Brewers Den Porter

Brewed by Sun Up Brewing Company (Sonora Brewhouse)
Style: Porter
Phoenix, Arizona USA

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

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Served on Cask, dry hopped in the cask with Cascade
This beer is an opaque, deep brown almost black color. It is topped by a brown, wispy head that does not cover the beer for long. The aroma is initially all fruity citrus Cascade notes, but then I get notes of toasty, malty porter notes that kick in towards the end. The aroma has an interesting mix of notes; chocolate, lightly roasted coffee, oranges and even a bit of pine character.

The taste is full and malty up front with a light malt sweetness, chocolate and some notes of toasted malt. What really stands out though is the dry hop Cascade notes; I get notes of grapefruit and that raw, herbal note of fresh hop cones. The raw hops leave an astringent, lingering note in the finish of this beer that really is like chewing on a raw hop cone; it is delightfully fresh, though I should be clear this is nothing like an aggressive IPA.

This beer has a very nice mouthfeel to it; smooth and a little creamy because of the cask conditioning and serving. This beer is very well done and I like how the dry hop addition mixes in with the Porter notes; even if it is a bit dominant in the end.

Had on tap at the brewpub. Not a great porter. Very black, chocolately, lacey, some coffee, not all well integrated. Somewhat acidic and sour.

Draught at the brewpub
Black color. Coffee aroma. Coffee flavor, not much burnt, more like dark chocolate. Different from the average, but not very good.

UPDATED: JAN 15, 2009 Draft at the brewery. Dark brown/black. Creamy medium dark brown head. Something wrong here: smoky butter, heavy char, astringent buttered burnt coffee grounds. Barf! Porter rating #200, huzzah!

Tap. Pours a pitch black with minimal tan head. Nose is roasty malts, chocolate and coffee. Taste is sweet cocoa, salty toasted nuts, roasted coffee and a mild hop finish. A little too much on the sweet side for me. Medium, semi-creamy mouth feel.

(Draught) Pours a dark brown body with a spare beige head. Aroma of chocolate, caramel, light coffee, and vanilla extract. Flavor of roasted malt, chocolate, and light coffee. One of the better crafted porters I have sampled in a while.

On tap @ Brewers Den
Black with a frothy brown head. Aroma and flavor of sweet malts, chocolate, coffee and roast. Creamy, smooth mouthfeel. Medium bodied with a sweet roasty finish.

On draught at the Brewer’s Den (Sonora Brewhouse) in Phoenix, AZ as their Vanilla Porter. Pours an opaque dark brown brew with a thin tan head that quickly dissipates to a thin tan ring and some film top. Aroma of dark toasted black malt, dark chocolate, vanilla and some soy sauce. Taste is full bodied, light carbonated with flavors of dark roasted malt, chocolate, a touch of coffee and even some black licorice. Finish is smooth, creamy, semi-dry with a dark toasted malt aftertaste.

UPDATED: MAY 24, 2008 pot belly porter @ the pub...nice near black pour with a fluffy khaki head. heavy soy aroma with smokey bacon and dark roasted malts. medium bodied. flavor has mild coffee notes, burnt dark dried fruit and slightly sweet roastiness. has a saltiness that keeps everything in check...

cask with crystal hops... smells very wet almost like grass clippings. that smell carries over to the flavor and combines with the usual porter. i feel it distracts from a really good porter. it’s not bad. it was just unnecessary. 7/4/7/3/15=3.6

Draft at the pub. Now to be known as Midnight Porter. Aroma of toasted malt with a chocolate hint. Nice blackish color with ruby hilites. The tan head didn’t stick. Starts sweetish, not too thick, with lightly roasted malt, chocolate hints, and a mellow finish. Quite nice.

Draft at the brewpub. Opaque black color with orange highlights. Head was tan and left some lace on the glass. Aroma was light coffee. Slightly sweet on the tongue. Tatsed of dark chocolate and coffee with a subdued roasty finish. Solid.