While cooling my heels before attending a play, I visited Tallboys,
Toronto's premier dispensary of canned libations. As is my wont, I was
on the lookout for something unfamiliar to me, as well as something
local to Ontario. Neustadt Springs Brewery's Big Dog Porter fit those
requirements like a glove. I was provided with a silver 473mL can
adorned with a simple sticker bearing the salient details--name,
brewery, and strength (5.5%). The stuff comes from Neustadt, Ontario.
Big Dog proved to be a
dark brownish Amber colour--quite light for a porter. It poured with a nice
cover of light tan head and exudes an aroma of roasted malts and nuts.
It tastes about the same--malt over molasses, with some nut notes.
There's a touch of hops evident at the finish.
Not
a bad brew by a far measure, though it does fall short of the lofty
standard set by 10W40. I feel like a beer called Big Dog should have a
bit more bite--more strength and more bombast. However, this beer by any
other name would still be a bit better than decent.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10.
