2011 Symposium New Albion Porter

Brewed by Napa Smith Brewery
Style: Porter
Napa, California USA

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

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Brown color. Light porter, which for this beer means a light, thin palate and light flavor, thin and watery. Not a lot here. More like a light, brown ale than a porter.

Tasted on 8/1/11 from a 12oz bottle obtained in a trade. Pours a nearly opaque, extremely dark amber, but I can still see a bit of dark red wine color coming through, with a thick tan head that slowly recedes to rocky lace, leaving thick residue along the inside of the glass. The nose is somewhat muted with hints of dark malt, coffee, dark chocolate, and light vanilla with a bit of a sugary aroma as well. The flavor is even lighter than the nose with the slight taste of brown sugar kicking in first, moving into the more bitter coffee and dark chocolate notes with just a hint of vanilla still. The body is light with average, smooth, carbonation, and a long dark chocolate and coffee finish with just a hint of vanilla.

Bottle. Pours a dark brown amber color with a small off-white head. Has a roasted malty chocolate and caramel aroma. Roasted malty caramel flavor with hints of chocolate. Has a roasted malty caramel and chocoalte finish.

on tap-pours a thin light tan head and black color. Aroma is some light esters, dark malt. Taste is dark malt-roasty/cocoa/caramel, some light esters. Interesting, not quite standard porter.

My Bottom Line:
Earth-covered mushrooms form when umami and toasted malt sweetness merge in this very drinkable, smooth Porter.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam tops the brown-edged darkness.
-Malts develop roastiness, toastiness and light chocolate flavors. Nice complexity at this level.
-The mouthfeel is healthy, not too sweet, not too dry.
-Hops add some character to the finish, but otherwise remain tame.
-This is not a run-of-the-mill Porter, and it is impeccably rendered, so I quite like it.

Bottle. Merci Benoit!

12 oz. bottle, graciously gifted to me by Degarth. The pour yields a clear, deep, cola brown body with a moderate head of smooth, fine-bubbled foam. Slowly, the head recedes out towards the edge of the glass, setting up a fine ring with wispy feathers at the center. Tissue-thin, sticky lacing forms a porous limestone pattern on one side of the glass, while micro-spots lace the other side. The nose is very simple, showing a malt base of mildly toasted brown malts, caramel sweetness, wisps of molasses, and a hint of coffee roast. A slight nuttiness and mild green hops round things out. Flavors include roasted oats, soft chocolate, and singed caramel-molasses, countered by a general green hop bitterness and subtle coffee undertones. The palate is thin for the style, and the light carbonation makes it resemble sugar water to some degree. To me, it lies somewhere on the border of a brown ale and a porter. Though it is inoffensive, it is also quite underwhelming. Decent brew.

Bottle thanks for the share mike. Pours a bruin body that’s probably better described as near black, with an off white head. Nutty and chewy very roasted with a chestnut like bitterness. Toasted malt tones chewy and bitter with a big old metallic dose that ruined this one for me.

Bottle thanks to Jcwattsrugger. Pours black. Tan head. Nose/taste of vanilla, burnt chocolate malt and sarasparilla. Taste of burnt chocolate malt, vanilla and light smokiness.

Courtesy of Degarth. Pours mahogany with thin off white head. The aroma is modest in strength with roasted malts, earthiness, faint apple notes and then some dark fruity esters. The taste is nice and yummy with a pleasing level of dark roasted malts and earthiness as well as some spicy hops around the edges. A great combination of flavor notes is achieved here for this spicy hopped earthy porter.

12 ounce bottle. A nice drinkable pitch black porter. A nice roasty example of the style.