After months of snow, cold and icy roads, prairie drivers look forward to the arrival of spring and the beginning of pothole season, where we can test our evasion skills as we try to swerve around the cavalcade of suspension-killing asphalt gaps created by our harsh winter.
So what better name for a seasonal released at the beginning of pothole season than Pothole Porter. It is Half Pints‘ latest spring release now available in Winnipeg and in select stores in Alberta. This is no ordinary porter, but bigger and bolder. If I wasn’t opposed to the practice I might call it an Imperial Porter, but I won’t so as to not encourage the bad habit of slapping “imperial” on any beer slightly bigger than normal (but that is a topic for another post). What it may be is a bit of an homage to porters of 1700s London which, historians tell us, were bigger than their modern cousins. Pothole Porter runs at 7.9% and warns you of its intentions with its wax-dipped cap (which is just plain cool) to prevent oxygen ingress, making it a perfect cellaring beer.
It is deep brown, stopping just short of black. A smooth blanket of tan head offers up an attractive contrast. The aromas are of chocolate, toffee and some cherry, raisin and other dark fruit. This is a complex beer. I pick up licorice and molasses upfront with a thick malt base. Roast is but a faint whisper in the background. As it moves back in my mouth the beer dries out and draws on some nuttiness to balance the impression. Chocolate then takes control in the finish, leaving a big dark chocolate aftertaste. The alcohol makes itself known after the swallow as well, leaving a residual vapour along your mouth.
This is a lovely, complex sipping beer that is part porter, part old ale. I will be quite curious to see how it ages over the next year or so.
May 17, 2010 at 11:49 PM
Great review Jason, love the detail in the tasting experience.
I tried this beer last week and liked it a lot. Half Pints is very good at making dark brews, such as the Stir Stick Stout; which for me is a great dessert beverage due to its chocolate/coffee aromas and tastes.
May 18, 2010 at 2:17 PM
Oxygen ingress? I thought that the wax caps on individual bottles were a tamper-proofing method required by the Government Overseers, when the beer isn’t stored in a sealed box.
May 18, 2010 at 2:51 PM
Hi Brady,
Wax traditionally was used by brewers to create a better barrier for aging old ales, barley wines and such. I haven’t chatted with David over at Half Pints about it, but I assume that is what he is doing – as he only does it with his stronger beers.
However, your point is interesting. I know Ontario has issues regarding tamper proof containers, but Alberta is MUCH more lax. We sell single beer without tamper proof all the time. Beside, I have always argued that a sealed cap (even a twist off) is tamper proof because it becomes obvious if it has been removed – the beer is flat and the cap won’t fit right any more. Try an experiment and you will see what I mean.
Thanks for the comment!
Jason
May 18, 2010 at 2:55 PM
Dave may chime in here, but Half Pints waxes all of their bottles that aren’t sold in sealed 6-packs due to stupid gov’t regulations and fears about tamper-proof packaging. Even the Weizen Heimer bottles are waxed (and this year’s version is absolutely superb by the way).
Also, I got to drink my fair share of a cask of Pothole Porter back in April. It was a blend of this year’s and last year’s batch. Not only was the beer tasty, but hands down, it had the best mouthfeel and texture of any beer that has touched my lips.
May 18, 2010 at 3:26 PM
Well, clearly I stand corrected on Dave’s motivations for the wax, but it still serves a nice purpose of preventing oxygen ingress – so winners all around!!
Thanks for the info, Mark.
Jason
May 18, 2010 at 4:41 PM
Indeed, I agree with the idea of wax sealing age-worthy bottles, but don’t think that is the main motivation for brewers who make single bottles available for sale across the land. As for the real issue – is the beer itself any good? Wax or no wax, it is one very fine porter, smooth and delicious!
May 19, 2010 at 10:53 AM
Mark is correct. We seal the bottles with wax as a CFIA rule dictates that all single sale containers with twist off tops must have a tamper evident seal. It’s federal law, and as such applies to all beers sold in single bottle twist offs Canada wide. In the future, we’ll be changing bottle technology (to pry-offs) to get away from having to dip all these bottles (except in the case of some of our more ageable beers).
Jason’s right in the fact that our beeswax seal will help stave off oxegenation of the product in the bottle and is stupidly handy for beers like our burlywine & pothole porter – which both age wonderfully. We now do all our single sale bottles in twist offs with this finish.
There are those out there that hate the wax with a passion because they’ve never figured out how to open a bottle without getting wax in the beer glass itself. A simple scoring of the wax around the base of the cap with a sharp paring knife does the trick.
We’ve tried using “viskrings” (a chemical laden self-shrinking wrap for the bottles) which leave the cap to rust under the plastic, and the paper seal (a-la wild rose seasonals or edelweisse) are expensive and fiddly.
Regardless, thanks for enjoying the Pothole. We think it’s pretty good so we thought we’d share it aound this year.
The Weizen Heimer Mark speaks of is available in Alberta as we speak (38 cases left as of 20 minutes ago).
Cheers,
Dave @ half pints
May 20, 2010 at 10:23 AM
I learn something every day. I didn’t know it was a federal regulation. Which tells me there are liquor stores in Alberta who are selling single bottles in a manner in which they shouldn’t. Not that I am going to tell anyone…
I picked up the Weizen yesterday. Can’t wait to try it, but it will have to sit for a day or two – cask ale night tonight!!
Cheers.
Jason
May 25, 2010 at 10:30 AM
Thanks for the heads up on this one. This one bypassed the new beer shelf at Sherbrooke, so without this entry, I wouldn’t have known to look for it. Very tasty!
Cheers,
Ernie
February 20, 2011 at 12:19 AM
Yes just had one, extremely tasty! Well done Dave!