St Peters Old Style Porter

Bottle - Doesn’t seem to have improved on the journey to the US. Mostly flat both in texture and flavor, but drinkable nevertheless with some good aspects.

Nut brown with reddish hues, I didn’t get a particularly prominent or lasting head on my glass, for what that’s worth. Interesting porter aroma, with a distinct note of powdered cocoa mix on a solid roasted/chocolate background. The tasting imparts a bitter, not quite burnt ( more metallic) note that detracts and gets worse with warming. Average palate, not too thin and with some bite seemingly from carbonation but equally from the atringence. This sits right in the middle of the world of porters, both in my estimation and, it appears, the average rating it has accumulated.

Creamy beige head on a ruby/black body. Rich acidic aromas of brown sugar/molasses, maltiness, and a bit of milk chocolate. Tastes quite nice, got hints of macerated cherries, maltiness, and some rich nuttiness, finished with a pleasant bitterness. Nice lacing on the glass. I wish the mouthfeel were a bit more full however. Nevertheless, this was a really good beer

Cool bottle. That’s about the only positive I can come up wtih. A weak, thin & watery Porter will never score high points with me. A weak, thin, watery and dry porter will score even fewer points. Some tart roastiness but mostly just prune flavors. One and done. This is pure crap.

First of all, great bottle - truly old style, very unique, fits nicely in my hand. Label says it’s modeled after a 1770 bottle design - nothing like a little history. Also clever label with the bird icon holding a gold key - St. Peter’s keys to the kingdom? Didn’t notice till halfway done with this awesome porter. Poured black, but holding up to the light reveled a ruby tone. Medium sized brown head, with lots of bubbles and great lacing. Roasted barley and campfire in the nose. Medium mouthfeel with some bubbles. Bittersweet chocolate, with some nice tannins reminiscent of a good strong red wine. Fun to roll over the tongue and savor. Finishes with just enough hops, and leaves a lingering memory of good times on your tongue.

50 cl bottle. Absotute one of my favorites, of porter. Good balance between roasted barley and hops. Very dark in colour and wonderfull aroma. Good taste and marveless aftertaste.

Tasted 26/06/2005. 500ml bottle from Regional’s, Wellington. Bottle looks fantastic but is not so flash to pour from. Deep red-hued mahogany, almost black. Tan, honeycombed, head that fades to a lacey ring. A few large bubbles cling to the side of the glass. Big chocolate aroma with a milky sweetness. Flavour is both sweet and sour at first - very ’porterish’, followed by a mild, woody, bitterness. Slightly sour, but not unpleasant, aftertaste. Medium mouthfeel, softly carbonated. Pretty good.

This is a great porter, very underrated. Nice smooth drinkability, deep color and smooth finish.