Wachusett Black Shack Porter

Beautifully creamy tan head atop a black body, leaving nice watery lacing. Aroma is medium sweet, invitingly chocolate and roasty, with some coffee as well. Ah, but the taste does not deliver what the nose promises. Instead, it is minimally sweet, bitter roasted coffee. Creamy medium body.

Bottle thanks to porterhouse: Pours a mostly opaque with dark ruby edges and an airy, clingy-lacing froth of dark tan head. Dry aroma of lightly sweet caramel and roasted malts with some dark chocolate and fresh piny hops. Starts with heavy carbonation and a mild, bittersweet, roasted malt and hazelnut flavor toward a drier, slightly earthy finish with mild hop balance and black patent malt. Could use a little more sweetness, but still a nice porter.

Bottle… Extremely dark, ruby brew with a small, creamy, beige head. The aroma is chock full of milk chocolate, vanilla, coffee and toasted pecans. The flavor has perfect balance and lots of mocha. Medium-bodied, astringent and fizzy. Watery, resinous finish. Thanks to growler for sharing the bottle.

12 oz bottle. Boy, either these guys have just gone downhill, or there's something in the water or yeast they're using that I just don't cotton to. I found this thinnish, with a lightly roasty but also alas, soapy nose; bitter charred wood flavor without much counterbalancing sweetness, or enough malt. Very bitter finish. Bleah.

A medium-high carbonation promotes the singular dominating quality of the malt (roastiness) and facilitates quaffability...Feeble vinous suggestions reside within some sweet nuttiness as a lactic quality roams about, but all is hush-hush...Fair roasty bitterness in the end closes this simple toasty pint...