Tooth and Nail Brewing Company’s Stout Extravaganza in a Canned 4-Pack
Over the last few months we’ve had a few returning guests on the podcast from some of the best breweries in Ottawa, and last week the guest was none other than Matt Tweedy, head brewer of Tooth and Nail Brewing Company. I was supposed to be on to co-host but had to bow out at the last minute due to a health issue (I’m all good now!). Our friend Noah of Beerism graciously stepped in to fill the co-host chair, and it was a banger of an episode. I still wanted to highlight the feature beers of the episode, so I brought them to the blog!
For the past few years, Tooth and Nail have hosted a Stout Extravaganza for St. Patrick’s Day. COVID restrictions obviously didn’t allow for that this year, so in lieu of the typical festivities, they launched a special canned 4-pack of a spectacular stout lineup which includes their year-round oatmeal stout, their imperial stout with coffee and chocolate, and two never before canned versions including a blend, and finally the 2020 release of their bourbon barrel-aged stout.
Fortitude
Stout - 5.4%
Fortitude is Tooth and Nail’s year-round stout. In their description, “Brewed with a boatload of oats, we hesitate to call this beer an Oatmeal Stout as it meets several styles of stout at the crossroads and marries all of the things we love about the dark elixir into one glass.”
It has an inviting roasty nose, with aromatics of coffee, chocolate and a very subtle sweetness. The palate is super smooth with a creamy, frothy texture. There’s a beautiful roasty presence with the bitterness and bold flavour of a dark roasted espresso, the slight sweetness of milk chocolate, and that smooth malty presence and creamy texture that the oats are bringing on strong. The bitterness is present throughout but it’s not overpowering.
I have fond memories of tasting Fortitude the first time I visited the Tooth and Nail tap room, thinking it tasted like I was drinking chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. It’s delightfully smooth and delicious in cans, but in the tap room on nitro, it’s an unforgettable experience.
Fortified
Imperial Oatmeal Stout with Coffee and Chocolate - 9.5%
Fortified is the amped up oatmeal stout with coffee and chocolate additions. The nose is much like that of Fortitude; clean roasted malt, creamy oatmeal, and mild vibes of coffee and chocolate. The flavour and texture are both majorly elevated. It’s thick, full bodied, and smooth with flavours of top notch medium roast drip coffee, and chocolate notes that are balanced between sweet and bitter. Picture a 60% cocoa chocolate bar. It’s bold, yet refined. It has a ton of flavour, but nothing that doesn’t need to be there. It’s an excellent imperial stout, elevated and complemented with coffee and chocolate. Decadent but not debilitating.
Fornication
Blended Stout - 7.5%
Fornication is a 50/50 blend of Fortitude and Fortified, getting it’s canned debut, previously only released on draught in the tap room. The nose is mellow overall. It’s dry, suggesting dark chocolate, with a subtle roast coffee vibe. On the palate, the coffee flavour comes through no less strong than it does in Fortified. The malt backbone of Fortitude shines through, giving it that oatmeal cookie kind of feel. The chocolate is perhaps the only element that gets slightly diluted in the blend, leaving just a shadow of what it brought it Fortified, but the cocoa lingering on the finish is very much still there. As it warms, there’s a very faint smokey quality to it. The body is creamy and smooth, but not thick, and the carbonation is low. It’s a very interesting blend which showcases a lot of the prominent elements and even some of the more subtle elements of both, more so than I might have expected.
Fortissimo
Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels with Coffee and Chocolate - 11.6%
Cranked up to the top tier is Fortissimo, the bourbon barrel aged version of Fortified, which is typically released in bottles, this year was canned for the first, and in Matt’s words, “hopefully last” time. The nose on this one is the most complex of the pack, rich with aromatics of chocolate, espresso, figs, and a hint of vanilla. You can tell immediately that there’s the extra level of bourbon barrel complexity. The palate boasts fudgy rich chocolate paired beautifully with notes of fresh pulled espresso. The barrel adds a hint of vanilla, as well as dried fruits like figs, raisins and dark cherries. There’s a slight boozy warmth at the end which is certainly appropriate considering the 11.6% ABV. The cherry flavours and other dried fruits come out even more as it warms. It’s again got that cocoa flavour lingering on the finish, and it remains impressively dry throughout. It’s rich and decadent, but as with so many of Tooth and Nail’s beers, it remains elegantly refined. Despite its strength and bold flavour, it doesn’t overwhelm the palate, nor does it sit heavy. It’s deliberate, and it’s good!
PS. Matty may not like it in cans, but for me, 355ml is the perfect size for a 10%+ stout.
So there you have it! Tooth and Nail’s Stout Extravaganza in a take-home 4-pack. Do yourself a favour and grab one before they’re gone. You won’t regret it. While you’re at it, wear a mask, stay safe, and hopefully one day soon we’ll be able to meet up for a pint of Fortitude on nitro at the Tooth and Nail brewpub. Until then, cheers!
Article and photography by Nathan Lefebvre.
Find Tooth and Nail Brewing Company online:
If you haven’t heard it yet, download Season 9, Episode 51 of the podcast to hear Cee and Noah’s chat with Matt, or watch the video of it right here:
Flashback to Matt’s first appearance on the pod back in 2017:
Nathan
Nathan is a craft beer enthusiast from Ottawa, ON. He is the Co-Founder of @TeamLactose, he’s passionate about travelling for beer and he loves talking about beer from Ontario, Quebec and beyond.