If
there is one beer that I identify most closely with Vermont's Catamount
brewery, it is their porter. Renowned as being one of the best porters in
the country, this beer has been a staple of mine since the late nineteen
eighties. It was introduced as a Christmas specialty back in 1987, but soon
became a year-round brew. Michael Jackson once called this beer "The
outstanding Porter on the East Coast".
Back in 1997, I took tasting notes on this beer:
Catamount Porter is dark brown to light black in color. Head retention is
minimal. The nose is fruity with a hint of licorice. The palate is a flavor
explosion: fruit, coffee, licorice, chocolate, and roast malt all compete
for dominance until the hop finish balances them all into a spectacular
finale. A delightful robust porter, and among the best beers made in
America.
The sad news is that the year I penned those impressions of the beer was the
same year that the brewery decided to expand it's production beyond the
limits of it's facilities in White River Junction, Vermont. A new brewery
with a much larger capacity (50,000 barrels per year) was built in Windsor
Vermont at a cost of about five million dollars. This proved to be the
brewery's undoing, as they couldn't sell enough beer to pay for the new
facility. Towards the end, the beer began to suffer for it. The Catamount
Porter I was sipping a little over a year ago when I took the following
notes tasted like this:
Same color as I described above, and the nose still has notes of fruit
but I don't get the licorice I did in the past. The beer seems slightly
thinner bodied, but is still quite roasty and coffeeish right on into the
roasty-bitter finish. Licorice and chocolate are absent. Still quite a good
porter.
Sadly, the brewery closed its doors not long ago, so this beer is not being
brewed at the moment. The good news however is that Boston based Mass Bay
Brewing (makers of the Harpoon line of beers) has acquired Catamount's
brands and the brewery in Windsor, which they will use to brew Catamount
beers as well as their own. If you didn't get a chance to try Catamount
Porter the first time around, you've been given a second chance. Still, how
well is Harpoon doing with this classic East Coast porter? Tonight I’m
finally getting around to an overdue report.
It pains me to see the words “Harpoon Brewery Windsor, Vermont” on the label
of this beer. That’s not to say I don’t love Harpoon beers, because I do. It
just seems that a piece of me is gone with the passing of Catamount, which
is now really just a label brewed by Harpoon. A paradox, I know, because at
the same time I appreciate the fact that Harpoon kept the Catamount brands
alive.
Catamount Porter is now a dark black brew with a thick creamy head and a
subtle roasty nose. The palate is smooth but roasty, slightly coffeeish and
a tad phenolic, or possessed of a flavor that tastes like band-aids smell.
The licorice and fruit are noticeably absent, and in some respects the ale
is clean like a lager. The finish is balanced, leaning slightly to the hop
side, with a touch of roasty bitterness.
This is not the Catamount Porter I knew and loved.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For
reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft