Turtle Island Triple Chocolate Stout

One of the main reasons why stout and porter are such great beer types is that they allow the brewmasters to be creative, to really turn their beers into an art form.  That's why you see a lot of chocolate stouts and coffee porters and other such creations so I was really intrigued to try Turtle Island's latest creation, a triple chocolate stout.  Just as stouts are great ways for brewmasters to be creative, they can also be very difficult to do well, so trying a new one can be taking a leap of faith.  Sometimes the beer will be brilliant, and sometimes less so, and unfortunately Turtle Island's Triple Chocolate Stout is closer to the not so brilliant than the brilliant end of the spectrum.

Now, it's not that this beer is all that bad of a beer, I mean it isn't bad as far as stouts go, but it leaves you wanting for more flavour.   The one thing I noticed right away was the lack of any noticeable chocolate taste, which for a normal stout is not an issue but for one billed as a triple chocolate stout, that is a bit of an awkward problem.   When you take a sip it is decently malty, although much more watery than a good stout should be, it finishes off with a surprisingly bitter kick, something you would expect from an IPA or a bitter as opposed to as stout but it does add an interesting dynamic to the beer.  The problem is that as a stout, it doesn't stand out, there was nothing here that really interested me enough to want more. I am willing to give Turtle Island the benefit of the doubt as they are quite new to this stout thing, but this beer needs some work, some refinement of the process for it to be a beer that I would want to drink again. I applaud their creativity and effort, but they have a bit of work to do to bring this stout up to the level of something like Beyond the Pale's Darkness

I had it on tap at the Rochester Pub, and it is available at a small number of locations in Ottawa.  As Turtle Island are a new addition to the Ottawa Beer Scene it may take some time for them to establish themselves. 

Rating: 2.5 Steins

What you need to know
At last I heard they were brewing out of Broadhead's facilities in south Ottawa.
Mailing address:
294 Badgeley Avenue
Kanata, ON K2T 0A7

Website
http://www.turtleislandbrewing.com/

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/turtleislandbeer

Twitter
@TurtleBrewCo