Bayhawk Chocolate Porter

Brewed by Bayhawk Ales
Style: Porter
Irvine, California USA

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

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Draft at Yard House, San Diego. Deep chocolate aroma with some burnt malt. Near opaque black/brown color with a creamy tan head. Medium bodied; creamy carbonation (could be nitro, the tap was on the other side of the island). Then things went weird. Seemed to be vanilla cherry chocolate. It was not a bad thing, but whatever it was overpowered the chocolate and the malt. Very smooth. The dark malt only came into its own in the finish. Very unusual and interesting. Quite an experience.

Bottle like the picture. Deep, dark chocolate body under a quick-dissolving head and sticky, brownish lacing. Aroma oddly like a skunky chocolate powdered cocoa with tea but very appetizingly chocolate. There’s a caramel note in the aroma that carries in the tasting - sweet and salty. There’s also a mustiness in the aroma that opens in tasting. Palate is very smooth and frizzy in the front but flat in the back. Overall this is an interesting beer worthy of a much higher than average rating.

22oz bottle. I’m a little fascinated by the rating history of this beer, and the fact that it has a style rating of 5. An overall of 26 puts this beer on par with Budweiser American Ale and is actually 11 points less than Michelob Porter. What!? I’m intently looking for the sour/vinegar/tart aroma/flavor that reviewers of the last few years have given this beer and I honestly can’t find it at all. I don’t know what that means. New recipe? (There has been only 1 rating prior to this all year...).

Anyways, to rate this, and this probably ruins all of my credibility, but I’m not a Porter fan at all. But this one, I really like. Pours almost completely opaque with small tan head that leaves a nice halo for quite a while. Aroma is sweet chocolate, some roastiness. Flavor is bitter chocolate with some booze. Watery mouthfeel, slightly sticky, some lingering chocolate on the finish. For whatever $3-$4 this beer cost, I’d say it’s a deal, and I promise you I’m buying more.

UPDATED: SEP 15, 2011 Pours dark brown with off-white head. Aroma is malty and chocolate. Flavor is alcohol and bitter chocolate. Not one I’d get again.

Pours an almost black dark ruby red with a light brown head.The aroma is a very light roasted malt sent.The flavor is of water down burnt food.The body was thin and the finish was a bad bitter aftertaste.Overall the worst porter I’ve ever had.

Bottle pours dark brown, thin light brown head. Aroma is cocoa and roasted malts. Flavor follows suit but is fruity with dark cherry notes. Cocoa is bitter and noticeable in the finish.

Bomber. A rather old one, as far as I can tell. Pours deep brown, almost black, with a small tan head. Nose is a bit of cocoa, a little toasty, with caramelly malt. Flavor is somewhat watery... A bit of chocolate and toasted malt here or there, but overall pretty bland. Just not a very exciting beer.

Sample, from bottle, thanks George! Pours clear dark brown, with a small off-white head. Aroma is toasty, malty (especially chocolate), nutty. Palate is smooth, perhaps a touch light but not inappropriately so for a porter. Flavor starts with toasted nuts, caramel, bittersweet chocolate. Some raisin manages to peak through in the middle, but in general the nutty, malty notes dominate. Finish is satisfyingly off-sweet. Probably Bayhawk’s best.

A: The pour is a nice dark brown color with a fluffy cream colored head on top and some mild lacing. S: The nose is not overly robust, but does offer up some roasted malt, dark chocolate, and maybe a touch of coffee. T: Like the nose, the flavor is pleasant, but not necessarily intense. The roast is prominent, but there’s a pleasant sweetness and a bit of bitter chocolate on the finish. M: Medium in body with a bit of a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. D: Not a bad beer at all, and probably the best of the "house" beers on tap at Lazy Dog.

From a 22oz bottle, black beer,white head,looks nice , but holy shit why is this beer sour?

I thought initially that my beer might be bad, but the general consensus on here seems to be the same. The smell wasn’t enticing to me at all, in fact it was the opposite. The beer finishes very harsh and bitter, almost sour I’d say, I couldn’t even taste the chocolate. I rarely recommend people to stay away from a beer, but this one’s a dud.