Searching For a Glass of Fine Beer: John By, an Imperial Stout

I like stubbies. We go a long way back together.

The last beer I drank from a stubby bottle was likely Carling Red Cap ale, my drink of choice in 1968 - 70.

Even at the tender age of 20 I knew that not all beers tasted the same, or were at all good, and I generally drank ale to get some semblance of flavour. I wasn’t always successful.


["I still think stubbies are cool": photos GAH]

I still have a case of stubby bottles (capped) in the basement: Cool Spring Light beer, from June, 1984. My dad bought them (in Formosa) for his friends during the beer strike the same year. Maybe I’ll sell a few online, but I’ll keep some for old time’s sake.

When I saw John By Imperial Stout in a stubby recently at the LCBO I had to try one.

The price, i.e., $2.65 for a 341 ml bottle (equivalent to $3.89 per 500 ml), may put it in the premium price league, but I like a good stout.

The alc./vol. is 8.5%, putting the stout into the strong beer league as well, so I began to expect great things at the time.

I wasn't disappointed.


The label proclaims the following:

We celebrate the work of Lieut.-Col. John By (no relation to Ise the By that builds the boat) and the men who built the Rideau Canal.

(If you’re a history buff, please visit Bytown Museum for more details).

Our John By Imperial Stout is so deep brown in colour you might as well say it is black. This ale’s powerful malt flavour is not overwhelmed by its alcohol content. Just the thing to ward off the cold of a Canadian winter.

(Link to Scotch Irish Brewing Co. for more details if interested).

When I arrived home with the stout I didn’t go online. Instead, I went to the kitchen drawer for the bottle opener because here in Canada it’s winter time and, though I wasn’t cold, I wanted a taste of stout.

So, I popped the cap, poured most of the stubby bottle’s contents into a glass and had a good sniff.

It smelled thick and rich and sweet and familiar, perhaps a bit like Miller St. Tankhouse ale (Toronto) or a can of Jamaican stout I had last year.

Some of my remarks after the first few sips follow:

Rich, yummy mouthful. Is 8.5% alc. overpowering? My head didn’t land on my desk so I’d say not.

Sweet.

(Please note - I don’t produce long, descriptive sentences like David Kenning, author of Beers of the World).


I only bought one bottle, and though I worry the stout may promote hair loss (see the label), I should have bought another, because that’s how I feel after drinking half a glass.

I can say without hesitation I’d buy it again, and not just because it’s in a stubby. The Imperial Stout would be right at home in my shed during a winter time gathering with friends.

I also recommend it to those who enjoy rich, sweet stouts with hearty dark malt flavours.

Good one, By.

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Please click here to read a beer review of KLB Raspberry Wheat.

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