Clifford Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter

Hey Stout Man! You know how Clifford Porter is potentially the best (or at least your favourite) porter in Ontario? Guess what! They bourbon barrel-aged it for 10 months and brewed that beautiful bastard up to 8.5%! And your pal WFM gave you a 500mL bottle! For free! Lucky shit.

This beer, from Clifford Brewing Co. out of Hamilton, Ontario, is a near-black ale with a thin layer of tan head. It clocks in at 39 IBUs and has a sweet, woody, boozy aroma. This ambitious take on the classic Clifford Porter tastes considerably more powerful, with a decidedly malty bent. It has notes of brown sugar, vanilla, and a little bit of brown liquor. The ale remains sweet through the finish, but it does close with a warm hit of bitterness.

This burly cousin of my sweet li’l Porter is a good take. The booziness and in-your-face woodiness are excellent characteristics of a grand ol’ BA imperial porter, though I’d have liked it more if the sweetness was dialed back a touch.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Hey, Porter!

A gift from the incomparable MTT, Hey, Porter! is a barrel aged dark ale from Toronto’s Junction Craft Brewing—a member of Junction’s “Destructor Series”. Sold in 650mL bombers, Hey, Porter has a healthy 6.2% alcohol.

The beer is charcoal-hued, with a very durable and dense eggshell head. The aroma is sweet, with cocoa and malt leanings. For flavour, there is a pronounced chocolate bent, lended extra sweetness and richness by the barrel aging process. The result is a smooth and nicely balanced porter. It’s strength is pretty nice and the flavour is quite elegant without going to hard on the wood-aging, which is often a risk when brewers get barrel happy. Instead, by aging this ale judiciously, the result is a woody accent and a pretty decent bitter coffee finish. 

Hey, Porter! is a tasty release from one of the mainstays of Toronto’s craft brewing scene. Flavourful and well-made, it's a credit to a Junction.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.