Re-tasted 11/08/2007. Batch 140. Fantastic step up since the the last time I tasted this. Bigger malt weight and sweetness to balance the big roasted malt character. Nice winy ester, some plummy notes too. Very robust - a good dose of black malt and a nice hop character. Excellent. Is this now New Zealand’s best bottled porter? It’s right up there. Only negative I opened this bottle a good hour before drinking - any less and it would be a little too carbonated for me. Tasted 13/01/2006. 500ml bottle-conditioned ale from Regional Wines, Wellington. Batch 1003. Near black, oily, heavily sedimiented, with reddish tints in strong light. An airy, hokey-pokey looking, tan head rises up and dissapates quickly. Nose is hoppier than I’d expect: some plunger coffee notes but then greenish unripe plums, wood, and an earthiness. Dry and toasty, with some chocolate, in the mouth, followed by more subtle ’green’ fruit. A bit fizzy and lightweight, for me, in the style of the antipodean stouts. I’ll come back for another look... Reviewed 26/04/2006 - Great bittersweet chocolate and coffee on the nose. Smoother flavour, in this batch, though still a little lightweight and overly carbonated for the roastiness that this robust porter displays.

Bottle, pouring a dark cola-brown, witha foamy tan head. A sweetish raisiny aroma, roasted malt with some chocolate, but also slightly skunkish. Chocolately malt initially on the palate, becoming more dry and roasted in the swallow, with coffee in the finish. Mmmm, light and delicious.

Batch 1024 from Halswell New World tasted 9/12/06. Coke-like black in the glass, thin head evaporated to nothing. Nice coffee, toasty malt nose and that’s as good as it got. Sour, acetic & yeasty - worse than any homebrew of mine! Trust it was a bad bottle, will try a new batch & re-rate at a later date (6-4-1-1-4-1.6). Batch 1029 from Halswell New World. THAT"S BETTER. Rich crema head. Has the whole works. coffee, chocolate, rich stonefruit and a bit of Nutella on ryebread too. If anything, only lacking a bit of body. Will take the earlier bottle back to the brewery for a refund...!!!

Papsoes mystery blindtasting beer #4. Pours dark brown to black with a diminished light brown head. Roasted coffee and chocolate malt. Flavour is dry and roasted, medium coffee note and a ligt smoothness from the chocolate into the finish. Yet a bit too simple and without much body. Slight ashtray finish with a mild bitterness mainly from the roasted malt.

Bottle. Black coloured with a huge beige head. Sweet and roasted aroma of dried fruits with notes of liquorice and burnt notes. Roasted flavour of liquorice and chocolate with notes of hops. Roasted finish.