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.