Jackpot Porter
Great Basin Brewing Co.

basic but solid, like its been the same for a long time, like since before water chemistry and close attention detail was a thing in american craft, this is old school in that way, not poorly refined but definitely how things used to be, not how they are, and i mean that more than just in the sense that this is loosely english. brownish black in color but a little thin as these go, not much head either but the service was a little lackluster when we were in, it may have sat a bit at the bar awhile before it made it to the table, some lace though on the edges as it drinks and enough carbonation. aroma is nice and roasty but also balanced by some middle sweetness, a long boiled thing, dark bread, light smoke, and dark chocolate, a little european, especially with the yeast, faint astringency, long. the flavor follows, good roast but it stops short of running bitter at all, so it does run a touch sweet, but its still drinkable due to a lighter body for the style and the nice traditional low alcohol. it seems like ive drank this beer a thousand times though, much as its good, its just generic, so its hard to get excited about, and not quite the food beer i hoped it would be. just a pint of dark beer, light chocolate linger, decent but sort of from a bygone era, if that makes sense. porter without a ton of personality overall...

Type: Draft
Glass: 16-oz. pint glass
From: Great Basin Brewing Company in Reno, Nev.
Price: $5.00
Purchased: Oct. 31, 2014
Consumed: Oct. 31, 2014
Misc.: N/A

Poured a very dark brown, almost black color with 1-to-2 fingers of khaki-tan head when I got it. A nice amount of layered foamy spiderweb lacing on the sides of the glass. Good retention on the top. A nice good looking beer. (Sight - 4.00)

Smelled roasted nuts, toffee, caramel, some hazelnut, very faint chocolate, espresso malts and light coffee beans. (Smell - 3.75)

Tasted roasty malts, caramel, toffee, light smoky fire, roasted hazelnuts, darker chocolate and coffee beans. (Taste - 3.75)

Medium body. Oily texture. Lively carbonation. Long, roasty finish. (Feel - 3.50)

This beer had its moments, but the carbonation and temperature really played a role in making it just OK. (Overall - 3.75)

3.74 | 84 | B

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The English Porter seems to fall flat compared to the American Porter. Time and time again, this is my discovery. It's similar, but the flavor profiles are amped up in the American version. Jackpot Porter is very much a porter - chocolate & coffee scent and taste - but very mild. It's very drinkable, but it isn't spectacular. It's similarly average in appearance and mouthfeel.

I would take another local brewery, Silver Peak's Peavine Porter over this any day. Fortunately for Great Basin, that is probably the only beer from Silver Peak that I think competes with their lineup.

 

 

Ordered one of these during the Best in the West Rib Cook-Off this past weekend. Following review written from notes.

Served in a 20oz. clear plastic cup. (Typically glass, but they serve everything in plastic on the weekend of the Cook-Off.)

Appearance: The body had a pitch black center and orange-brown edges. Head was a mere white halo, but did drag decent lacing. No apparent carbonation - a problem noted in my previous Great Basin orders as well.

Smell: Roasted malt, dark chocolate, and caramel along with some mild, spicy, piney hops. Malt-forward and sweet. Some extra hop action would have done this one well.

Taste: Caramel, black, and roasted malts, black coffee, and some... dark chocolate? Something like dark chocolate anyway... Grassy hops and moist vegetation came in as well. Aftertaste was all coffee and chocolate. This one seemed a tad off at the time, but now that I think about it, it might have just been the English accents. I had thought this was an American porter. Very flavorful.

Mouthfeel: Malty and, well, flat. I don't know if English porters are supposed to have less carbonation, but I wasn't a fan. Body was a little fuller than average (for porters). Mouth-coating was pretty low. The lack of crispness bugged me.

Drinkability: This would probably be best suited as a dessert beer - lots of chocolate and candy-like flavors throughout, but not to an excessive measure. The lack of carbonation just made this one a bit boring. If that were corrected, this would be a much better ale.