Notes on beers in the style
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American Porter on the label, for me there are distinct Belgian Stout notes. Black looking body in poorer, unnatural light, this is distinctly more dirty brown in better, natural light. Head is rocky and wispy and tannish in color. Very authentic...
An old friend dressed up in some new (06/07/23) clothes. The 35th Anniversary Black Butte seeking inspiration from 'bold German Black Forest cake'. (Imperial) Porter, although that moniker sits badly with me TBH. Great looking pour. Black body,...
Tasted directly alongside the base beer for comparison. 12oz bottle, from Tavour, bottled 03/29/21. Pour is largely indistinguishable from the original. Perhaps oddly, the ABV comes in at 6.8 as opposed to the 5.5 of the base beer. The added...
22 oz bottle, $7.99 from Arbor Place Beverage. There’s something about a peppermint element and a big porter that would, on paper at least, seem to have the potential to work well. Whilst I’m generally not a fan of such additions (why not just...
22 oz usual Dank Tank presentation. A smoky bacon porter? With Fox Bros. BBQ in ATL. Nice black or super dark brown pour. Nose does not give up a smoky bacon aroma initial, since it's probably too cold. As it warms more of both come through. Tastes...
Peanut butter and jelly porter. Side Project 25. Not a fan of such silliness in beer, but it's certainly a pretty beer. Black as night and a decent tan head. Super clean raspberry note on the nose. Really clean. This is true for the tastes....
12 oz can. This has been on shelves for around $20 a for pack, and I'm not remotely interested at that price, but a single can, even at $3.25 pulls me in - I blame you, Norm! Quite what an 'Irish Porter' is I don't know, but I'll ignore that for...
64 oz growler courtesy of John Rybicki, brewer. Nice looking black pour with a few brownish/red highlights. Head is modest and leaves no lace. Small collar and thin film are retained. This is a very nice beer. Simple is the key. Some nice chocolate...
Blackwater Series. The 22 oz bottle pours like a brown ale. Some light highlights at the edges and a nicely sustained head although the lace is minimal. The beer is relatively bitter but it lacks a creamy body or a decent depth. It has a light but...
12 oz bottle. Difficult to date this but I have had it for quite some time. Pour is a dark chestnut brown with a creamy head with decent retention and lace. The nose here seems really quite green and fresh. Odd, considering both the style and the...
Here we go with Side Project #18 from Terrapin, a 'peanut butter beer'. The usual, 22oz, gold-foiled presentation for the Side Project series. The whole series can be viewed on Terrapin's web site, here. The beer pours an attractive, dark,...
The back story to this beer is that I missed out on it when it was first released (late 2004), but subsequently enjoyed many of the other Jewbelation offerings. As a result, for many years this was on my 'Want List' on beeradvocate. It was after I...
Additional notes 04/29/12 Actually, less of a beer 'review' this time, and more a few cellar notes on this 2004 gem. This particular bottle was consumed on 04/29/12. The sad (and somewhat ironic) thing about Brewmaster's Series #1 from Dogwood, was...
22oz bottle in the usual Dank Tank presentation this time with a brown and yellow motif. The pour is basically black with a few brownish highlights at the extreme edges. Head is quite small and lacks any retention or lace, a little disappointing....
12 oz can from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA, a little while ago. Genuine import since the adhesive sticker that yields the Government warning obscures the original Japanese text that is printed on the can. Black pour with a few red highlights,...
On Tap at Taco Mac, Prado, Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA, USA. Nice to see French Broad bringing out a new product. Requisite black pour but with a somewhat poor head - maybe as a result of some dodgy Taco Mac bar staff, but not sure. Pretty standard...
12 oz bottle, usual stubbie presentation from Tyranena, thanks go out to Kevin for a chance to crack this one. Surprisingly black pour with little or no brown elements that one often sees with porters. Head and lace are frankly both a little...
Thanks go out to Scott for bringing this one back from TN. Cheers Bud. The beer looks great. Large, off-white head with some serious red highlights and good density of color. Nose gives the vanilla as expected but quite reserved. Plenty of vanilla...
12 oz single at Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Chestnut brown pour, mocha head and looks solid and sticky. Nose is a roasted malt combo with some light vanilla and a touch of sour lactose. Tases are solid, but perhaps the weakest part of the beer....
22 oz bottle. I'm not an enormous fan of smoked beers in general, BUT it could be argued that if you are going to smoke anything, the Imperial Porter would be a great candidate. Pour is impresive. Black with a few reddish highlights and a...
$4.99 for the 22oz bomber from Asheville Wine Market on the Brewgrass trip. 2009 Highland Cup Winner, look out for this in the GABF Pro-Am competition. Poured into the Brewgrass sampler glass in small doses. Solid if unspectacular mahogany body...
12 oz stubbie as per usual with Founders. Pour is surprisingly motor oil-like. From appearance one might have said that this beer was a stout or even a RIS. Quite viscous considering the style. Head is poorly formed with no head and no lace. From...
12 oz bottle from nerofiddled. Light brown, cold coffee color with small head and ring of collar left on and around the surface of the beer. Vapors that gather in the nose are quite surprisingly alcoholic with a touch of malt. Tastes are quite...
Notes added 09/05/21 (pictured). 12 oz bottle from a six pack, bottles 04/01/2021. This particular pour is better than my notes for 12 years ago below. Lacing is good and head holds up nicely. Unmistakably still the same beer as it was in 2009....
12 oz stubbie as pictured. Poured into the Terrapin snifter, the beer is perhaps not as viscous as I was expecting. Head is a light mocha color but very fine and light. Nose has dry, baking chocolate (or cocoa/Cadbury's drinking chocolate) with...
Thanks go out to the groovy one for the chance to try this beer. Cracked it at The Brick Store with the intention of spreading the love around amongst several BA's, but ending up drinking the whole thing with only brickstoredave sharing the...
A quick note on this beer. This is the same beer that used to be called the "Red Brick Winter Brew" up to and including 2007. In 2008 the Winter Brew reverted to a new style, a Belgian Ale. Whether this becomes the norm for the "Winter Brew" or it...
$4.75 for the 16 oz pint at Taco Mac, Lindbergh, Atlanta, GA, USA. AT LAST, a new SN beer that is NOT the umpteenth hop based, IPA clone for the bazillionth time - in itself that's a minor miracle for SN! Congratulations! Anyway, back to the beer....
Split the 22 oz bomber with some of the usual suspects down at The Brick Store on a Friday afternoon. Long live these gatherings. Very standard pour with the black/brown body yielding some reddish highlights when held up to the light. Head is...
#4 in the Side Project series from Spike. 22 oz bomber, gold foil on the top, same (edited) green and blue label as the remainder of the Side Project series. Apparently black, or at least very dark brown, pour with some nice rust colored highlights...
Oh dear. Porter only in name and color. Decent color, but no head, lace, retention or presence in the glass. Weak, weak body with a dreadfully acidic taste and nose. Possibly even infected to my thinking. Lacks any kind of creamy nature and the...
Pretty interesting find at the Mellow Mushroom in Charleston, SC, USA. 750 mL bottle as pictured in the BA db. Approx. $12. Massive gusher with froth everywhere and a large amount of the beer wasted. It would have been good to read some other...
Thanks go out to BA...for the opportunity to try this one. 355 mL can as pictured in the BA db. Pour is a jet black with some brownish highlights and a good deal of mocha/coffee head. The head fades to give a lovely, tight, espresso like film which...
12 oz stubbie twist top from unclejedi as part of the Good, Bad and Ugly BIF from sometime ago. Pours with deep brownish/black with some nice ruby red highlights. Head is mocha and very well formed. Fairly short-lived, but there is a little lace...
500 mL bottle, $7.99 from Green's on Ponce, Atlanta, GA, USA. Batch NR 98. Oct 07, Oct 10. Worry lack of "pop" on opening and this lack of carbonation is overwhelming experience. It is so severe I am wondering if this is a problem with the bottle...
22 oz bottle, thanks go out to unclejedi for this as part of Good, Bad and Ugly BIF. Poured into the Ommegang chalice this appears just about jet black. Even relatively strong light fails to reveal much in the way of red or brown highlights. Head...
Slightly confusing since this has a label that is different to the one in the BA database and has the words "Norse Porter" in addition to an ABV of 6.5% as opposed to 6.0%. $8.99 for the 16.9 oz bottle from Arbor Place Beverage, Douglasville, GA,...
On tap at the Austell Taco Mac, East West Connector, Austell, GA, USA. WOW! What a pleasant surprise. Delighted. Jet black body - exceptional. Small, perfectly formed head, this looks very reminiscent of a Guinness. Lace is good. Nose is...
12oz bottle. Thanks go out to Unclejedi for the bottle as part of the Good, Bad & Ugly BIF. Poured into the Terrapin 22oz snifter in three separate portions. No discernable head after a few moments following the agressive pour. A little spotty...
12oz bottle from a trade some time ago! This one has been sitting in the DBF for a long time, but I am happy to report, that (as expected), this has aged beautifully. Notched (approx.) best before April 08. Jet black pour and a huge, mocha head,...
An unusual combo this one, oatmeal used in a Porter rather than a Stout. Struck me as a pretty light body for the style, with good color, head and lace. The light body adds to the drinkability, but could do with a little "beefing up". Josh desribes...
Drunk on my June 2008 visit to HHI. Standard color in the pour but little or no head and zero lace. Looks a bit flat, which is strange because the beer has an odd, prickly over carbonation that is inappropriate for the style. Interesting tasting...
12oz bottle as part of the mixed 12 pack - thanks go out to Rob for the chance to try this. Different label to the one in the BA db. Standard dark brown pour with a small, nicely formed head but not much (if any) lace. Solid if unspectacular look....
TSD as it is advertised on the tap handle, this is described as a Porter. Drinks well, with a good Porter color, plenty of malt upfront, and a decent chocolately based, initial taste. Decent balance, with some lace. Fairly smooth. Don't expect too...
12 oz single, Jax, sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA, USA. $1.69. Pour is a bit of a lacklustre, mid-brown effort with a fading head and a tiny bit of carbonation. Nose is pretty strong with a mild sherry like aroma. Very chocolately. Lots of bakers...
Thanks to SilentSabre who gave me this a few months ago. It finally made it to the front of the DBF! Cheers Matt. 12 oz bottle. WOW, what a pour! This looks exactly like a high quality RIS! Jet black body and the (high) head has the appearance of...
12 oz single purchased in Lexington, KY, USA. Despite this being available in GA, I only recently got around to buying it when I was in Lexington at the Liquor Barn simply because I was allowed to purchase singles. Take note all stores/law makers....
12 oz single, $1.25 Liquor Barn, Lexington, KY, USA. Batch #7316. Dark brown, nearly black pour with a small, tan head. Ruby red highlighs at the bottom of the glass. Good, strong and balanced aroma with malts prominent. Slight bitter chocolate...
12 oz single, $1.25 as part of my haul from Liquor Barn in Lexington, KY, USA. Mid-brown body with a small, creamy head. Some lacing but not much. Looks like a brown ale rather than darker porter. Mild vanilla tones in the nose, nothing too...
Oh dear. I first saw this in Atlanta a few weeks ago at the Taco Mac in Marietta and at that time the barman advised me against it since he thought it was sour or perhaps even off. I avoided it then, but a couple of weeks later a barman gave me a...
Additional notes 04/13/24 Picked up this 2023 Vintage (pictured) on a recent trip to Colorado. Not a beer that i thought that I would ever necessarily see again but here we are. The finish is more bitter than I remember, in fact quite noticeably...
Taco Mac, East West Connector, Austell, GA, USA. On-tap in October 2006 as part of Sweetwater's re-introduction of Exodus as an ocassional guest (not a seasonal, but an infrequent re-visit) - maybe ESB will do the same soon. A bit flat. Lack of...
Classic Porter color with it varying between black and dark brown depending on the light. All the different lighting conditions have some red highlights at the extreme edges. Short lived head but there is some lacing and a little spotty film left...
Well, interesting if nothing else. Pour is good looking. Nice Porter color, dark red/brown and a really rather impressive head (if somewhat airy) and lacing - looks good. Smell is really nice too. Creamy alcohol sweetness and some dark treacle. As...
$3.00 on draft, Mellow Mushroom, Hilton Head Island, SC, USA. Nice looking beer with an excellent head and lacing. Served way, way too cold, I had to let this stand for about 15 minutes before the aroma and taste even began to manifest themeslves...
Good creamy head with decent retention and some lacing. Nice chestnut brown base with amber highlights. Nose is nuttier than most porters. A hint of smoke, but it drinks clean. A little thin in the body for my taste, but just about standard. Easy...
Thanks go out to BigLove for the opportunity. Dark brown, dirty and murky body with a hell of a lot of yeast(?) sediment at the bottom of the glass. Not much head and no lacing. Very little smoke in the nose, but lots in the taste. Mocha coffee...
Thanks go out to feloniousmonk. Lovely black coffee appearance with a lingering spotty head and some lacing. Body has a cola or black coffee color. Alcohol is quite strong in the nose and is really rather apparent in the aftertaste too. Burned...
Pours with a very nice color, with a really deep red brown body and a decent head with good lacing. Actually rather attractive. To me this lacks many characteristics of a Porter, but IS a decent, malt based brown ale. There are some really nice...
2006 bottle pictured from April 2021 Original notes 02/18/06 1.0 L swingtop, an impressive presentation but it does set the bar very high for what follows. 2005 vintage. Black body, with brown highlights at the bottom of the glass. Large head...
All very simple and good. Standard pour, with great looking black body and creaminess around the head. Mouthfeel is super. Mild coffee overtones in both the nose and the taste, but it's not overpowering and is very simple. Enjoyable, goes down real...
Jet black body but with some ruby red highlights at the bottom of the glass. Only at the bottom though. Definite "Guinness like" appearance with some very nice lacing. About one-eigth of an inch of dense, tan colored head persists all the way to...
Original notes 11/29/2005. Picture from 2021. Good, black color, nice creamy head and some surprisingly good lacing. A little red highlight at the bottom of the glass too. Smell is sweeter and less bitter than many American Porters, and emphasizes...
Best before 01/16/06. Highly carbonated pour leads to a dark brown body and a airy and bubbly head that leaves some lacing. Sweet and malty aroma that promises much. Surprisingly the taste does not really reflect the aroma. The initial tastes are...
A red-brown color which is different to the more typical black color of a Porter. Nice looking, tall and frothy head with good retention and some attractive lacing. Some chocolate and coffee notes, with an above average nose. Some pleasing...
Image from 2021. Original notes 10/05/05 Very nice. Good Porter color, extremely dark, but not quite black - there are some definite brown highlights coming through with this one. Aroma's are very creamy, coffee based, and this is replicated in the...
If the truth be told I didn't much care for this. I prefer my Porters to have a creamier body and some substantial depth rather that the thin nature of the brew that I experienced here. Pours well and looks good, but the aroma immediately gives...
Nicely put together package. Somewhat murky brown appearance, but a nice head, good nose and initial tastes, and a perfect level of carbonation combine to make this Porter a very drinkable example. Some chocolate in there, but mainly dark malts...
Disappointed. The body had a lot of red highlights and was quite transparent around the edges - I like to see a fuller body. It was poured for me with virtually no head, so subsequently there was no lacing, but I am sure this beer, if poured...
Standard jet black, opaque appearance with a fairly small tan head that falls away quickly to give a very small film for the remainder of the drink. No significant lacing. Definite bitterness in the finish and a distinct smoky taste. Good...
This is a hidden gem - at least in the Atlanta/SE beer scene. I've been living in Atlanta for the best part of five years, all that time paying close attention to the beer scene, regularly going to all the best stores in the metro area and have...
A weak and pissy beer that lacked any body or creaminess. I thought this was/is a very poor example of the style. The thin body was the overwhelming experience, to the point of feeling it was watered down. A flat pour with virtually no head, there...
Dark, dark brown with some feint ruby red highlights. Nice pour, but head is minimal with some, but very little lacing. Lots of chocolate and nuts in the aroma, with a little of the advertised herbs. Nice, mild hoppy upfront with a lovely body and...
Definitely got the semi-sweet character that is in the advertisment, but missed any chocolate. This is a fine example of the style, good smooth body (which is really the most imortant part of the style for me) which made it very drinkable. Lovely...
Well, another beer where the reputation has gone before it on BA, and the actual experience is somewhat different. This is much more like a stout than a porter to me. It's thinner and less creamy than a porter should be in my book, and there is a...
Well, it's OK, I quite like it, but it's not a very good Porter. If you really want to investigate Porters this isn't where you want to be. I note that BA has this as a Scottish Ale so perhaps I'm getting the wrong end of the stick anyway, but...
Pours absolutely jet black with a dark tan, small head that disappears quickly. Gentle aggitation reproduces the head with some effervesence just like a coke. In fact the whole appearance is *exactly* like a coke! All the characteristics of a fine...
Extremely nice. All that you would want in a Porter, plus a little bit of an unexpected bitter and dry finish as a bonus. Classic black pour, with a small but creamy head. I like my Porters to exhibit that creamy quality and the smoothness of this...
In typical Rogue fashion this is an extremely hoppy offering with a lot of body and plenty of bitterness. For me, for this to be described as a Porter is misleading. It's much more like a stout. From the tan bubbly head, through the bitter and...
Pours a very deep, dark brown with a very slight smoky aroma. This is a light Porter in my book that has a nice mouthfeel, but lacks the real creaminess I love in my Porters. The head was creamy and thick but faded very quickly with little or no...
$7.29 Six Pack Arbor Place Beverage, Douglasville, GA Very nice. Poured a dark chocolate color with a very small head that disappeared quickly. Some lacing. The fact this is in the Porter style is very much on its side, and this counteracts what I...