The Halifax Brewpub is no more, but its beer continues on.

I experienced a ghost the other night. Not one of the spooky kind, although it was a dark as night. I pulled out of my cellar a bottle of something called Commissar, a Russian Imperial Stout made once in a blue moon by Greg Nash at the Hart and Thistle Brewpub in Halifax (see my post about my first visit there).

Why is it a ghost? Because the Hart and Thistle is no more. They closed earlier this year. Their waterfront site in the Historic Properties is now taken by Gahan House Halifax, the Nova Scotia outpost for the PEI Brewing Company (Gahan House).

The longer serving of readers at this site may remember that I spent two springs in Halifax in 2011 and 2012. While there I got to know Greg Nash a little bit, the irascible brewing madman of Atlantic Canada. This is the man who, in 2011, produced a beer with a whopping 1200 IBUs (theoretical) – you can read my review of it here – among other such creations. The man loves his hops. But he also shows a deft hand for many other styles as well. That includes Commissar, a RIS fortified with bourbon, infused with vanilla and aged in oak-barrels.

The Hart and Thistle didn’t bottle, but Nash would also siphon off a handful of bottles for aging and special occasions. He was extremely kind to offer me one of the few bottles of the 2011 version of Commissar. I brought it home with me and decided, given its strength (11%+) and its fortification it might be a good candidate for my cellar. I originally planned to keep it a year or two and then pull it out.

Well, you know how these things work. One year stretched to three plus and I only finally got around to it this month. In a way it seemed a fitting, albeit unintentional, tribute to the Hart and Thistle. It tried to go there regularly while in Halifax, even though it was a KILLER bike ride up the hill on the way home.

So, let this be one final review of a beer from a brewpub no one will ever sit in again (under that name, anyway – I don’t know if Gahan kept the brewhouse or bought their own).

As expected it pours inky black, offering only a thin wisp of dark tan head. It seems to have lost most of its carbonation and presents reather flat. The aroma gives off licorice, molasses, dark chocolate and a musty raisin with a backbone of bourbon.

The first sip reveals smooth chocolate, licorice with a noticeable bourbon character as well as touches of wood, adding vanilla and a bit of woody sweetness. The roast has mostly disappeared, leaving behind  a kind of soft, stale coffee character. Body is medium and smooth. In the middle some raisin and dark fruit character add a second dimension. Retains its wood-aged character and the bourbon is more a flavour than alcoholic harshness.

I think it aged quite well. I get some sherry and dark fruit oxidation but it fits well with the beer so actually enhances its qualities (as can happen with bigger, darker beer).  The aging has added complexity and smoothed out the rough edges on the beer, making it a lovely sipper for a quiet night. I am glad I kept it for three years.

RIP, Hart and Thistle. Keep brewing, Mr. Nash.