Old Engine Oil

  English porter has kind of an interesting history dating back to the 1700s when it was popular amongst porters, hence its name. Originally, this was served at the pubs as a blend of an old ale, a new ale, and a weak ale. The end result was known as "Entire Butt" or "Three Threads" and was often ordered as such. The story goes that porter was "invented" when an enterprising pub owner started blending the beer in advance to save his bartenders having to do extra work every time a pint of three threads was ordered.

Over the years porter spread throughout the UK where an Irish brewer was inspired to invent stout that so many of us love today. When pouring an English porter, there are certain things we can expect as being common to the style. For instance, an English porter should be full bodied, and a dark brown color. The head will be off white or light tan and the aromas will be rich and malty with aromas of roasted grain.

Old Engine Oil fills my glass true to its name. It pours into my glass as black and thick as motor oil, throwing a cream filled coffee colored head with great retention.

Taking a sniff, the first thing I smell is coffee, supported quickly by dark, European chocolate. Malts make their presence known in the form of rye bread, hot and fresh from the oven. Below that are hints of nuttiness and a general earthy aroma. Each aroma leads smoothly, from one to the next, giving a rich, lush, seamless porter. All of this leads to a coffee scented aroma combined with earthy, leafy hops.

That first sip of Old English Oil shows me a porter that is full bodied, lush, and full flavored without being overpowering in its dark, roasty flavors. Old Engine Oil’s flavor is slightly more coffeeish than the aroma, giving slightly stronger flavors of dark, black, roasted coffee. Belgian chocolate and dark bread lend structure to the beer’s flavor profile. All this leads into a bitter finish full of dark roasted coffee.

Overall, I’m giving Old English Oil an 8.5 out of 10. It’s delicious, complex, and robust, without being overpowering in its flavors of roasted coffee. The flavors walk the line between flavor and overpowering complexity very deftly, making it a drinkable, approachable example of the style. In my opinion, it would be very easy for a porter to venture too far into the flavors of roasted coffee, making it hard to drink.