Hockley Dark

 

          When I first moved out on my own, I lived near one of those fake English pubs you see all over the place these days. When I went down the pub for a pint, I gravitated naturally towards the English ales they had on tap. I sought out those fine English ales because I didn’t like the pale fizzy stuff my parents drank. And yet, it somehow never occurred to me not to drink beer as a young adult. After all, there were certain things you were supposed to do when you graduated high school. You were supposed to get a job, move out on your own, and go out for beer on the weekends or after work.

To this day, I often prefer traditional English brews to the admittedly innovative beers offered by their north American counterparts. According to the wide, wide world of web Hockley Dark offers the best of both worlds. According to the company website, Hockley Dark offers the best elements of two traditional styles of English ale. Hockley Brewing’s brewmaster took the flavor and character of the English mild and northern brown ales in an attempt to make something at once new, delicious, and familiar to fans of English beer. Hockley Dark fills my glass a dark ruby color, edging towards leathery brown. Pinpoint carbonation supports a rocky, cream colored head with decent retention.

          The aroma starts out with a combination of bread malts and ripe fruit esters. In the middle I get nuttiness like you would find in a good English brown ale. Hints of leather and earth combine with brown sugar sweetness. Ripe fruit esters remind me overall of dark stone fruits. All of this combines together without giving an impression of overpowering sweetness. I think the aromas of nuts, leather, and earth combine to balance out the beer’s other aromas.

          On the tongue, Hockley Dark is smooth with a pleasant, up front sweetness. It tastes somewhat like a combination of rye bread, toffee, and the sweetness of ripe fruit. In the center I get a combination of earthiness and nuttiness, giving Hockley Dark’s flavor depth and structure. Medium carbonation helps carry these flavors smoothly, and easily across the tongue.

          Overall, I’m giving Hockley Dark 7.5 out of 10. In making this beer, Hockley Brewing combined the English northern brown ale with the English mild. These are two beers that are very similar to each other, but have their own differences. Hockley Dark does a very decent job combining those qualities into a cohesive whole. I very much like how this beer presents sweet flavors balanced with more earthy flavors, giving the whole thing a very drinkable balance.