Pothole Filler Imperial Stout - Howe Sound Inn & Brewing Company

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.04/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A: inky black, brown head, spongy lace.

S: molasses, heavy roast, plums, dates, chocolate, tinge of coffee.

T: syrup, chocolate, roast, molasses, dark fruits, subtle booze.

M: thick, rich, full.

O: definitely a this, surprisingly drinkable RIS. Somewhat classic, and very solid.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 03:25:24 | More by EgadBananas

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pothole Filler looks dark and thick enough to serve as exactly that; it's like someone poured tar into the glass. Normally, I wouldn't expect any head from a 9% beer in a flip-top bottle* but this is topped with a fluffy, deep-coloured foam that dresses the glass in designs reminiscent of a Banksy piece. This lacing could go on auction at Sotheby's.

The aroma is heavy on the nose with notes of burnt malt, cocoa and molasses - somewhere an Italian man drinking an espresso is experiencing the same thing. Typically the more impressive and overwhelming a beer, the more adjectives and tasting notes are used to try to describe it. In this case, it's straightforward enough that just the three listed should suffice.

The palate is a mouth-coating monument to roasted malt: coffee, dark chocolate, black cherry, smoke, pipe tobacco and a hint of clove are appreciated (in order of most to least). While the espresso and cocoa make up the vast majority of the flavour, they fall on brooding dark fruit and caramel notes. The tastebuds are kept occupied through the entire 1 liter.

Beneath the heavy cocoa and burnt malt notes is a beer that is less aggressive than assumed. This imperial stout holds a firmly bitter structure but, perhaps owing to the molasses, drinks with an ultra-velvety mouthfeel and passes over the palate with ultimate smoothness. It has a dry, poised finish (with a hint of chopped mint, i.e., hops) that helps conceal its true strength.

It be may a touch short of the best imperial stouts but Pothole Filler is every bit in the same vein and should be counted among Canada's best. While I didn't find myself doing back-flips over it, this is nonetheless absolutely what fans of the style should be on the lookout for. It won't have the biggest 'wow' factor but does provide everything else one could want.

*while it has a flip-top, the bottle is actually capped.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 04:11:13 | More by biegaman

jaz58

Ontario (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A real nice stout.

Poured in a clear pint glass.

Nice dark brown / black appearance.

The head was almost a smooth as a guinness yet more of a chocolate milk color.

Thin lace on the glass as it's enjoyed.

The nose is slightly sour with nice hints of toffee.

Taste is warm with hints of dark chocolate and toffee and a subtle clean bitters finish.

Mouthfeel is well rounded.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 22:13:57 | More by jaz58

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

4.01/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

From a 1 L brown bottle, capped with a flip-top lid. Pours out a dense opaque jet black hue, impermeable to light. Creamy tan head that settles to a thick frothy cap.

Roasty malts, some sweet dark malt, coffee notes on the nose, some faint dry toasty cocoa.

Flavour starts out on a sweet almost milky note, then turns roasty, while the two in turn evolve into a sort of cafe au lait charatcter, finishing with a dry roasty, somewhat burnt finish. Burnt malt aftertaste. It's only after a long while and the bottle nearly finished that herbal, spicy hops appear on the finish and aftertaste.

Full mouthfeel, full velvety texture, medium carbonation.

While not very intense for the style, it's a very enjoyable and approachable interpretation of an RIS, and masking the alcohol content incredibly well. In my honest opinion it seems more like a buffed up Stout, or a Robust Porter, however it's still mighty fine of its own accord.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 23:18:52 | More by IronDjinn

tonyf55

Alberta (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 1L swing-top into a sleeman lager glass (it was all that was available...)

Visual (5): Dark beer, completely opaque to any light. Sandy tan coloured head, rolling and dense, that lasts and doesn't go away. Great lacing. Thick body.

Aroma (2.5): A bit of coffee grind, hints of chocolate, but no big malty hit. No alcohol scents. A little too light for this big beer.

Taste (4.5): Piney hop flavours mingle with tastes of sweet malts and leave a welcomed boozy coat on the pallet. Flavours of both alcohol and hops linger long after a sip is taken. Malts are heavily toasted, with burnt flavours mixing with the fairly prevalent hop bitterness. Beautiful balance.

Mouthfeel (4): Oily and slick with a very thick body. Leaves an extremely dry pallet behind. The dryness really aids in letting the flavours linger long after a sip.

Overall (4): A beer that hits the Imperial Stout style perfectly, strong malt sweetness mixes with hits of hops & good alcoholic lingerings... all sitting on the pallet at the finish. Flavours sit so long, that it is difficult to have more than 1 in a single sitting. Great for a cool night.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 15:59:31 | More by tonyf55

decimator

Ontario (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

1L bottle, yes that's right, 1 whole litre of 9% beer. And with a swingtop too so my pint glass can get a refill later.

A - Pours nearly black, hints of brown on the edges, thick bubbly creamy light brown head, foam reduced slowly, and plenty of lacing.

S - Coffee, toasted bread, dark chocolate, brown sugar, a bit of fennel, grass.

T - Roasted & toasted flavours upfront, some brown sugar, herbal hop bitterness and a bit of alcohol in the finish. A bit lighter than the aroma let on and the finish has a slight harshness to it at times. Still good overall.

M - Medium carbonation, medium-heavy body, creamy, oily, sticky, dry finish with some heat. Not as thick as a name like pothole filler would suggest.

O - Very good RIS. One of the best I've had so far.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 03:09:58 | More by decimator

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Massive 1L swingtop from the Conestoga LCBO, enjoyed over a couple of evenings (a litre of imperial stout is a bit too much for this guy in one night).

Poured into my Duvel tulip. Black as pitch (go figure), with about a half inch of dark tan head that recedes into a thick ring. Some lacing. Your classic RIS.

Nose is rich and bitter, with a bit of sweetness lingering in the back. But yes, all the usual suspects are here: bitter coffee, roasted malt, caramel, licorice and hops. Very nice.

If you like your RIS's dry and generously hopped, this one is definitely for you. Quite bitter, puckery hop finish, with roasted coffee, caramel and licorice as well. Well crafted. Medium-thick, mild carbonation, silky.

Solid RIS, and I enjoyed the near growler-sized bottle on both evenings. Worth seeking out while its here.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 04:14:30 | More by JohnnyBarman

cattersley

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A - BLACK with a creamy head.

S - Chocolate, burnt, caramel, and black malt.

T - Creamy, lovely malt notes, lots of malt, low hope, aftertaste disappates quickly.

M - Lovely, surprisingly light.

O - I was really impressed by this beer, the alcohol was not over powering and the malt notes on this was very balancing!

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 02:05:36 | More by cattersley

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: It has a nice jet black color to it. It has a nice tan head that dies down slowly and leaves nice lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of roasted malts, molasses, brown sugar, chocolate and coffee.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has some roasted malts, sweet molasses, chocolate, coffee, some licorice and a grassy/earthy bitterness from the hops.

Mouthfeel: It has a low carbonation with a nice overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavors and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 20:11:01 | More by SebD

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Basically jet black, 1.5 fingers of tan head, some lace as well on the glass. Smell is quite heavy on the roasted malts with a good deal of chocolate as well, some molasses, coffee, pretty up front hop charachter and just a touch of smoke. Taste is big and roasty, lots of bakers chocolate, coffee, hop bitterness rolls in around mid palate, only lightly sweet, big roast and chocolate finish and aftertaste. Light-medium carbonation, medium body though felt thin at times also. Really solid stuff here however the serving size was a little much but I still saw this through to the end, next time I have one of these there will be another person or two involved.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 14:54:07 | More by peensteen

sukwonee

Washington

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This bottle has been sitting on the shelf of this shop for at least a year. They were finally down to their last bottle, so I picked it up. $11.99 for one-litter swingtop half growler. Not too bad, since I can re-use the growler.

A: Black with two finger mocha head. Good lacing.

S: I can't really smell much after I pour it into my snifter but when I first opened the bottle I got lots of chocolate, coffee, molasses.

T: It's tasting great! Dark chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, roasty malt. Small hop bite but not much.

M: It's not bad but it's a tad bit thin. Good amount of carbonation.

O: Very very good classic Imperial stout. Smooth, relatively easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 01:32:47 | More by sukwonee

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

4.23/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A solid RIS, enjoyed from a 1L bottle that's been in the basement for at least a year. It has aged well!

Pours an oily black with only the faintest hints of auburn at the edge of the glass when held up to the light. Creamy, coffee-coloured head dissipates more quickly than I'd expected. Robust yet subtle aroma of roasted dark malts, with the smoky barrel tannins I associate with this style. The rich mouthfeel is a pleasure to sip, and the taste is well balanced but sufficiently complex to be interesting. Sweet caramelized chocolate and black malts with a bitterly dry aftertaste that still maintains sugary molasses elements. Hints of peat and aged wood flesh out the combination. The 9% ABV is evident in some alcohol warmth at the end, and I'm glad to be sharing this bottle!

Not a beer I'd choose every night, but one I'd recommend and definitely worth the splurge.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 02:48:33 | More by hopsolutely

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

First review with the 0.25 increment system- Things are about to get crazy! ...

(4.5) A: Black with a beautiful thick and creamy mocha coloured head. Long lasting retention and very good lacing. Gorgeous stuff.

(4.25) S: Roasted malts with the focus on creamy dark chocolate, gingerbread, molasses, dark fruits (figs and dates), and a noticeable hop-like aroma leaning to the herbal side.

(4.0) T: Similar to the aroma with roasted malts and dark fruits upfront, with a transition to a fruitier and semi-herbal bitter hop taste. Hints of smoke detected. A fair amount of spice in this with some ginger and nutmeg, but the focus is towards the bitterness.

(4.0) M: Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Creamy with a chewy character.

(4.25) D: This is a well put together imperial stout that exhibits all those traditional imperial stout traits with probably a bit more hop bitterness than others. Bonus points for the enourmous swingtop bottle. I'm totally taking water to work in this.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 02:22:29 | More by Digimaika2

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Aged for about one year this beer really comes into its own with a thick luscious mouthfeel and very long roasty chocolate finish. One of the best Impy stouts in BC and thankfully not too hard to find. Since it comes in a big 1 litre swing top it is best to leave half for the next day when it will be even more interesting as the carbonation drops a little. Full of complex flavours redolent of cocoa nibs and coffee this beer is a winner from Howe Sound.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 20:33:06 | More by canucklehead

cfalovo97

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Just got a bottle of this from the LCBO. Pours dark, brownish black color with a nice head. solid retention. It doesnt have a very strong smell, which threw me off a little bit, so I was pleasently surpised when I tasted it. You can taste the molasses and some vanilla and coffee. The taste lingers nicely.
Overall it was quite enjoyable. My first beer from this brewery and I look forward to trying others

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 15:47:17 | More by cfalovo97

ericj551

British Columbia (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Howe Sound Pothole Filler pours an inky black with a nice brown head. The aroma is sweet, caramel malt with tons of rich chocolate and dark, roasted malt. A caramel sweetness pops up in the flavor first, but the chocolate character quickly takes over. The dark malts build on the palette and lead to a moderately astringent, burnt character. The astringency is amplified by a solid bitterness, with some earthy, herbal hops. The bitterness lingers with the astringent, burnt malt. Overall this is a really intense imperial stout, especially for it's abv.

On a side note, the copy on this beer label is a bit confused, at the begining they claim, "unfiltered 100% barley mash," but they describe the beer as containing wheat and molasses.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 04:33:36 | More by ericj551

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to chickenm for this one.

Poured from a 1L swingtop and shared with my wife.

Appearance: Pours a really thick and really dark body. Cascading head that doesn't overdo it but is plentiful. Great lasting power and thin veils of lacing all around.

Smell: Milky chocolate, sweet mixed with a bit over roasted notes, nuts, a bit figgy, raw cocoa powder.

Taste: Dates, nuts, bit of raisins, semi-sweet chocolate mixed with pure milk chocolate. Very easy to visualize what i'm drinking.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation is spot-on, not too much and not too little. Creamy and next to no bitterness.

Overall: A pleasure to drink. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 12:29:59 | More by papat444

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from wordemupg, 1L swingtop into a tulip.

Blac with a light brown head. Thick head and dense retention/lace. Nose of baker's chocolate, brown sugar, molasses and light roast character. Definitely on the sweeter side of this. Taste has light smoke, roast, brown sugar, molasses, bakers chocolate and hops in the finish. Full feel, lower medium carbonation. A really solid imperial stout, well worth tracking down.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 01:12:42 | More by liamt07

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

1L bottle to Bruery tulip.

A - Dark black with two fingers of bubbly medium brown head that reduced to one finger with good retention and really good lacing.

S - Chocolate up front with plenty of roasted malts, some char, smoke and bitterness evident.

T - Bog roasted malt profile up front with char and licorice flavours present. Some dark chocolate and coffee flavours also come through with the roasted malts.

M - Medium body with a slight chew. Light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 13:07:47 | More by TheSevenDuffs

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beer is black with a moderately-sized tan head. Decent retention.

Smell is very big and full of roasted malt. Also lots of milk chocolate, some black liquorice, coffee. Nice smell.

Taste is in line with the nose. Roasted malt, very chocolatey, a bit of black liquorice, Not as robust as the nose suggested. Moderately bitter, but some sweetness and molasses flavour as well. Some grassy hop flavours in the back. Good.

Full bodied, not as heavy as expected. Low carbonation. A bit oily.

Overall, good stuff indeed. I would prefer if it came in a slightly smaller bottle!

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 01:27:25 | More by jrenihan

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A brew I was able to procure via private order through the LCBO, coordinated by Keep6Imports. Pretty stoked to get my hands on some of this.

A - Pours pitch black, two solid fingers of dark mocha head with solid retention and some nice chunky lacing.

S - Milk chocolate, hints of tobacco smoke, molasses, black licorice and leather on the finish.

T - Chocolate dominates with a rich mocha flavour, with the espresso and coffee serving to complement the chocolate. ABV is very well hidden and some leafy green hop notes come through on the finish.

M - Lighter bodied ale, but can still come across chewy on the finish. Goes down smooth and finishes surprisingly wet.

O - This stuff is super tasty, boasting loads of flavour and the chocolate notes certainly shine. I bought a case to split, but now I'm wishing I would've kept it all to myself!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 01:14:14 | More by andrenaline

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - tar black, very tall thick brown head, left random blobs of lacing as it slowly receded
S - big roasty and burnt flavours, mild cocoa and licororice
T - intensely roasty and burnt malt, licorice root and mild dark fruits with a mild grassy hope note in the background
M - chewy low carbonated body, smoky and dry finish, 9% ABV undetectable
O - it a big thick in your face stout just as you'd expect, not an everyday drinker but maybe every other day

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 03:26:06 | More by joemcgrath27

cwguy5

North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

thanks to Sharpski for the hook-up on this one! poured into a De Molen snifter from the quart bottle.

A - black and oily with minimal cinnamon colored head that is mainly just a bubbly ring; lots of arching lacing left on glass

S - seasonal allergies are kicking my butt, but i am getting a light aroma of dark and roasted malt and not much else

T - lots of dark and roasted malts, espresso, black coffee, dry overall, molasses is very faint, dry-bitter finish

M - med-thick bodied with fine, light-moderate carbonation; long bitter finish is fairly strong

O - always love a 9% stout in a quart bottle! a solid dry & roasty stout overall, but the bitterness is a bit distracting for me. it starts to wear out my palate pretty quickly. this might be paired with cheese/food well.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 03:15:26 | More by cwguy5

TheStove

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Smuggled on a cruise ship from BC to USA! Poured into an imperial pint glass.

Pours a deep inky black with a nice mocha colored head.

Smells vary somewhat, from boozy to chocolatey malts to molasses. First sip reveals rich chocolate malt flavors giving way to a thinner lighter malty consistency ultimately ending with a light hop bite and some earth flavors at the end. A consistently malty, creamy and delicious beverage.

A solid offering yet in the world of imperial stouts this one doesn't particularly stand out.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 21:20:56 | More by TheStove

Drinkerofales

California

3.98/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours dark brown, almost black, with no light shining through. A large mocha head doesn't leave much lacing, but has good retention.

Smell is mostly roasted malt. There are whiffs of coffee, anise, and hoppy fruit.

Taste is sweet and bitter(straight from the wife). Mellow roasted malt, molasses, some coffee and hop bitterness on the finish and aftertaste.

Feel isn't thin, but isn't chewy, with a hop bite to it. Good thing it's smooth and drinkable.

Some of hop in almost all aspects, none of it taking over fortunately. Feels a tad on the thin side, but other than that, I liked the beer. I would have to say, the giant size is kind of strange, and while the swingtop can help save the beer for later, 32oz of a 9% is a bit much.

DOA

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 18:19:38 | More by Drinkerofales