At the big Ontario Craft Brewers conference and you would think at a big beer event like this there would be a coffee stout break. There was lots of coffee they made the old fashion way, they urned it. * But without a doubt there was no stout about. I spied a Second Wedge porter on the bar and knew right away that was my ticket for a trip to the dark side. With a name like Rain Maker ** I figured it was a beer that was going to make things happen.
I did recall a SW brew from the Cranky Old archives, an ancient ale, a glass from the past. Their Monday Night Piper was certainly one way to start the week off right.
This porter poured shiny obsidian black, with a light tan head, for a pretty pour. That old familiar roasted malt aroma, as inviting as a welcome mat. First taste is smooth, full mouthfeel and full flavoured. Roasted malt and cocoa with a mild espresso backend for a touch of class in my glass. A finish somewhere between smooth and dry and it all came together as a balanced classic porter. Just what the dark doctor ordered.
*Editor’s Comment: The 1981 TV ad from investment firm Smith Barney had John Houseman delivering the classic line “We make money the old fashion way, we earn it.” The Smith Barney brand was dropped in 2012 and renamed Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.
**Editor’s Comment: The modern definition of a rain maker is someone who can bring in work, create revenue, and in general generate wealth for their employer. John Grisham’s 1995 book The Rainmaker sold 300,000 copies in just 4 days, one of the fastest selling novels in history at that time. Like his 5 previous novels, it too was made into a major motion picture in 1997. In 2025 it was brought to television as a new series on the USA Network. Based on the definition it is safe to say Grisham’s book The Rainmaker has been a rain maker.
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