4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Draft at Haymarket. Pours black with a brownish tan head. Nose is firmly of coffee. Lots of chocolate and faint vanilla along with the robust roasty notes. Clean and earthy. On tasting, the coffee is well integrated and reinforces the chocolate elements of the porter. Coffee escapes the potential green pepper and ash tray notes that can happen. Quite smooth and clean overall. Well balanced. I dig this.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Sampler pour on tap at the ICBG FoBAB 2012 Brewers/Sponsors Dinner (Chicago, IL). Pours a rich deep blackish hue, not opaque, with some reddish brown glowing edges. A cakey brownish head atop stays firm, laces ok overall. Pretty beer. Aromas offer a growing yet medium coffee element, earthy roast, kiss of mocha, and gentle toffee, toast and biscuits come into play as we move on. A gentle sweetness, touches of coffee play, but not firm. A touch sweet with an abrupt hop smack at times, citrusy and floral. Initial is medium bodied, chocolate and toffee, some toast, gentle florals and citrus. Grapefruit, coffee roast, vanilla, gentle earth. Middle is a bit sweeter, toffee, vanilla, sweeter coffee slant. Backend shows some lingering toasty carmelization, coffee, and vanilla. Lingering cocoa, dry floral hops, and earth. Not bad, a bit odd and thin. Nose was a bit lacking, fairly hoppy as the coffee comes in more as I get accustomed, more powerful spurts but not complex and not the iron fist of coffee I’m used to seeing in coffee beers nowadays. Still, a solid offering
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
On tap: The aroma consists of moderate-heavy chocolate, moderate roasted coffee, light fruit, and a touch of vanilla. It’s a dark brown with some orange highlights and some spotty webbing left on the sides of the glass. The flavor starts with a quick dose of milk chocolate and some light fruit. The finish has moderate roasted coffee with hints of citrus and vanilla. It’s medium bodied with light-moderate carbonation. Overall, a really tasty coffee Porter.
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