Cheat Day Black Forest Porter
Hop City Brewing Co.

Cheat Day Black Forest PorterCheat Day Black Forest Porter
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From:
Hop City Brewing Co.
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
5.7%
Score:
78
Avg:
3.14 | pDev: 19.75%
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
18
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 29, 2018
Added:
Dec 13, 2017
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  3
We’ve taken Black Forest Cake to the next level with this Cheat Day Porter. Layers of rich, roasted chocolate malt and tart sour cherry are rounded out with a hint of vanilla for a deliciously decadent treat.

Hops: Magnum, Styrian

Malts: Chocolate Malt, Pale 2 Row, Carastan, Roasted Barley, Crystal, Dark Crystal, Munich, Torrified Wheat, Chocolate Malt.

28 IBU
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Ratings by Bf_89:
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Rated by Bf_89 from Canada (ON)

3.42/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Jan 14, 2018
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.26 by The-Jolly-Imbiber from Antarctica

Nov 29, 2018
 
Rated: 1.82 by achepil from Canada (ON)

Aug 06, 2018
Photo of Jesterr44
Reviewed by Jesterr44 from Canada (ON)

3.7/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Like a porter with a shot of cherry juice in it. Since I knew what I was getting into, I didn't mind this beer at all. If you're not expecting a somewhat gimmicky dessert type beer, look elsewhere. Got some nice flavours of bready dark burnt malt, chocolate, soft vanilla, and perhaps a little too much tart cherry - a little less cherry would likely do this beer well if they're planning another iteration.
Jun 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.25 by StormAles from Canada (ON)

Jun 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3.25 by GoHabsGo from Canada (ON)

Apr 15, 2018
Photo of spinrsx
Rated by spinrsx from Canada (ON)

3.25/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Can from the LCBO for around $3
Feb 12, 2018
Photo of eberesford
Reviewed by eberesford from Canada (ON)

3.13/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Pours deep brown / ruby almost black with a creamy café au lait head. Aroma: a little too sweet - chocolate and cherry - smells more like cake than beer. Flavour: chocolate with sour cherry. The sourness is not enough to offset the sweetness - it could do with some roasty bitterness to balance - use in sn ice cream float?
Jan 27, 2018
 
Rated: 3.11 by bixby1971 from Canada (ON)

Jan 26, 2018
 
Rated: 1.77 by Jangle_bojangle from Canada (ON)

Jan 26, 2018
 
Rated: 3.25 by Pmicdee from Canada (ON)

Jan 18, 2018
 
Rated: 3.65 by ikidunot from Canada (ON)

Jan 16, 2018
Photo of ConnorG
Rated by ConnorG from Canada (ON)

1.96/5  rDev -37.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5
Looked and smelled good, however I did not like the flavour at all. There was also a horrible metallic aftertaste.
Jan 16, 2018
Photo of polloenfuego
Reviewed by polloenfuego from Canada (NB)

3.52/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Quick

Appearance is pretty average. Looks brown with ruby hues. Small head, some okay retention and minor lacing.

Smell is chocolate and cherry...the cherry seems a little artificial. I will give them it does smell like a black forest cake.

The taste is a bit more reminiscent of a grocery store black forest cake. The chocolate is sweet and then the cherry tastes like a pie filling.

Feel is light/thin with okay carbonation.

Well, if I compare this to Unibroues attempt at a black forest cake beer there is no contest. That being said, I do think this is an okay beer. The downside of this beer is that the cherry is almost artificial and that lingers.
Jan 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by OneTuffPony from Canada (ON)

Jan 11, 2018
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Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

3.56/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Tallboy from the LCBO; dated Nov 17 2017 and served slightly chilled.

Purplish hues are visible as it is poured from the can - but once this brew takes up residence in the glass, it has more of a deep, opaque, brownish-black colouration. Just under an inch of puffy, light beige-coloured foam arises at the surface, then fades away in less than five minutes; a creamy collar of modest proportion survives, along with a few scattered swaths of lacing. On the nose, I am getting a mix of dark chocolate, devil's food cake and vanilla, as well as some muffled dark fruit characteristics. Dark cherry and raisin come to mind; quite sweet for the most part, with only a weak note of herbal, earthy hops to help cut through the overbearing malt bill.

An odd, yet interesting beer; cocoa and dark chocolate flavours are probably its most noticeable feature, providing a flavourful backdrop that reinforces the whole cake theme. Fruity notes of black, sour cherry and currants serve as the main contrast, while caramelized sugars and vanilla eventually give way to what is best described as a limp hop presence at the finish - earthy, with an herbal licorice note that fades into a tart cherry pit aftertaste. Medium-bodied, with middling carbonation levels that impart a mild crispness. The sweet body followed by the slightly sour finish works better than I would have figured, but overall its drinkability is so-so at best.

Final Grade: 3.56, a B grade. Cheat Day Black Forest Porter is a decently crafted, fairly creative effort on Hop City's part, though I don't think it's something that I'd have much interest in drinking regularly. The chocolate-centric flavour profile does have its merits - but the cherry tartness clashes with it quite a bit, and frankly I find this beer to be a little too sugary for my tastes. A decent experiment that I might recommend to fans of vanilla porters/stouts, but I'd rather drink their 8th Sin.
Jan 10, 2018
Photo of taxandbeerguy
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

3.53/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. Beer is named Cheat Day. German black forest cake in a porter. Sounds intriguing.

Appearance - Pours a dark cola brown beer with a finger plus of fluffy light tan head. Red hues in the head and when held directly to the light. Good lacing and above average head retention.

Smell - Mostly chocolate with a healthy dose of cherry. Plenty of vanilla mixed in for good measure. Not complex, but an inviting aroma.

Taste - Initially some sweetened chocolate, hints of fudge then a tart bit of cherry. If the cherries were sweeter, this would work well as a dessert beer; as it is the tartness of the cherries (and it's not that tart or sour, but just enough to detract) and sweetness of the the chocolate cake don't quite fit together perhaps as well as the brewer envisioned. Not bad, but not terribly cohesive.

Mouthfeel - A little thin and lacking that big silkiness of most good / great porters. Tartness cuts in to this and makes the body feel a touch thin.

Overall - Not a bad beer, and reasonably priced, however I just feel the cohesiveness of this beer isn't there, at times it's like two competing and disparate beers. Worth a try, but doesn't quite work for me.
Jan 09, 2018
Photo of TerryW
Reviewed by TerryW from Canada (ON)

3.12/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
On tap at the Yellow Griffin. Pours dark with a moderate head. Unremarkable except for lacing all the way down. Subdued aroma. Tart and sweet both to taste, gives it an odd souring mouthfeel. None of the roastiness/chocolate/coffee/ash you might expect of a porter. Thin bodied. Just once for me I think.
Dec 21, 2017
Cheat Day Black Forest Porter from Hop City Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 78 out of 100 with 18 ratings