Meantime London Porter

Bottle. Pours a dark opaque brown with a full off white head. Aroma was roasted, malty, and sweet molasses. Flavor was roasted, lightly sweet, and burnt raisins. The beer was bitter and a little thinner than expected.

Tasted 18/04/2008. 750ml bottle from Rumble’s, Wellington. BYO with a great meal at Charlie Bill in Thorndon. Pours a dark brown, near black, with garnet highlights and a diminishing airy tan head. Pleasant aroma of fruit and nut chocolate, with a slightly charred background note. Chocolate, toast, Medium weight and carbonation. Very nice beer, well travelled.

Bottle 0.75 l. Very deep red, almost black. Nicely thick beigish head. Nose is amazing, malts, tar, smoke, liqourice, candy sweetness. Flavor is the same, strong on malts, tarry smokiness and liqourice. Some coffee in there too and some aromatic grassy hops maybe. Turns a bit yeasty when it gets stale (too big a bottle for one drinker). Absolutely beautiful porter which shares a lot of qualities with certain belgian strong ales.

750 mL bottle, pours a clear, reddish brown body with light brown head. Aroma of yeast, bread, and malts with a hint of chocolate. Solid body and mouthfeel with a little soft carbonation. Flavor of roasted malts and ash with earthy coffee and cocoa flavors coming through in the back of the palate and finish.

Bottle. Dark redbrown color with light brown head. Notes of roastes malt and coffee in the aroma. Flavour is roasted malt and some coffee.

I was bowlled over by this - It has the right notes of coffee and burnt intensity and sweet malty flavours without being cloying or too much too handle. Good mouthfeel, a lovely deep rich colour in the glass. You can buy it from Saino’s, its a dead good winter warmer - top brew.

750ml caged&corked bottle. Pours very, very dark - almost black, but cloudy orange and ruby shine through when held up to the light. The head pours very thick and tan - it fades quickly, but not completely, leaving a thin layer of small bubbles that leaves a lot of lace behind. The aroma is mostly malts - dark toasted bread, caramel, coffee, and a touch of malt extract sweetness. The flavor starts bittersweet with a very nice mix of roasted grains and residual sugars. It is very complex and flavorful - dark fruit mixed with coffee liqueur. By mid-tongue, the roasted notes grow, giving it an almost savory touch. There are also some funky notes that blend nicely with the sweetness, roastiness, and earthiness. Is that a very subtle brett character? I’ve read of Alistair Hook (head brewer at Meantime) mentioning how some character of authentic 18th century porter was from brett due to aging in casks. It’s the same character you can find in older bottles of Guinness extra stout (which I’ve also read has or used to have a minor brett character). Of course, it could also be from the blend of lots of earthy Fuggles with fruity esters... Either way, it adds interest and intrigue. The beer finishes chocolaty and bittersweet. The mouthfeel is medium in body and somewhat oily. The carbonation is nice - not too high though slightly more spritzy than one might expect. Overall, an incredibly drinkable beer for something so complex. A great robust porter!

Pours dark brown with reddish tinge. The flavor is plum and toffee. The flavor is very easy with some spiciness and roasted maltiness. It finishes with a sweet malt. I mostly pick up plums. It is tasty though. Finishes dry and nice.