Alameda Irvington Juniper Porter

Brewed by Alameda Brewing Co.
Style: Porter
Portland, Oregon USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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Cask. A pitch black beer with a brown shine and no head. The aroma is sweet with notes of soy sauce, malt, and roasted malt. The flavor is sweet with notes o fsoy sauce as well as lighter notes of juniper berries, and a slight acidity from the roasted malt, leading to a dry bitter and woody finish. The mouthfeel is very smooth.

This is a pretty tasty porter overall. Could not really pick up the juniper, maybe a hint that blends with the bitterness on the tail, but overall some really nice chocolate cocoa qualities, with a nice balance of sweet and bitter, roasty coffee and creamy cocoa. Nicely done.

on tap at Alameda Brewery. pours a deep brownish black with a modest tan head. isn’t too heavy, though hints of hop and citrus combine with the overall chocolaty-ness of the aroma. flavor is good with smokey malts, coffee, and a hint of bitterness. feels a little lacking in body, but over all a good beer.

On Tap at Alameda Brewing Co. Portland, OR Pours out a dark brown almost black topped with a tan head. A great tast of coffee and bitter chocolate. this was a very tasty porter. A good bitter and chocolate sweet mix.

Sample at GABF 2007. Very dark brown to mostly black beer with a thin tan head. I’m not detecting any juniper at all here. In fact, there was no mention of juniper in the name at the fest. Perhaps it is gone now? Has some pronounced licorice and coffee flavors.Good long roasted finish. Medium thickness.

Black with ring of head. Wonderful chocolate aroma. No detectable juniper, but a nice chocolate ale.

On tap at Alameda dark brew with a little head. Dark slightly bitter with a good chocolate and roast flavor. Thick for a porter but I must say a great beer!

Draught pint at Redbones on 11/7/06
Murky, highly hazy beer (very low clarity) is a dark cola brown with strong auburn/Venetian tints when held to the light. Head is small, beige and moderately to poorly retained, leaving sparse, patchy lacing.
Bittersweet cocoa is noted in the nose, at first, very dry and crunchy, quite distinct. Coffee, anise and burnt graham crackers emerge, while a pinch of peanut brittle sits on the end, dulling/confounding the nose. Not overly aromatic either, though some leafy/floral hops add light bursts of orange and grapefruit. Coffee bean-like notes seem to grow stronger with warming, casting a dull, char-like note over things. Bits of dry cocoa powder rejoin the coffee on the finish. Not much, if any juniper, in the nose, that I smell. Rather smells like anise, though maybe that’s the general aroma it gives off.
Considerably more spicy is the flavor, though hardly over-spiced, thankfully. Similar to a winter warmer beer, the spices mingle with the dry roast. So it seems both spicy and burnt. Not as dull and ashen-like as the nose would suggest, though there is definitely some strong, rather bland peanut/coffee bean nuttiness. This effect seems aided by the unfiltered, chewy texture. Tastes pretty much like a mix of ginger and anise, to me. I would never have guessed juniper. Regardless, it’s done quite moderately and though the beer characteristics are a bit muddled, at least that is a strong point. Not overly sweet, just a bit of well-attenuated pale malt lending a slight cola sweetness in concert with the chocolate malt. Light citrus hop apparency. Moderate carbonation.

Draft... GABF ’06... Mostly clear, very dark, burnt orange ale with a small, creamy, beige head. Lots of coffee grounds and chocolate in the nose with lesser notes of vanilla and cola. Well-balanced flavor, but way thin, with some subtle roasted notes. Decent charred bitterness, but that’s the only highlight. Medium-bodied and fizzy. Short, crisp, gently bitter finish.

[Tap] A great porterwith a nice dark brown color and a thick head. Loved the flavors the toffee, and dark malts used in this beer where awesome. Good Beer.