Chili Porter
Okanagan Spring Brewery

 

No. Just no. I'm not understanding how this one garnered such high scores. It is unpleasantly chemical in character, thin bodied and one dimensional in character. Chile beers are hard to do right and this is just a straight miss. I love porters and heat and this fails on both counts. like a weak-kneed Rauchbier despite coming in at 6.5. no.

 

 

 

 

 

341 mL bottle from a sampler picked up at TBS; bottled Sept 25 2015 and listed at 6.5%. Served slightly chilled.

Pours a dark blackish-brown colour, with a half-finger of loose, soapy, light beige-coloured foam situated at the surface. It fizzles off over the next minute or two, and is survived by a thin collar accompanied by some scant lace. Suggestions of smoky chipotle peppers are dotted throughout the aroma, supported by notes of cocoa, brown sugar, roasted malt, toasted bread and possibly some herbal hoppage. It's a fairly inviting bouquet.

Dark malt notes supply most of the initial flavour, with a mixture of treacle, cocoa and some indeterminate dark fruit - plum or perhaps raisin - eventually giving way to the featured ingredient. Earthy and herbal on the back end, with the spicy pepper heat building to a climax at the end of the sip. It fades steadily into the aftertaste, revealing a subtle smoky ashiness, which really gives this porter some added character. Medium in body, with middling carbonation levels that contribute a nice, crisp bite that complements the peppery spice quite nicely. Leaves an oily coating behind on the palate, which (at least in my limited experience) is not uncommon with this style.

Final Grade: 3.80, a B+. I've enjoyed many of Okanagan Spring's various products going back on a decade now, and I can confidently say that their Chili Porter is one of OSBs top 3 beers. The chile heat is not overdone, though it remains an unmistakable presence that could potentially turn some people off. If you're at all inclined towards this niche beer style, and are seeking out a drinkable, bare-bones example that won't scorch your palate, this one is deserving of some strong consideration.

 

If you like the drink 'Cocky Rooster' (basically beer & Sriracha sauce) you'll like this. Very similar taste

 

Well. Hell yes! What a lovely surprise from the OK Spring folks. Years ago, when Spring was B.C.'s equivalent to Big Rock, I used to visit my buddy in Kelowna, drink gallons of Spring Lager, then sing it's praises when I returned to the flatland. In recent years, Spring has done some good things, but they have been far from cutting edge. This Porter, though, this I like. The only real downfall is the lacklustre smell. Otherwise, it looks great, tastes like a porter should, but has an aftertaste of smoke and pepper. The following mild burn is, for someone who enjoys spice, an absolute treat. This is the second great beer I have enjoyed tonight - perhaps it's time to cut my losses. Or not...

It's different from almost any other beer I've tried. But that's not a bad thing.

It's extremely dark, almost no light gets though it. Which is of course expected with dark beers but while many dark beers turn a light brownish colour in the light the chili porter says extremely dark.

The taste is definitely interesting. It has the expected dark chocolate taste, but the first thing you notice is the spice. That faint chili taste which gets more prominent as you drink it. Finally you notice the smokey taste. It's almost like a hickory taste right at the end and it really surprises you if you're not expecting it. That smokeyness is also rather pronounced in the smell of the beer which is very inviting.

Overall it's a very good beer. I still prefer the winter ale and brewmaster's black from Okanagan Spring but this beer is definitely one of their better ones and it's worth trying. Very original from the Okanagan Spring boys!

341ml bottle poured into tulip 4/12/15

A dark liquid with a deep cola edge, two fingers of light mocha foam has great retention slowly falling to a thin film leaving lots of random lace

s coffee and coco powder, leafy hops, faint pepper but has some spice on top of that,maybe a little smoke and licorice

T more smoke, had some bittersweet chocolate, sightly more chili but its still mild, earthy notes round things out

M light for the color but bubbles fluff lit up, very mild chili heat, a slightly slick coating left behind

O a bit of a surprise to be honest, nothing mind blowing but its well made and worth drinking, I could've gone a little higher elsewhere so slightly inflated here

Not exactly what I expected, I thought this one would be garbage and it turned out to be pretty good, I'm not saying you need to go looking for it but if it fell into your lap you know what to do

Very interesting beer. Where to begin?

Smells great. Smells of sweet roasted malt, reminds me of the smell of liquor chocolates; not as strong as at least one other beer I've had though.

Extremely dark appearance. Completely blocked all light when I put it directly in front of a 100w (or equivalent CFL I can't remember) light. Has a small bit of rough brown head which dissipates off to almost nothing.

Taste: This is where things get interesting. First I was pleasantly surprised at the nice roasted malt flavor that came through quickly— with some sweetness as well. I presume the roasted malt is what others are calling 'smokey'. Afterwards tough, there was an interesting mustiness/dankness; I can't easily describe it but it was quite prominent. It tasted like a damp cellar or something. I guess another way to describe it was that it tasted like peat or soil. There's no coffee flavors in this (which I'm fine with as I don't really like coffee much). There's also very little hops flavor. It's mostly malt, roastedness, and peat. Lastly, it's all blanketed by regular spiciness. I was surprised at the level of spiciness this had, but then again I've never had a chili beer before. It wasn't at all overwhelming to me, I just wasn't expecting it to be so easily noticeable. I wouldn't say I noticed much or any pepper plant flavor, only the spiciness/hotness of capsaicin

Overall this is a neat little beer. Nothing great, but definitely worth trying one if you like any of the 3-4 main flavors (roasted malt, sweet malt, soil, chili hotness). You might get a bit bored of it if you go through the 6th in the 6-pack, but I haven't had that problem , especially since it's an inexpensive beer.