Potro
Cerveceria Mexicana S.A. De C.V.

PotroPotro
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From:
Cerveceria Mexicana S.A. De C.V.
 
Mexico
Style:
English Stout
ABV:
4.7%
Score:
73
Avg:
3.04 | pDev: 25.66%
Reviews:
41
Ratings:
44
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 28, 2013
Added:
Jan 25, 2005
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  0
Granted, this beer doesn't fit exactly in the definition of a Stout --any Stout.
But an e-mail from the brewmaster of this facility clearly states that their intention is to make a lighter version of an English Stout.
Why tone it down? Weather issues.
They want a beer that can be enjoyed in our mostly hot climate so it can appeal Mexican beer drinkers.
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Rated: 3 by jaimenavarrog from Mexico

Feb 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by matjack85 from Illinois

Jan 29, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by macrosmatic from Florida

Apr 10, 2012
Photo of crossovert
Reviewed by crossovert from Illinois

1.17/5  rDev -61.5%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1
Elegant packaging to this one, that is setting it up for fail. It comes in a mash tun shaped 500ml cobalt blue bottle with a tag and plastic over the cap.

It pours a coca-cola colored brown with a fizzy but decent-lasting tan/off-white head. It leaves behind no lacing.

The smell is off-putting and hard to wrap your mind around. It is confusing, I have never smelled these scents before in this style. It sort of smells like sulphuric farts mixed with wood varnish with a hint of tangy berry vomit surprise. I seriously have low hopes for this one after that rancid smell. Why Miguiel would you quit drysacking your hairy, sweaty dirt-grimed nuts in my beer!

Perhaps they don't set the highest quality control standard. It has a peaty cocoa powder undertone but a tangy lactic foreground. It has to be infested with unidentifiable matter, but even so the base of it is weak.

Not worth 6 freakin dollars, screw you cool looking bottle!
Jul 13, 2010
Photo of roddwolff
Reviewed by roddwolff from Mexico

1.7/5  rDev -44.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5
Look: Very dark brown almost black color, shiny foamy head; Smell: Roasted malt, chocolate and some acidity, like radish; Taste: Roasted malt and toffee, unripe hops; Mouthfeel: Sour, high carbonation and medium body; Drinkability, very bad, i guess it's made with hops too green or not mature enough.
Jan 15, 2010
Photo of soulgrowl
Reviewed by soulgrowl from England

2.97/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Root beer brown, ivory head; thick but not what I would call stout. Oddly sour aroma; raisins, tobacco, Balsamic vinegar, citric acid. Coffee? Chocolate? Anything to suggest this is a stout and not some botched Mexican Flanders red? Nope. This does not bode well.

Fruity and quite sour on the palate - really, venturing into Flemish territory, it's that sour. Could this have been the brewer's intent? If so, then he has odd tastes, and an odd comprehension of the style. Sour orange, unripe strawberry, a hint of prunes. Quick, sharp finish and fairly fizzy carbonation. I am not sure what to make of this beer - as a stout it can only be called a failure, but it succeeds, in a way, as a sour ale.
Dec 05, 2009
Photo of alexw
Reviewed by alexw from Florida

2.16/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Smells like a Corona imitation -- but darker. Also has slight smell of raisins.

Poured a deep brown color into a tulip glass. The minuscule head of foam dissipated quickly in the glass, but there was some slight lacing across the sides.

The taste is fizzy from the start -- like champagne, or ginger ale or something. Mouthfeel was full and heavy, which went against that fizzy taste as well.

Not impressed with this beer overall; maybe it was the fact that it was brought back all the way from Mexico in a cargo hold before I got to drink it, but it just doesn't seem very well thought out. At least it's in a cool blue bottle!
Jun 29, 2009
Photo of yael6666
Reviewed by yael6666 from Mexico

2.66/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
It pours a very dark beer with little or no head.

It smells very fruity and sour.

The taste is very very sour, with a touch of coffee and roasted malts.

It feels very watery and hard to hold in the mouth because it's sourness...

I wont have more than 1 if i were you, but is nice for a mexican stout... Im glad that we are exploring the ales world and not just sticking to the old corona and sol adjunct lager type of beer
Apr 16, 2009
Photo of gerardoluna
Reviewed by gerardoluna from Mexico

2.35/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
Strange but cool bottle 500ml,

[Eyes] Looks brown black color with cream small head, no retention and little carbonation.

[Nouse] Light and in deeep Fruitycitric aroma with notes of coffee and cereal toast aroma.

[Mouth] Medium Body a little sweetness gentile afther taste,

Tasted 16/10/08
Jan 15, 2009
Photo of AltBock
Reviewed by AltBock from Ohio

2.48/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
This beer comes in a beautiful 25 oz. cobalt blue bottle. This has to be one of the better looking bottles that a beer can be bottled in. The front label has a drawing of a horse and the name of the beer in big bold silver letters. The back label contains all the manadory US information, as well as their symbol of a Native American wearing a head dress and a lot number. Mine was lot number 00132. If you're lucky, your bottle will have a small neck label that talks about where their equipment came from and what kind of ale it's suppose to be.

Appearance: When poured into a Sly Fox Imperial pint glass, this "English Stout" is a dark chocolate colored beer with a few cola highlights along the sides. The head of foam on this beer was 1/2 an inch max and was a light beige/tan color. I thought it had pretty good retention that only left behind a few foamy beige/tan rings along the side. It didn't bother to leave any lace behind for some reason. It was being lazy!

Smell: This beer's aroma just loved the milk chocolate! That was the only aroma that stood out. I found some more aromas hiding in the back, but those were powered cocoa and watered down chocolate malts. Basically, the aroma was nothing but chocolate or something that resembled chocolate.

Taste: It started off quite nice with some dry roasted nuts, a hint of roasted coffee beans, and some lightly sweet milk chocolate. After the initial taste, the quality of the taste goes down hill. The only other taste after the milk chocolate was some watered down chocolate malts. Not just a little watery, it tasted like they watered the hell out of those chocolate malts. Nice in the beginning, but the taste ends off with too much water.

Mouthfeel: I would have to say that this is a light bodied beer and it contained an aftertaste of roasted coffee beans, milk chocolate, and watered down chocolate malts. Please stop with the watery malts! There's was far too much watery malts and not enough flavor in this beer.

Drinkability: Great looking bottle, but inside is a beer that is not so great. If they hadn't watered down the malts so much, this wouldn't have been such a bad beer. One is more than enough for me! If you're a bottle collector you should consider buying just the bottle, but if you're just a beer drinker, just be careful.
May 15, 2008
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

2.16/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2
Barely opaque burnt walnut with russet and orange highlights at the bottom of the glass. The crown is basic beige and doesn't look too shabby. It features a softly whipped egg whites texture and leaves partial rings of respectable looking lace.

The nose is a dead ringer for a Euro dark lager. It's minimally toasted, musky, dark fruity and very slightly skunky. The blue glass bottle is pretty cool, but that color must not be very good against UV light. What are the odds that Cerveza Potro tastes better than it smells? Yeah, that's what I thought.

The beer doesn't taste like it smells, it tastes much worse. First of all, there's no way in hell this is a stout, brewer intent or not. I'm not sure what to call it, but I keep coming back to Euro dark lager... from one of those Eastern European breweries that are better left unmentioned.

The dominant flavor is a sour dark fruitiness whose origins are a mystery. How about 99% distilled water, caramel extract, raisin juice, metal and a pinch of salt. Believe it or not, the beer doesn't quite make it all the way to nasty. It's terrible, sure, but it's also at least as drinkable as a macro light lager, if not more so.

The mouthfeel is incredibly light, with no mouthfilling volume whatsoever. An ideal amount of carbonation (or even an acceptable amount) would have kept this score on the same level as flavor and drinkability. Unfortunately, the bubbles are of poor quality and are in short supply as well.

Cerveza Potro (potro means horse) is a lousy product in an impressive package. Don't be a sucker like I was and spend $5.99 on this swill. Far from being a thoroughbred, this nag is ready for the glue factory. Bleh.
May 10, 2008
Photo of charlzm
Reviewed by charlzm from California

1.74/5  rDev -42.8%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5
Consumed 07/29/07. Bottle labeled lot 148.

Is this supposed to be a smoked porter?

Opened cold - immediate smell of smoke. Pours very dark brown with little carbonation - I couldn't coax a head out of this one.

Aroma was all smokiness, as was flavor when cold. When warmer, sourness came out and smokiness subsided. No hop flavor at all, malt flavor not very appealing. There's that smoke again towards the end of the swallow.

Thin and watery mouthfeel. Mild astringency with lingering aftertaste of... smoke? Corn? Not pleasant, anyway.

Not recommended.
Mar 02, 2008
Photo of RblWthACoz
Reviewed by RblWthACoz from Pennsylvania

2.33/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Cool bottle. Very bad beer.

Pours an opaque black with a head that really doesn't stick around long at all. If it did, I'd be more inclined to give a higher score. Nose is a mix between smoky, roasted qualities and dirty water. Seems to have a bit of cheap licorice candy fragrance as well. Not impressed. Flavor is just way off. So thin and watered down and just dirty in general. Lacks elegance, body, or grace. I am not even going to bother with elaborating. Feel is thin with low carbonation and still that dirty water edge. No way is this drinkable. This is going down the drain. Avoid like the plague. I bought it because it was a cool bottle. If I had read reviews beforehand, I would have avoided. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
Dec 30, 2007
Photo of mdagnew
Reviewed by mdagnew from Northern Ireland

2.9/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
500ml blue glass, long necked bottle bought from GapWines, Belfast...

Poured almost completely black with some dark red edging. Tan head poured pretty small and frothy then faded quickly to wispy covering with thick edges... some very light lacing lines....

Aroma - Very odd for a stout.... sooty notes, strong vinegar sourness - a bit like a Belgian red ale, lightly roasted malts, brown sugar / treacle sweetness, some black cherry and lime fruitiness, some liquorice mixed with chocolate, salty traces...

Taste – Again very strange if this is supposed to be a stout... everything is very light and watered down.... quite a lot of citrus fruitiness along with some apple, light sourness, some toasted bread notes, quite a lot of saltiness, faint pepperiness, some blackcurrant

Feel - Pretty smooth... light bodied... fairly refreshing but way too bland and watery to make me want to go back for another...

Overall - A very strange brew and not really in a good way.. possibly the weirdest stout i've ever had... maybe worth a try once...
Nov 01, 2007
Photo of Toddv29424
Reviewed by Toddv29424 from District of Columbia

3.61/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Interesting! At the outset, you have to give credit to this brewer for venturing to make a stout in Mexico. This bottle can't be beat, I love the long neck. The smell is new to me... maybe I should have expected it, but this Mexican beer has a hint of lime to it. Also a sour yeast nose, I don't have an idea where it comes from. The taste has the same sour notes, but the addition of a roasty finish. Pretty thin both in taste and consistency, but this makes it easy to drink. This would be a great beer if it was on tap at a local bar, but it is definitely not something I would seek out.
Sep 29, 2007
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.48/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
500 ml blue "liqueur design" bottle, bought in Edinburgh. "Lote 00148". ABV is 4.7%. Black coloured beer, reddish brown in the highlights. Large to moderate tan head. Unusual aroma with notes of balsamic vinegar, dark fermenting fruits, ensilage, burned rubber and glue, hints of chocolate and liquorice - good and not-so-good at the same time. The flavour is moderately roasty, fruity and acidic with distinct notes of smoke, hints of liquorice. The mouthfeel is a bit thin. Very far from being the best porter in the world, but worth a try.
Sep 15, 2007
Photo of ChainGangGuy
Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

1.75/5  rDev -42.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
(Lot 132)

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, cola-like body with a very thin, splotchy off-white head. Cool bottle, though!

Smell: Mercifully subtle aroma of roasted malt, metal shavings, and the puff of a fleeing magician's smoke.

Taste: Roasted, sort of ashy black grains and mild hints of fruit are covered and nearly buried by a very peculiar, nearly intolerable sour-metallic flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, but quite watery and with almost no carbonation, making for a near lifeless beer.

Drinkability: Who knows, maybe Lot #133 is right on the money. Though, I will say that that blue bottle is the bee's knees!
Jan 20, 2007
Photo of AndoBrew
Reviewed by AndoBrew from Georgia

2.33/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
*i hated it and will never have again*

app: looks like a thin stout.. so so.

smell: watery black roasty malts and flowers

taste: sour SOUR! Odd .. not good, this is way off.

mf: nope, thin and no life

drinkable?: no not at all black and sour.

this beer is not anything it should be, it smells almost ok then the flavor is so off it hurts, I had to sneeze.
Jan 18, 2007
Photo of moonman00
Reviewed by moonman00 from Mexico

3.73/5  rDev +22.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This beer has an exceptional presentation, comes in a dark blue bottle, 500 ml in it. Can only find it in a local supermarket chain.

Poured into a beer glass. Nice dark chocolate-satin color, smells like chocolate and a little coffee.

It stands a nice body, but it could have been more robust because at the end it feels a little watery.

It is a nice beer one of Mexico's finest English Stout, I prefer it over Guinness.
Jan 15, 2007
Photo of Citadel82
Reviewed by Citadel82 from New Jersey

3.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
for an english stout this is on the light side. Guinness Nitro cans without the nitro...

Poured a hazy dark choclate with a minimal short lived head. no lacing evident.

Smell was definitely ale-like though weak. Some caramel, some roast coffee.

Taste was bland to slightly fruity drying slightly with some faint roasty notes.

Mouthfeel was very thin and light

It was drinkable but not worth trying again at the price I paid.
Dec 01, 2006
Potro from Cerveceria Mexicana S.A. De C.V.
Beer rating: 73 out of 100 with 44 ratings