Fuller’s London Porter (Bottle/Keg)

Brewed by Fuller’s
Style: Porter
London, England

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

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UPDATED: MAR 6, 2006 July 2001: The heavenly chocolate/toffee aroma could be a bit more pronounced, and the flavor is if anything a tiny bit too smooth; otherwise, a near-perfect brew that reminds me of why I fell in love with porters in the first place. Following on the heels of an Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock, this has been one of my top beer nights ever! The majority IS right when this beer is concerned. 9/5/9/5/19 4.7

March 2006, 330 ml bottle from Julios Liquors in Westboro, MA (February 2006). Little “pop” to the cap but near-perfect pour, with a largish lasting fine-bubbled soft brown head atop a slightly viscous deep brown body....VERY light almost nonexistent nose, touch of grass and touch of chocolate -- as it warms, touches of burnt caramel and chocolate arrive, but it never really becomes distinctive....Chocolaty, balanced roasty-sweet body, light woodiness and grain, dark chocolate and espresso, some nice earth-tones emerge along with a bit of vanilla as it warms....quite smooth, somewhat lifeless but lightly sticky body, reasonably full.

This is one of those early favorites that stuck around my top 10-20 list for my first five years on the site, and as it’s never been available in VT, I never bothered to re-rate it. Still solid for a mainstream, pasteurized product coming from England, this is no longer a great beer in my estimation; whether it has truly lost some lustre in the past half-decade, or it’s just my tastes that have changed, I can’t say. Current rating is for this recent sample.

Bottle. Clear dark brown with a creamy tan head. Aroma of burnt sugar up front with a little coffee, chocolate, molasses and lots of dark fruits, berries and plums. Taste is a nice balance of chocolate, coffee, molasses, and dark fruits of the forest flavors, very cake-like, lightly spiced, plum, dates, raisins. Sloghlty sweet and sticky. Very pudding like. Doesn’t smack you in the face with roasted flavours like some dark beers, focus is more on dark and ripe fruity notes. I enjoyed this more the more I drank

I’m a huuuuge fan of this beer. While pale ales are all about the hop/malt balance and the stronger IPAs are about the balance between different types of hops, the key to porters is the balance between the chocolate, coffee, and malt flavours. I think Fuller’s hit the perfect note with this brew, with no astringency or cloying bite whatsoever. The dry smoothness of the liquid goes perfectly with the flavour. In a perfect world this would be on tap at every bar.

Bottle at bar. Dark brown color, beige head. Smooth, a bit sweet taste with coffee, plum, herbs, toast and liquorice. Roasty finish. Excellent porter.

May 28 2012. Can pours black, hint of mahogany in bright light, with tan tight head comprised of tiny bubbles. Head diminishes to ring and leaves little lacing. Not sure if can is a lot different than bottle but I was disappointed after hearing such great reviews. Aroma had sour twist of black olives or fig that is carried through taste and overpowered other flavours of malts and coffee. A lot of depth in flavour. A little too complicated for my preference. Good dry palate and slight bitter aftertaste.

12 oz bottle pours black with a tan head. Aroma of roasted malt and coffee. Taste is the same with a hint of chocolate. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Black as gets, and with a beige, creamy and lasting head. The aroma is powerfull for a porter, with lots of coffee, and some roasted malts and chocolate. Its very tasty as well, coffee and lots of roastyness. I even thought it was a bit smokey. Best porter I’ve ever tried by far.

UPDATED: MAY 22, 2012 Tried this back to back with Anchor Porter and I thought Anchor both looked and tasted better. Still, this is a good porter. Black with off white head. Roasted malts, coffee, some sweetness there, too. Enjoyable.

Try it next time you go out. I did not like sweet or floral drinks. So this was more my style.

From a bottle in America. Nose has hints of chocolate and stronger notes of espresso. Pours a nice frothy head that laces the glass; near black body with hints of red in the light. Taste has some sweet chocolate cake notes, espresso, some bitter chocolate notes. Finishes with a lovely hops balance and bitterness to round out the chocolate. Mouthfeel is creamy. Overall very delicious. Good session beer.

0,5l can. Dark brown color. Nice big thick, creamy head, stays. Roasted malts, chocolate, caramel in aroma. Flavor is pretty much the same with buttery smoothness added. Very easy to drink. Good beer.