When I first saw the name Pitchfork I immediately thought of the Devil*, Lord knows why. Is this another devil-may-care, or may not for that matter, brew like 666 or the Devil’s Punchbowl? But I should know by now that you can’t judge a brew by it’s cover. Reading the story on the can often helps. According to Oast, our host with the most, “The pitchfork symbolizes the hard work and grit required along the way while following your passion”. Perhaps a tribute to my old buddy Farmer Steve, and all of those hard working farmers out there. Apparently the Devil has nothing to do with this brew, I guess we should look for him in the details.
Rocky Horror and American Gothic
Then I remembered the classic painting “American Gothic”**, the stoic farm couple with a pitchfork. Then, for some strange reason, I thought about the various references to the painting in the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In front of the church before Brad and Janet get married. Hanging in the front hall of Frank N Furter’s mansion. Wait a minute, (SPOILER ALERT), Riff Raff puts an end to Frank N Furter with a futuristic pitchfork weapon too. Some might say that the references to American Gothic in The Rocky Horror Picture Show juxtapose Frank N Furter’s philosophy of “giving yourself over to absolute pleasure” with the stark family values and work ethic depicted in American Gothic and represent the loss of family values in modern day America. That same “some” may be overthinking the movie a bit.
For a minute I forgot we have a brew to review. A dark goth (as opposed to gothic) pour. It pours as thick as “War and Peace”***, some substantial suds. A mild roasted malt aroma with a bit of fresh hanging off the end of my nose like my reading glasses. It has a nice full porter flavour body, but with a bit of a harsh finish. Wait a minute, sometimes a nice finish with a touch sweet. Sometimes harsh like a school teacher explaining why you will never amount to anything (perhaps this analogy hits too close to home). There is a Jekyll and Hyde thing going on here. Moments of greatness only to revert to life’s harsh realities. Consistently inconsistent. The flip flop finish makes for a good not great porter.
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