While on the road, I chanced by a depanneur near the pulp mills in downtown Hull and found an artifact, Labatt Porter. This beer is a vestige of an earlier style of Canadian beer which died away as lagers came on to the scene. Old lumberjack taverns up the Outaouais may still have old sign for porter painted on their outside brick walls. Ten years ago Molsons still produced a competing beer under the brand Champlain Porter. Now only this one is left and likely has one of its few remaining bases of popularity, such as it is, on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. It is really a sweet milk stout. It is chocolatey, lactose sweet, a bit like a richer cola with low carbination and the aroma of new baked bread and caramel. It is not hoppy like the Sleeman Fine Porter or roasty like Cooperstown Benchwarmer. Not profound but comforting. Probably the best tasting beer for style Labatt still brews – which is not a great compliment. It may be gone itself in another decade. Click on the photo for a better view.
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[Original comments…]
MTLdude – October 3, 2006 3:59 PM
I just had one the other day – this beer is surprisingly good. Will buy again 🙂
George D.Page – January 16, 2007 4:35 PM
I have been drinking this beer for years. Much better than other local beers.
JJ Stettin – March 28, 2007 2:18 AM
Is Champlain Porter truly gone?
Johannes Roy – July 14, 2007 5:28 PM
This stuff is delicious tastes a little like the malt beer i drank as a kid. Just baught a single bottle today out of curiosity, but I can see myself downing a couple of these in the future.
Thomas McGrail – July 28, 2007 3:57 PM
I love this stuff and used to drink it and Champlain Porter years ago when I lived in Montreal. I pick some up every time I visit Quebec, it seems impossible to find this style of porter in Ontario any more.
Pierre Gauthier – August 20, 2007 2:40 AM
An excellent porter.
If you enjoy Fuller’s London Porter and different types of dark ale you should love this one.
dragonforge – October 13, 2007 12:40 PM
Champlain Porter was by far and away one of the finest and best tasting beers of any sort. Even the Tadcaster stone vats of Samuel Smith’s could not come close, nay, were not even in the same ball park.
While it did not have the bitter edge of most populars brands today, warm or cold, its complete and perfect balance could slake any thirst.
It was last brewed more than 10 years ago and it is ashame, given the ressurgence in the popularity of beers now that the feminine dominated tea parties and wine tastings have been relugated where they belong, in the rear, that it is not available for the multitudes to enjoy.
There are countless recipies that can not be done properly without this perfectly polished product.
Thomas M – September 24, 2008 8:26 PM
http://www.avecstyle.ca
Just tasting it now after I found it at the local depanneur for outrages 12 dollars + tax for 6 bottles. The design of the bottle and the case looks like a time import from the 70ties. Comming from Europe I was hoping for a taste comparable to the dark “Alt” beers in Germany which is sweetish, (e.G. Koestritzer) but was quite surprised by the predominant sweetness. Not really my cup of tea to be honest but I’ll let my girlfriend taste what she thinks of it. Might wanna try some of your other suggestions in your post though.
Mtlxpo – September 10, 2009 7:07 PM
One of the worst beers I have ever had. Far too sweet, no bite, no depth of flavour, and a lingering bad aftertaste. Nothing like UK porter… hard to believe there is a market for this at all.
3rMatt – December 4, 2009 10:40 PM
Heh… it’s an ok-ish beer, but I tend to think like Mtlxpo: too sweet for my tastes. Unlike them though, I tend to think there is probably more people that like it than most of us will readily imagine. Definitely a once-in-a-while drink.
Frank Periard – July 9, 2010 5:23 PM
Champlain Porter was a remedy recomended for my wife’s health problem.She was losing weight,was getting weaker by the day and had no appetite.The doctor suggested that she should drink one bottle of Porter a day.
In no time ,her health changed.she started to eat again,became much stronger and after a short time she was back to her normal self.This was fifty years ago,so thanks to Champlain Porter [ the original ],she has reached 79 years old and still in perfect health.
Alan – July 9, 2010 8:22 PM
What a great story, Frank. Thanks for stopping by.
Jasmin Darveau – July 20, 2010 10:24 PM
Along with the mythical “Unibroue”, this one is surely my prefered large-scale commercial beer ever. Cheer !
Guy – December 5, 2010 10:01 AM
Why is this Labatt Porter not available in Nova Scotia?
I just love this stuff when I go to Québec for a visit is the only time I can get it.
Steve Gates – December 7, 2010 12:55 PM
My wife’s grandfather acquired a taste for sweet porter while in England training for WW2 adventures like Dieppe. When he returned to Canada there were several brands of porter available, In 2009, when the tough ol’ bird passed away, there were two bottles of Labatt Porter in his refrigerator, I collected them and put them behind my bar and it sure would be cool to crack them with the old fella. He was a great Canadian and a great patriarch for my wife’s family. I plan to model myself from his conduct when I become the “old man” of the family. Cheers Jim.
Bob Sohm – May 6, 2011 11:26 AM
I highly enjoyed Labatt Porter it was available in a 12 pack along with Labatt Classic and Labatt Red.It was sold in Vermont for about 3 months then disappeared . I have been hoping to see it again
Matt – August 19, 2012 10:55 PM
I’m sure if Labatt was to redesign the logo label and casing for this beer and market it agressivly….it would pick up…….because lets face it……its really different and too many are unaware of its existance. I would of love to discover it earlier in life.
Martin – September 19, 2012 7:02 PM
My wife works in Hull and went to 4 different stores and couldn’t find any. One store said they could try to order some but they called it Labatts Velvet Cream Porter. Did they change the name or is it a different tasting beer altogether? Thanks
John Mundie – January 19, 2013 1:11 AM
Just found a six of this wayback beer in a dep in Otter Lake, QuĂ©bec. It was sitting in the cooler all alone, and I had last seen it about 25 years ago! Well, I just had to buy it. I forgot how sweet is was, something that turned me off in my youth. Mind you, the beer goes down really smoothly and easily. Be careful! My wife found it curiously enjoyable. I agree, it has a hint of something (coffee, fruitiness) to start, but is really sweet and doesn’t linger. The head is full and then gone quickly, and it does remind you of a flat coke. Certainly different and is an acquired taste, and I can see how you’d either love it or hate it. It was really nice for a change. I didn’t know it had such a colourful local history, and brewed by Labatts at that!
Joan – April 11, 2013 5:15 PM
I haven,t tasted porter for years. I absolutely loved the taste.
stephen – May 29, 2013 8:26 PM
I have even driven from Oswego NY to Kingston Ont just to by Velvet Cream Porter. The Canadian Customs guy asked, “You came to Kingston for Beer”?
S
Dennis – July 8, 2013 8:52 PM
I bought this beer approximately 30 years ago in Canada and fell in love with it . I had a friend pick some up for me some years ago, but now I sent 2 people to get it and they said they couldn’t find it and everyone they talked to never heard of it. Please tell me it is still being brewed. No matter what anyone sais this was the smoothest beer I ever drank. Velvet Cream Indeed!!!
where can you buy this, went to 10 stores in longueuil and montreal and none to be found