Jet black with some ruby red highlights at the extreme bottom of the glass. A very solid, tan colored head that is really very, very substantial – in fact it looks like a big ice-cream float. Good lacing that increases with warmth. Very good looker.

Some alcohol in the nose, but not a great deal more.

Smooth, but some degree of bitterness at the same time, quite an unusual combination. The bitterness lingers in the mouth too. Not quite as smooth as I would like, I enjoy my Porters a bit creamier, and in fact I would go as far as to say it has a lot more Stout like qualities. Mouthfeel is good, but a little on the thin side for me.

I enjoyed drinking this with a chocolate brownie. The combination of sweet and bitter really went very nicely together, but the drinkability is not very high.