UPDATED: JAN 8, 2022 473ml can. Pours a clear dark brown, almost black with red hue and a small, creamy, long lasting, tan head that leaves curtains of lace. Sweet aroma of roasted malt, cocoa, orange peel, licorice, coffee, peat and oak. Sweet flavour of roasted malt, dark chocolate, orange peel, cocoa, licorice, prune, cherry and oak in a dry, mild bitter, day old coffee finish. Medium to full body with a soft, creamy, smooth, oily texture and soft carbonation. ABV is well hidden. A solid Porter or possibly Imperial Porter. (I hate when they call it a Winter Ale!)

UPDATED: JAN 20, 2018 Pretty roasty, nice flavourly beer. However its a bit thin and could use some mouthfeel & texture.

St. Augustine’s. Dark brown. Thin head. Subtle toffee dark malts...I like this character. Balanced and complex.

Aroma is caramel, toffee, and brown sugar. Taste is rich malts, caramel and light fig. Some clove and earthiness to finish. Appearance is a dark brown head with a thin light brown head that retains fairly well.

Appearance: hazy deep brown with amber margins, one finger of fluffy beige head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate malt, cocoa, orange peel, oak. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, soft carbonation, off-dry finish. (3/5) OK, let’s do this one by the numbers: Black? Well… sorta. Mammoth? Well… maybe. Winter? Yes! Yes! Nailed it! This is, in fact, the first day of winter! Ale? Another solid one! Batting at least .500! Ok, fine, sarcasm aside, this might not be quite the beast it promises - truth be told, it’s pretty much a standard Porter in terms of flavour profile, except for the ABV - but it’s fairly respectable. Or at least, it would be, with some more bitterness backing up the malt bill. In my humble opinion, something this dark (-ish) and heavy (-ish) can pull off a decent IBU value - particularly if it wants to brag about being “mammoth”. And another damn thing, while I’m at it: pick a style. If y’all had called this a Porter (like I think it is), or even made the argument it’s an Imperial Porter, I’d probably have been a bit more enthusiastic. I hate classifying things as Winter Warmers, because it’s a bullshit style encompassing a wide range of ABV’s, malt bills, and spice profiles. Might as well call it an American Strong Ale, for all the help that provides. Do I like it? Yeah, sorta. Am I happy about that? No, not particularly. A bit more direction would help this immensely. I’ll grudgingly call this a seven, but I’m not happy about it. (14/20)

Poured from 650mL bottle [bb 05/2017]. Brown-ish black with light tan head. Chocolate and light smoked wood. Medium body. Citrus is but a mild hint at the end. My favourite local winter ale.

Pretty nice ale. Pours black with tan head and spotty lacing. Aromas are red berries, licorice, dark chocolate. Nice roasty flavours. Burnt malts, tangy strawberries, umami. Nice.

Dark brown body, brown head, some lacing. Fruity malty, tart, roast cocoa, a touch of citrus and grapes in the aroma. Taste is semi-sweet, rich malty, with a dry finish and lactose. Frothy palate.

bottle: pours brown, black with a tan head.......vanilla, caramel, toffee notes.....medium sweet with a gentle bitterness.......medium body.....coffee and roast flavours.......good effort

UPDATED: MAY 3, 2020 Re rate early-mid 2020: Pours with excellent deep beige foam and blackish brown body. Really good meld of motor oil, cocoa, roasted barley on the nose. Flavour is deep sweetened coffee, chocolate, more roasted barley. Full mouthfeel with some nice dryness from the coffee. I stand by my recommendation, and actually will add a point. Dec 23, 2015 - Nice solid spongy beige head with a jet black body. Aroma of peat, chocolate, coffee, oak. Flavour is a strong sour mix of licorice and chocolate, smooth molasses. Wet finish. Nice and heavy with good intrigue in the aroma and flavour, the best Fernie brew I’ve tried to date. 8 4 7 3 15 = 3.7