Bristol Smokebrush Porter

Brewed by Bristol Brewing Company
Style: Smoked
Colorado Springs, Colorado USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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Bottle @ Home. Pours black with a small creamy light brown head. Aroma of roasted malt, coffee, milk chocolate, light smokey. Taste is malts, coffee, licorice, chocolate, lightly smokey. Thin to medium body, soft carbonation. would have liked a little more smoke in this, still nice tho. 160312

Tap at Brewery. Clear-ish dark brown with a thin light tan head. Intriguing aroma of smoke-roasted chocolate, a bit of char, and some rauchbier grains. Clean taste that is gratefully not too heavy. Some char grilled chocolate tones, burnt toffee, and some light smoke tones. Like a typical smoked porter, but sweeter and lighter in body, which can be a positive if you’re not terribly keen on the style.

Every so often I make pilgrimages back to my former living places. Last summer I was called back to Colorado Springs to check in on my alma mater, and to take in some of the surrounding joys - Manitou Springs, namely. But any visit to Colorado College requires checking back in with our pipeline of liquid joy, Bristol Brewery. Little had changed from my college years; the same wafts of cooking malts filled the dense air of the tasting room, and the characteristically hirsute brewers tramped around in their work boots, sometimes to mingle with the customers. Colorado’s canine credentials are always on display here, with dog bowls available for visiting pets and the Laughing Lab logo adorning glasses, growlers and coasters. As usual I opted for something new, and the new beer available that day was a growler of Smokebrush Porter. It made a welcome accompaniment to board games back in Denver. It pours a thin milk chocolate covered head with a deep, dark ruby red body. Plum, raisin and black currants feature strongly in the aroma. A medium body and a mild carbonation deliver the flavor with a light smoothness at first. Mild notes of chocolate, a nice maltiness soon turn into heavier, darker flavors. The aftertaste is slightly heavier, introducing a slight bitterness of teriyaki sauce. Overall, this is a light porter, despite the outdoorsy feeling of the label - it’s a porter with strong attachment to black currant and berry flavors, and makes for a nice dark beer that stands out when compared to other breweries’ staple porters. It also reminds me why Bristol Brewery was Colorado College’s beer supplier of choice.

22 oz bottle picked up in co springs. Black pour with little head. Very nice aroma. Slight smoke slight alcohol chocolate toffee and roasted stuff all blended well. Med palate. Flavor wasn’t quite as good as aroma. Flat up front with roastedness and smoke on back end. Good stuff. Need to find warlock

Pours dark reddish brown with off white head, aroma of caramel, toffee, some smoke, vanilla, hints of earth. Taste is nice toffee, molasses, vanilla, smoke, finishes fairly dry and bitter.

UPDATED: JAN 11, 2012 Bottle @ dan’s house. Brown appearance with a smallish, big bubbly tan off white head. Dark toffee, moderate toasty, mild smoky aroma. Caramel, toffee, fairly highly carbonated, mildly smoky flavor. Pretty tasty but not very smoky.

This beer is a dark brown color with a medium light tan head that diminishes steadily. Partial rings of lacing on the glass. Smoky aroma with mild roast coffee in the background. Medium body with flavors of charred malt, caramel and dark chocolate. The finish retains the smoked character and leaves a roasty malt aftertaste. Decent overall.

Clear dark brown pour. Aroma has light smoke, char and cocoa. Roasty flavors, smoke and chocolate. Not bad.

Bomber. Dark brown, it looks filtered/clear with almost no head. Smoky, malty nose. Taste is very smoky with some moderately burnt maltiness. Body is very thin for the style. Decent flavors and carbonation but the flavors fade on the end. Overall very average at best.

Bomber. Pours to a deep brown body with a very thin tan head. The aroma is juniper/spruce and smoked chocolate malt. The flavor is dry roasted chocolate malts, subtle smoked malt, spruce tips, and subtle juniper. The palate is medium bodied, dry, and lightly coating.