Are there comfort beers like there are comfort foods? Maybe we should restructure our categorizations of beer based on how you feel as you have one. This beer surely would make many lists of beers that imitate how a heavy fall sweater feels, how a basement rec room cocoons.
The only brewery I still see making polypins, however sensible, the beers of Harvey & Sons had been reviewed a few times hereabouts including even a sibling porter. This one pours deep cola with a light mocha rim and foam. On the nose there is cocoa powder licorice and prune. In the mouth, sweet fresh water, blackened date square edgings with dark chocolate leading to a dry cocoa and twiggy hop finish ending in a pointed date biscuit and espresso conclusion. A solid more-ish porter at at reasonable 4.8% to be found these days at the LCBO. Ten percent of BAers are clueless. Porter season.
Comments
Stonch - November 30, 2007 7:06 AM
Alan, many if not most small British breweries will sell beer in polypins. Harvey's is by no means unique.
Harvey's Porter is indeed a great beer. I doubt the bottled version does it any justice - but then the same can be said of almost all our our best ales, particularly after they've suffered pasteurisation and a transatlantic voyage.
Alan - November 30, 2007 8:57 AM
That is polypin-eriffic news. Dave Line in his home brewing books wrote about them and I brought two heavier versions back from the UK in 1986 at the start of my brewing career. Bought them from the original makers of Dark Star, the then Pitfield Beer Shop. But Harveys' is the firs I have seen with the actual very uncool photo. We lack so many of these sensible packaging options that they seem a marvel to me. Look at this.
The Beer Nut - November 30, 2007 11:16 AM
Hilden will do you a pin, a piggin or a spigotted firkin. Asking for them is probably nearly as much fun as drinking the contents.
Paul Garrard - November 30, 2007 1:21 PM
Remember a polypin is for Christmas not for life !