Cheat day I Hop city Brewing Co.
Brampton, ON
ABV: 5.7%
IBU: 28
Style: Flavoured porter
Colour: Lemon meringue pie
Price: $3.25/473 ml can
ABV: 5.7%
IBU: 28
Style: Flavoured porter
Colour: Lemon meringue pie
Price: $3.25/473 ml can
Jan. 9, 2018. In beer drinking terms, whether you realize it or not, we are all currently at the absolute pinnacle of excellence in terms of selection at the LCBO. Why? Because this is the time of year when the most variety of stouts and porters grace the shelves, temporarily breaking up the blinding monotony of IPA's and "sessionable" bullshit that comprises the LCBO's lacklustre choices for the other 9 months of the year. Enter Cheat Day, a "Black Forest porter" from Hop City Brewing Company (for those of you who don't know, the Black Forest is a place in Germany that holds an inordinate amount of delicious pigs and cake baking ingredients). With Cheat Day, Hop City has done an very admirable job of infusing two/thirds of a Black Forest cake into every 473ml can.
Make no mistake folks, this is a flavoured porter above all else, so if you're looking for a plain porter or even just a sweeter than average porter, you'll have to disregard a substantial blast of sour cherry in every sip. However, for those of you who are familiar with, and inclined to crush the odd slice of Black Forest cake, and are seeking a more adventurous porter, be prepared to bust through the front of your shorts with excitement. I've had over 3,826 different types of flavoured stouts and porters, ranging in attempted flavour infusions of Neopolitan ice cream to whale testicles, and I have to say that Cheat Day may be the most bang-on flavour profile that I've ever tasted. Sometimes these flavour infusions are subtle, sometimes they don't taste anything like what they're supposed to, sometimes they're pretty good, and sometimes they really do taste exactly as advertised. Such is the case with Cheat Day, as every sip tastes like a bite of Black Forest cake that's been soaking in beer for a few hours. I'm not shitting you. Large doses of chocolate malt, a heavy infusion of sour cherry, and a hint of vanilla make for one of the best dessert beers I've ever tasted. If I had any criticism of this beer I'd say that it might be a bit heavy on the sour cherry, but it really does work, providing that same sensation you get from eating that gelatinous, neon cherry topping that coats the top of every Black Forest cake. Now having said all this, I must warn that this is a really sweet beer overall, definitely a sipper, and probably not for everyone. But if you're looking for something different, or if you want to combine all of your beer drinking and dessert eating into one convenient activity, then you've just hit the jackpot.
Make no mistake folks, this is a flavoured porter above all else, so if you're looking for a plain porter or even just a sweeter than average porter, you'll have to disregard a substantial blast of sour cherry in every sip. However, for those of you who are familiar with, and inclined to crush the odd slice of Black Forest cake, and are seeking a more adventurous porter, be prepared to bust through the front of your shorts with excitement. I've had over 3,826 different types of flavoured stouts and porters, ranging in attempted flavour infusions of Neopolitan ice cream to whale testicles, and I have to say that Cheat Day may be the most bang-on flavour profile that I've ever tasted. Sometimes these flavour infusions are subtle, sometimes they don't taste anything like what they're supposed to, sometimes they're pretty good, and sometimes they really do taste exactly as advertised. Such is the case with Cheat Day, as every sip tastes like a bite of Black Forest cake that's been soaking in beer for a few hours. I'm not shitting you. Large doses of chocolate malt, a heavy infusion of sour cherry, and a hint of vanilla make for one of the best dessert beers I've ever tasted. If I had any criticism of this beer I'd say that it might be a bit heavy on the sour cherry, but it really does work, providing that same sensation you get from eating that gelatinous, neon cherry topping that coats the top of every Black Forest cake. Now having said all this, I must warn that this is a really sweet beer overall, definitely a sipper, and probably not for everyone. But if you're looking for something different, or if you want to combine all of your beer drinking and dessert eating into one convenient activity, then you've just hit the jackpot.
