Elevator Horny Goat Porter

Brewed by Elevator Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Columbus, Ohio USA

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

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Draft. Poured a clear dark reddish brown color with an average frothy white head that mostly lasted with fair lacing. Moderate to heavy toasted malt, chocolate and bourbon aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and flat carbonation. Medium to heavy toasted sweet bourbon flavor with a medium to heavy sweet finish of moderate duration. My expectations where met.

I received a 12oz bottle from a friend in Ohio (thanks, James!). I poured it into a tulip glass.

Appearance: Dark ruby red to brown color; fine carbonation bubbles are noticeable around the edges. Forms a very large, tan, foamy head which does dissipate but not completely and leaves some lacing on the glass.

Smell: A sour-like smell (in that good Belgian-style way, not in a spoiled way). Noticeable whiskey scent, but not much porter aroma.

Taste: Beers that are aged in whiskey or bourbon barrels tend to be amazing, but in the case of Elevator Horny Goat Porter the result is, oddly enough, just a plain good beer. There’s a lot of whiskey character to this brew for sure - almost a little too much, frankly. A great barrel-aged beer maintains the characteristics of the original brew with the spirit flavor as a complement, but here the whiskey flavor is the star of the show.

The palate is similar to a standard porter, so it’s a sweeter, more fine maltiness than a stout. Some cola-like flavors at the beginning with hints of prune, dark cherry and a slight tartness. It seems to change on a dime as the whiskey taste comes seemingly out of nowhere to smack your tongue. It’s sweet to be sure with just a hint of vanilla and traces of woodiness. Other than that there’s not a lot going on here, it’s the same two flavors repeating ad infinitum. Had this been done as a stout instead of a porter the palate would’ve been more complete and balanced, as there’s a lack of roasty notes and bitterness. The sweetness from the whiskey becomes a little cloying by the end, but at least it retains a flavorful, pleasing taste.

Drinkability: At 7.5% ABV the mouthfeel is rather thin and highly effervescent for a brew of the style and weight. However, the fact there’s noticeable heat and accompanying booze taste and sensation makes this feel like a much bigger brew than it is. Still, Elevator Horny Goat Porter goes down pretty smoothly and finishes mostly clean with just a slight aftertaste of whiskey or vanilla extract. A good after dinner beer on a weeknight, but nothing more special than that.

bottle... pours an ugly watery brown, light watery head... the nose is so generic, cheap whiskey, with a bit of vanilla, not enticing... this doesn’t taste as horrible I was imagining but its not very good, very sweet at first with an ok spirit note with vanilla, however this is so thin its like drinking a glass of bourbon that had all the ice cubes melt... pass

Pours a hazed dark reddish-brown color with a medium beige head that burns away steadily. Partial rings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted malt, subtle oak and a bit of fruit. Medium body with flavors of roasted coffee and malt, slight bourbon and dark fruit. The finish is slightly boozy with a malt aftertaste. Not as robust as I hoped, decent overall.

12oz bottle received as a trade extra. Now, as most of the world knows, the love affair between me and the -bals has been as heralded throughout history as that between Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Joanie and Chachi. Sometimes though, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, and I’ve HAD IT with this motherf**king barrel in this motherf**king beer! This is a case where the barrel, and especially the whiskey, has gone a bit too far. This beer pours a surprisingly light and clear reddish-brown color with a one-finger light khaki head that lasts. The aroma is all about whiskey and barrel notes, oak and vanilla, with just a touch of roast and caramel. The flavor has a little sweet caramel malt and a load of fairly boozy whiskey flavors and oaky coconut and vanilla. Feels like the brewer took his -bals and slapped you in the face with them. Some people may love that, but it’s not as much for me, although I do appreciate the whiskey flavor. Medium-bodied with decent carbonation for a barrel aged beer (take notes, Tomme Arthur), mild tannins, and a slicker mouthfeel. This is a decent enough beer with some good things about it, but you have to wonder if they cranked up the -bals to 11 to hide a subpar base beer. Definitely a possibility, as the base beer seems like a pale porter without much interesting about it. The Jekyll and Hyde of -bal aged beers, you may love or hate depending on your taste for the -bals.

Pours a hazy dark reddish brown, a bit of light passes through. 1/2 finger head dissipates quickly. Smell is of dark fruit, roasted malts, whiskey, oak, vanilla. Roasted malt is pretty prominent in the taste, with a bit of dark fruit. Nice whiskey and oak tones once again; nothing too overpowering, all are simply nice touches that enable a full enjoyment of the other flavors. Light-medium body with light-moderate carbonation, a bit syrupy but mostly pretty smooth. Quite dry for a porter.

12 ounce bottle, I assume it’s a new batch since a bunch of it came to the store just the other day. Served in a Dogfish Head Signature glass, the beer pours dark brown with about an inch tan head that went away quickly. There’s a good amount of lacing left on the glass. Aroma is whiskey, wood, roasted malt, and vanilla. Nice sweet, woody aroma. The brew tastes like vanilla, whiskey, wood, roasted malt, and some chocolate. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it’s a bit creamy and slick, with moderate carbonation. Drinkability is good, it’s smooth and easy enough to drink. I think it’s a good brew, I’d definitely buy this again in the future. It’s good to see Elevator bottling a lot of their beers, it’s nice to see a decent selection of their products around town.

bottle poured into a tulip glass produced a small off white head that turned into a thin lace. The body of the brew was a typical black stout color with burgundy highlights’ It had a nice whisky aromas that just won’t quit there is also some great dark fruits as it warms. Before I get to the flavors the only real hit I will give it is that it is a tad light for its mouth feel. The flavor of warming alcohol and nice barrel aged whisky dominate this one. With just the right amount of sweetness from the malts to keep this extremely drinkable. I was real glad I got to drink this one and I will say that I wish I had another I probably would have drank it right after this one.

Bottle. Pours a clear ruby with a thick, yellowish beige head that has very good retention and lace. Aroma is buttery bourbon, macadamia nut. Taste is sweet, medium-bodied, lots of whiskey flavors dancing around along with vanilla and milk chocolate. Velvety mouthfeel. Very yummy.

Purchased at Palmers in Cow-Town. Pour is a near-headless shiny obsidian. Aroma is a meaty smoke smell, notes of roasted malt, coffee and chocolate. Flavor is... actually quite good. This is the first elevator beer can actually say I will enjoy finishing (all for of them.) Sure, the flavor comes off as a little thin, somewhat warm and boozy, but it really feels mellow and doesn’t take itself too seriously.