will cost you $22.45 Cdn. at the Brewer's Retail. For some bizarre reason, the company no longer offers six-packs at the Beer Store, though you might still be able to find them at the LCBO (at $11.95 Cdn. a pop, in stark contrast to the $9.95 price tag carried by the major domestic brands), and outside of the province and/or country. But it's really not worth it, though there is something to be said for the meticulous packaging – the tall, thick non-standard clear bottle, bearing only a neck label, embossed with a beaver over the background of a maple leaf (but carefully boxed, thankfully, to minimize the risk of light damage – all criticisms aside, I will say that the one thing I have never received from Sleeman's was a skunked beer, clear bottle or not).
So, how does the beer stand up in a tasting? Well, there is certainly no denying that the Original Dark is the best looking brew of the Sleeman family, though that's not saying much by any means. It pours into my pint glass an amber-brown colour, with faint ruby and copper hints around the edges, and topped by about a finger of faintly tan head. This cap lasts only about three or four minutes before being reduced to a ring (in its defense, a moderately thick ring), complimented by a considerably (though quite runny) amount of lacing. Not bad looking, especially if you're of the 'darker-is-better' school of thought, but certainly not very enticing, either.
The nose, as with, it seems, every other beer that the brand produces, marked (marred?) by the unusual and vaguely unpleasant signature cooked vegetable odour (cabbage? carrots?) that Sleeman has virtually made famous (though, as bizarre as it sounds, there are occasions where this note doesn't take away from the beer – this, however, isn't one of them). Thankfully, however, the cooked veggie nose isn't out in full-force, as it is masked by the roasted barley malt – offering up a considerable level of nuttiness (cashews?) and some generic sweet malt, counteracted by the sour-grassy note of the aroma hops present on the back end of the nose The aforementioned corn grit is certainly detectable (possibly related to the cooked veggies?), though it is thankfully not the sort of unpleasant sweet corny nose that you often get from cheap fizzy lagers. There is really nothing special about Sleeman Original Dark – virtually the same nose as any Sleeman beer, with the welcome addition of a nutty, roasted malt character.
Taste is decent – bland, largely inoffensive. The cooked vegetables come through in the taste, as does the obvious corn grit, but beyond that, there's at least a measure of respectability: a good level of maltiness that's fairly nutty (again, cashews), accompanied by the distant presence of some grassy hops. Faint caramel, maybe even some toffee (I'm pushing it), but with an oddly sour finish, accompanied by only the slightest twinge of bitterness (as per the promotional material, “the hopping is generous but not bitter”). Again, nothing special, though nothing especially offensive. This is a run-of-the-mill brown ale, and a run-of-the-mill Sleeman beer.
Mouthfeel is – not to sound like a broken record – also very average. The carbonation is a bit too lively for my tastes, but about on par with many of the other average brown ales out there (Upper Canada's Maple Brown Ale comes to mind, which is interesting given that Sleeman owns the Upper Canada Brewing Company), and the beer is fairly light in the mouth, though certainly a step above other Sleeman beers in the body department, on the strength of the roasted barley alone. Drinkability is likewise a mixed bag – while the light mouthfeel and middle-of-the-road taste lend itself toward being friendly to the average beer drinker, after only a couple bottles of Original Dark I am left with a dry, gritty, ashy, unusual taste in my mouth (possibly the result of the corn grits) and am ready to kill for pretty much anything but another bottle.
Still, all in all, it's not an egregiously bad beer, and I would have trouble completely dismissing it. It's rather easy to drink and tastes decent enough – it evokes history, and captures the Sleeman taste (something I do genuinely like, despite its many flaws) as well as any of their other beers (save for the Steam and the Cream Ale, which are simply at the head of the class, so to speak). Perhaps it might even lead a novice drinker toward a bit of ale-exploration. But, when you weigh the good and the bad, it's all average in the end. A remarkably cautious recommendation on my part, with the additional warning that, while I'll never turn Sleeman Original Dark down, I don't ever plan on actually buying it again.
Recommended:
Yes
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headlessparrot
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Member: Bryan Jansen
Location: Ontario, Canada
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