It is an annual rite of passage on the prairies, the indication that spring has finally come. Pothole repair season. When the crews come out with their buckets of tar, shovels and work their way through the tens of thousands of holes that formed in city streets over the winter.

Equally reliable is the annual emergence of Half Pint’s Pothole Porter their ultra robust porter. But this ain’t no bucket of tar, that is for sure. It has an almost stout-like appearance with its opaque blackness and dark tan head with a fairly tight bead. Somehow, though, it can’t be mistaken for a stout. It is not as inky black as a stout. It is just under stout black. If that makes any sense. In the aroma, I pick up soft black malt, touches of roast, a bit of dark chocolate and a whole lot of molassess.

The flavour has a similar profile. It starts with an almost unassuming soft sweetness of brown sugar and dark fruit. In the middle the beer seems to thicken and get bolder. Molasses, dark bread, some chocolate, syrup and just a touch of coffee rise to the surface. The linger is sweet and offers a blackstrap molasses feel, a hint of burnt almond and untertones of chocolate, mocha, and dark fruit. the beer stays soft and full in the body, not too roasty, which is why it clearly lands as a porter, despite its overall heft. A gentle alcohol warming also builds inthe linger.

I love how this beer is BIG yet doesn’t leave the zone of porter. It dials things up to 11 without being too much. It remains soft, rounded, gentle – no harsh notes. This year the molasses may be overdone but overall I like the impression it leaves. It is the kind of annual rite I am happy to participate in.