Smiling Samoyed Dark Ale

Dark ales, like their close stablemate brown ales, aren't really the sort to have many beer drinkers hot under the collar in the manner IPAs, big stouts or whatever the current cause célèbre may be. Yet, done well, they can make for fine, flavoursome yet quaffable drops. The success of Smiling Samoyed's Dark Ale suggest it belongs in the "done well" category, what with the beer named Best in Show at the 2015 Adelaide Beer Awards.

If you do find it in your glass, you'll soon concur as one sniff of its multi-layered malty aroma will have you wanting to dive in. It's a beer where the label description has all you need to know: "A celebration of the darker malts ... to produce a delicious blend of roasted, nutty, dark chocolate and coffee flavours." It blends all those with expert balance to create a smooth, mahogany treat that belies its mere 4.3 percent ABV.