Flag Porter 1825 Original

Appearance: Dark brown, clear. Tiny amount of head.
Aroma: Dark malt, roasted. Coffee.
Taste: Dark malt, slightly roasted. Coffee. Smooth. Pretty good.
Bought: Total Wine & More (Sterling), 350 ml, $3.99
Info: 27/10-2014, 231/300

12 oz bottle pour. Pours a dark brown color with no head really. Kind of a sweet chocolate aroma. A watery milk chocolate flavor with a nice, bolder finish. Lighter body than other porters. Definitely a unique porter in my opinion. Decent flavors all throughout with a touch of smoke. I’d drink this again for sure.

I should disclaim this review by pointing out that I’m not exactly sure how old this bottle is since the freshness code is not written in easy-to-read plain text. Though if this bottle is as old as I think it is, it’s still pretty impressive that this beer was able to hold up this well for over two years. Original Flag Porter is pretty much the epitome of a British porter, despite the fact the yeast used to ferment it was found in a sunken ship from 1825 and the recipe dates back to 1850.

I poured an 11.2oz bottle into a mug. I appears to have been bottled on 8/23/12 and cost $4 ($0.36 per ounce).

Appearance: Seemingly black color, but actually a deep shade of ruby chestnut with highlights to match. Pours to a small, white, foamy head which mostly dissipates but leaves some lacing.

Smell: Sweet dark malts, classic English pub style aroma, mild overall.

Taste: What separates porter from stout is the difference in roastiness and sweetness. Original Flag Porter opts for sweetness, as the dark malts create for a slightly fruity taste with notes of chocolate and dairy. In fact, it has the same character often found in milk stouts from their use of lactose sugar (it’s possible that was used in this brew, but I’m not sure). In fact, the taste reminds me a bit of cola soda, with a hint of coconut, too (but without the sickly sweetness). Just a touch of bitterness on the back end, which I can’t tell is hops or roasted malts (probably both, but mild enough to work as a background ingredient). I’m inclined to believe this beer would be much more complex and flavorful when fresh, but as it stands it’s still pretty good.

Drinkability: Pub-style brews such as this are meant to be easy to quaff and in mass quantities. Original Flag Porter has a thin, lightly carbonated mouthfeel so as to make it gentle on the palate and maybe even refreshing for a moment or two. At 5% ABV it drinks like something even more overtly sessionable, and with the clean finish I could certainly see it working in that capacity.

Poured from a bottle it is a dark beer color with a slight head. The aroma is coffee with mocha overtones the taste is a coffee milkshake with a hint of milk chocolate.

From a 33 cl bottel shared at home. Pours a clear cola brown with an ecru head. Chocolate aroma.Flavors of chocolate milkshake. Medium bodied. Clean finish.

A clear dark amber body with just the smallest hint of a tan head. Nose has roasty notes of chokolate, coffee and caramel. Taste is mildly sweet and roasty, with a smooth dry finish. Carbonation is low and smooth, the palatei s a bit thin. Quite nice malty aroma and well balanced on the tongue. A nice easy drinking porter with a nice complexity to it.

Almost black with some ruby hints off to the side if you turn the glass. Tiny head with tiny bubbles and dots of lacing. Very nice char-roast aroma. Hints of fruit also come out after it sits in the glass for a bit. Chocolate follows if you wait even more. Very good and varied whiffs! Flavor is also char-roast. Bread malts hit in the finish. Smooth; not bitter. Easy-drinking, but flavorful, porter.

Bottle. Copper color, tan head. Milk chocolate aroma. Fairly light flavor with creamy chocolate. Light body, medium carbonation. Surprisingly easy-going for the style.

.33l bottle from CM Seppälä Pours clear dark amber with low beige head. Aroma is roasted malts, brown sugar notes, raisin notes,coffee notes. Chocolate. Flavor is mostly same. Well balanced.

12 ounce bottle
This widely accessible English porter is fairly prototypical of the style when fresh. Unlike some others the price point is also not that bad either. If not for a tremendous backlog and a desire to support the local breweries this is one I might grab from time to time.

Aroma / Appearance - A carbonated black base and tan mocha head provide a decent presence. Flat cola, coffee, and malt are dry and smooth with a backbone of rich truffles.

Flavor / Palate - Cola, flat Dr Pepper, raspberry, and ash hang around in the tongue. Eventually a dry smoky finish with a spicy kick wraps up a solid robust profile. Whether you just want the county tick or you like good porters this one is a reasonable value for $2.50 a single (or about $10 for a four pack).