Flag Porter 1825 Original

Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a black color with ruby highlights and a small khaki head. The aroma was malty, bitter, molasses and vanilla. The flavor was an odd yet enjoyable mixture of bitter and roasty maltiness with a strong undercurrent of creamy vanilla and malted milk. The mouthfeel was fairly full. Odd but solid.

Bottle. An average porter in my opinion. Very malty and sweat with a good sized head. Not too much hop flavor or aroma. Too expensive here in the states for what you get. Cool history though.

Darwin-brewed bottle, John’s Grocery in Iowa City. Black with a little walnut glow, small tan head. Pungent green cocoa aroma, raw sugar, good maduro cigar tobacco. Lively underripe plum flavor, soft chocolate with a winey edge. Tons of flavor volume and presence on the palate, but not at all cloying. I wonder if this has become a better beer with Darwin brewing it now? This sample is certainly excellent.

Bottle. Dark brown pour. Chocolate, fruit and toasted malts on the nose. Flavor is roasted malts, dark fruit and chocolate. Pretty damn good.

Pours a burnt mahogany into the glass, with an almost non-existent head. Dark fruits and soft chocolates to the nose. Very well-integrated flavors, not rich, but containing roasts, dark esters, dark chocolate and hints of coffee. The mouthfeel is a bit creamy, albeit a tad thin for a complex top-shelf porter. Decently put together, and makes for a decent session brew, but just not anything over-the-top that makes it truly outstanding.

Bottled. Pours a dark brown with some garnet highlights and a small tan head. The aroma is roast, chocolate, and coffee. The flavor has much of the same roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee as the nose. I get a hint of dark fruits as well. The mouthfeel is a touch thin for my tastes. Everything is done well, there is just a little missing IMO.

Poured a dark brown with reddish highlights into an English pint glass. A thin tan head resides on top that quickly becomes a collection of bubbles. Coffee, chocolate, fruit, and that distinctive "English malt smell" waft up from the glass. The taste is of coffee, dark fruit, and chocolate. Palate is a bit thin with low carbonation. The finish is short and has a touch of sour twang to it much like Guinness. Enjoyable, would be outstanding if the flavor was a bit more robust and had a richer palate.

Deep red-brown pour with a ring of head. Light aroma of roasted malt and fruity sweetness. Flavor is a bit of malt, chocolate, coffee and fruit. A bit thin on the palate. The most interesting thing about this brew is the story behind it.