Sunday Night Suds Joseph's Brau Black Toad Dark Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Joseph's Brau Black Toad Dark Ale.

First let me clarify that no amphibians were harmed or used in the creation of the beer as it is certified Kosher by the Va'ad of Detroit. [I don't know if its the lawyer in me or just a preemptive strike on the emails I will certainly get, but I figured that I would give the disclaimer up front that the beer does not contain Kermit parts].

The Black Toad Dark Ale is another beer which was recently introduced in Trader Joe's under their Joseph's Brau line of house branded beer. Much like the Stockyard Oatmeal Stout, this beer was previously brewed for another brewery, but now is property of the Joseph's Brau company.

The experts at Beer Advocate deem this beer an English Brown Ale which is defined as "maltier and sweeter on the palate, with a fuller body. Color can range from reddish brown to dark brown. Some versions will lean towards fruity esters, while others tend to be drier with nutty characters. All seem to have a low hop aroma and bitterness."

The Black Toad poured a reddish brown with a decent amount of foam (my daughter Penina commented that I had a "beer mustache" when I was drinking it). The beer has a rich malty flavor with a good deal of coffee notes. The beer is not as heavy as a stout and may even be a let down if you are looking for hop bite. Still, the brew is quite tasty and would go well with pot roast or other rich meat dishes.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the Black Toad Dark Ale, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2250/5729 .

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

One final note - I was thinking about saving this beer to review it the Sunday of Parshas Shemos, but since the beer did not have a brewed on date or a use before date, I decided not to chance that the Toad would turn to skunk and I reviewed it this week.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click http://www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!