Himalayan Salted Caramel Porter
Old Yale Brewing Co.

A great porter that isn’t too sweet even with the caramel tones. The salt keeps it dry like a good, rich porter. Easy to drink and perfect for a cold winter day, as I had this at the Dirty Northern on tap in Whitehorse, Yukon.

 

 

A- This limited release pours with a 'caramel' colored densely foamed head, however thin it may be.....it only covers the liquid beneath with a quarter finger worth of protective layering. With that said, I will comment on the fact that the retention factor is amazingly good....I don't think there was any further settling after the initial pour The brew itself is a reasonably clear dark Earthy cola color, and held up to the light, it shows signs of mild carbonation....there could be more I suppose but its how it looks! The lacing is impressive, with a solid consistent sticky layer of foam clinging to the inside of my glass. Overall a decent looking porter!

S- I detect the Himalayan salted caramel right off the bat.....it is smooth and creamy, alongside some sweet cooked brown sugar. Next on the nostrils is some medium dark chocolate, followed by a yeasty, robust vanilla bean aroma, muted charred black malt, chocolate malt, and a finish that is dry and Earthy....bringing me back to the fact that this is a Porter and not a straight up dessert!

T- A very nice blend between the sweet notes that Old Yale went for here, and the base Porter that is used to showcase the traditional flavors of the style. The saltiness is noted and hits the back of my tongue in that 'seasoned' dish kind of way.....the front of the palate is all about tasting the semi sweet caramel, that could double up as more of a rich taffy or of blackstrap molasses. Secondary flavors of vanilla creme, dark chocolate, cocoa powder and black coffee all make appearances but nothing really sticks out, which is a good thing, as all of these mentioned take random turns showcasing themselves. The finish becomes salty yet again, and this time it lingers near the throat, alongside bittering malts and some moderate hop presence.....very tasty!

M/O- Smooth creamy mouthfeel overall and the body is medium/full. The carbonation is in fact velvety and in my opinion, just perfect for this style.....very similar to a nitro in fact! I find this to be a highly sociable beer and every sip provides something different and I find myself studying the overall product each and every time......the alcohol is hidden nicely and I would rather enjoy a couple of these in a sitting. A very nice take on the Porter style and I will buy this again in the future!

Sounded too good to pass by when I visited Trackside Liquor store in Medicine Hat.
What impressed me the most about this brew was It's full flavor that incorporates the salt and caramel in a subtle way. The caramel comes in towards the end as a nice tasty end to a very satisfying swig.
Smooth as silk and ultimately delicious

 

650ml bottle. More Himalayan salt - that stuff is everywhere these days, what's the big deal with it, anyway?

This beer pours a fairly dark brown cola colour, with three zaftig fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and bubbly beige head, which leaves some decent spooky tree branch lace around the glass as it slowly dissipates.

It smells of roasted, bready and grainy caramel malt, salty white crackers, dry cafe-au-lait, vanilla extract, and very subtle earthy, musty, and floral green hop bitters. The taste is semi-sweet, bready and doughy caramel malt, a lesser biscuity toffee thing, saltwater taffy, vanilla cookies, a hint of day-old coffee grounds, and more understated earthy, leafy, and gently perfumed floral hoppiness.

The carbonation is fairly tame in its repressed frothiness, the body a solid medium weight, and generally smooth, with nothing really extant here that might cause any sort of trouble. It finishes off-dry, the salted caramel thing still working it like a rented mule.

Overall - this is indeed a nicely flavoured version of Old Yale's base porter, as the adjuncts are applied with a deft touch. Full, robust, and a pleasant quaff on another frigid interstitial holiday afternoon in the Great White North.