Firestone Walkers Reserve (Robust Porter)

Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Style: Porter
Paso Robles, California USA

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

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UPDATED: OCT 5, 2010 Black body with thin head. Charcoal-scented. Roasty with notes of chocolate incense and Oreo. Roasty body, with a clean chocolate and Oreo character. Chocolate licks with light smoldering woodfire through the finish.

This robust porter could be the best out there and definitely better then the bottle not that there is anything wrong with the bottle. Recieved from the waitress in a nice goblet and had a rich deeper brown color. A thin small head sat on top which was quite dense and never fading. It had avery light beige color and was striking. Carbonation looked to be very nice. Aroma was rich with roasted malts, chocolate malts and hints of coffee. There is also a underlying sweetness too. Taste is thick and robust on the palette. A rich complex taste of roasted malts sweet milk chocolate and espresso. Underneath is another layer of flavor thats sweet and softer, light oak, molasses, vanilla. It enhances the bold malt flavors and brings them into balance. The beer slides down with no effort and has lingering bitter aftertaste from the abundance of rich malts. Perhaps i lucked out and this keg was recently tapped but I’ll tell you what: this was definitly the best porter I’ve had to date. Search it out and try on tap and you’ll agree or your money back!

Pours a nice light black with a light cocoa head. Aroma is of chocolate, roasted malts, some coffee. Nice complex flavor, but light enough that it’s not overwhelming. Lots of roasted malts, chocolate, caramel, iced coffee.

Smells malty, like a good porter but tastes like something more with the cascades. Pours with a big head and decent, sticky tracing. Taste is woody with nuts, roast malt and hops. Some saltiness in the malt even. The nutty bitter taste stays with you. There isn’t much sweetness involved here either, just a bitter, roasty porter. Decent, but glad it wasn’t as expensive as some of the other Firestones. Bottle from Health Food Store in Lebanon, NH.

Pours dark Reddish Black with lots of frothy head. Nose of bitter malt, a little smoke, caramel, and nuts. Tastes of sweet, sugary malts with nice nutty caramel and chocolate flavors, with just a hint of smoke. A really good beer!

Pours mahogany with thick tan head. Scent is mild, slightly fruity raisin..malt. Flavour is chocolate/coffee, but watery. Slight smokiness. Good taste, just not enough of it. A little weak.

Bottle. Raisin, ash, light roasted malt aroma, Brown with a small tan head. Nutty roasted coffeet, ashy, light acidic flavor with a light spicy hop finish. Everything about this beer seemed a little light to me,but it was still OK.

Bottle. Nutty raisin and light cocoa malt aroma. Medium brown color with small head. Lightly sweet coffee malt flavor with an ashy finish. Good - very subdued beer.

Dark deep amber light fizzy tan head medium retention. Smell is coffee nutty and smokey. Mouthfeel is very smooth and silky. Taste is rainy slightly ash smoke a little like dark fruits and caramel.

5/25/12. 22oz bomber thanks to Arin. Nice dark pour with a small tan head. Slightly tart aroma with touches of sweet chocolate and coffee. Light sweet chocolate with more fruity tartness and some coffee. Maybe some hints of vanilla but otherwise not much sign of the wood aging.

Pours a clear dark brown with a 2 finger, creamy tan head. Aroma is chocolate, coffee, dark caramel, roasted nuts, roast, chocolate chip cookies, light earthand some maple-like woody notes. Flavor is chocolate, roast, mild coffee, earth, char, over toasted granola, puffed wheat cereal, spicy and light bitter citrus hops along with an interesting, but oddly fitting mineral note to the finish. Palate is medium bodied, creamy on entry, drying out to the finish with a more dry, slightly chalky, but otherwise almost crisp finish, medium strength, but pretty soft carbonation. Really tasty overall, easy going, but relatively flavorful. The mouthfeel and oddly clean finish seem a bit odd to me. Can’t really decide whether that’s a good odd or bad.