Virtual Craft Beer Tasting Club » Discussions

Porter Beer Tasting: Jan 1 - Jan 15

• oregonbeerlover

  

  Member
   

  January 5, 2009

  
  Rogue Mocha Porter, 5.30% ABVRogue Ales Brewery, Portland, OregonThis Mocha Porter from Rogue Ales pours out dark brown, almost black in color, with a thick, dense, tan colored head. Decent lacing on the glass. Aromas of roasted malts, coffee and a slight caramel sweetness come through on the nose. In the mouth there are some mild coffee flavors but mostly a coffee bitterness with a hint of sweetness and malt. This was on the light side of medium bodied to me with a good dose of carbonation. The finish was fairly short, bitter and slightly drying. I was expecting more coffee with this being labelled "Mocha Porter" but I did not find that.I have to agree, I was going to also do the the Mocha Porter, but after reading your description, I don't feel the need. I'll have to find another.
  
  
  Time to add our 5 cents to this. We had a side by side tasting with Deschutes Black Butte Porter (reviewed next), Deschutes won. This beer made our mouths feel like they were stuffed with cottonballs! Weird, dryness to it, and way to much bitterness. Sorry, Rogue, not a winner for me.

  [quote=BludySky]
  [quote=Mark]Rogue Mocha Porter, 5.30% ABVRogue Ales Brewery, Portland, OregonThis Mocha Porter from Rogue Ales pours out dark brown, almost black in color, with a thick, dense, tan colored head. Decent lacing on the glass. Aromas of roasted malts, coffee and a slight caramel sweetness come through on the nose. In the mouth there are some mild coffee flavors but mostly a coffee bitterness with a hint of sweetness and malt. This was on the light side of medium bodied to me with a good dose of carbonation. The finish was fairly short, bitter and slightly drying. I was expecting more coffee with this being labelled "Mocha Porter" but I did not find that.[/quote]I have to agree, I was going to also do the the Mocha Porter, but after reading your description, I don't feel the need. I'll have to find another.
  [/quote]
  
  Time to add our 5 cents to this. We had a side by side tasting with Deschutes Black Butte Porter (reviewed next), Deschutes won. This beer made our mouths feel like they were stuffed with cottonballs! Weird, dryness to it, and way to much bitterness. Sorry, Rogue, not a winner for me.
• oregonbeerlover

  

  Member
   

  January 5, 2009

  Deschutes Brewery - Bend OR
  Black Butte Porter (standard not XX)
  5.5% ABV
  
  Ok, this is one of our stand-by always in the fridge porters. Pours out dark brown with a nice tan head that really lasts. Nice maltiness to the nose with some caramel notes. Taste the coffee and slight malt with a definite hoppy bitterness mid-way. Kind of a weak watery finish compared to others, but still a good brew. Doesn't compare to the Black Butte XX, but what does? Good standard drinkable beer....much preferred over the Rogue Mocha Porter. Also think it is much better as draught than bottled!

  Deschutes Brewery - Bend OR
  Black Butte Porter (standard not XX)
  5.5% ABV
  
  Ok, this is one of our stand-by always in the fridge porters. Pours out dark brown with a nice tan head that really lasts. Nice maltiness to the nose with some caramel notes. Taste the coffee and slight malt with a definite hoppy bitterness mid-way. Kind of a weak watery finish compared to others, but still a good brew. Doesn't compare to the Black Butte XX, but what does? Good standard drinkable beer....much preferred over the Rogue Mocha Porter. Also think it is much better as draught than bottled!
• ElitheMadBeerMan

  

  Member
   

  January 7, 2009

  I agree with OBL... Black Butte is one of those porters you should always have on hand. Ironically, that's the beer we just did a review for (along with Ten Pin Porter from Ska Brewing in Durango, CO) on the latest episode of Taste Buds on Beer Tap TV (http://beertaptv.com/TasteBuds/). Porter Punchout - Round II went live today.
  
  Unlike Erik and Dusty, I'm not one for proper reviews and terminology. There's plenty of folks who do that better then I. So for what it's worth: Ska's Ten Pin is amazing. Black Butte is a must try. Another fave of mine is Breckenridge's Vanilla Porter.

  I agree with OBL... Black Butte is one of those porters you should always have on hand. Ironically, that's the beer we just did a review for (along with Ten Pin Porter from Ska Brewing in Durango, CO) on the latest episode of Taste Buds on Beer Tap TV (http://beertaptv.com/TasteBuds/). Porter Punchout - Round II went live today.
  
  Unlike Erik and Dusty, I'm not one for proper reviews and terminology. There's plenty of folks who do that better then I. So for what it's worth: Ska's Ten Pin is amazing. Black Butte is a must try. Another fave of mine is Breckenridge's Vanilla Porter.
• kevinw

  

  Member
   

  January 7, 2009

  Appropriately, my homebrew porter just primed a couple weeks ago and I'm very happy about how it turned out...
  
  Other than that though, the most recent porter I had is the quite tasty Smuttynose Robust Porter...definitely recommend it if you haven't tried it.

  Appropriately, my homebrew porter just primed a couple weeks ago and I'm very happy about how it turned out...
  
  Other than that though, the most recent porter I had is the quite tasty Smuttynose Robust Porter...definitely recommend it if you haven't tried it.
• kevinw

  

  Member
   

  January 7, 2009

  oh and Eli...I tried that Breckenridge's Vanilla Porter about a month ago...I absolutely second that one!

  oh and Eli...I tried that Breckenridge's Vanilla Porter about a month ago...I absolutely second that one!
• Mark

  

  Leader
   

  January 7, 2009

  The Famous Taddy Porter, 5.00% ABV
  Samuel Smith Old Brewery, Tadcaster, England
  
  This Famous Taddy Porter from Samuel Smith in Tadcaster, England pours out black in color with a good, thick, tan colored head that hangs around. Bread, roasted malt, nuts, coffee and chocolate along with some sweetness come through on the nose. The flavor is very rich, almost stout like, semi-sweet with coffee, dark chocolate, smoke and nuts. On the finish there is a little bitterness to go with the sweetness. A very robust, full bodied porter. Excellent lacing on the glass. This porter really impressed me. I will have to keep some on hand at all times.

  The Famous Taddy Porter, 5.00% ABV
  Samuel Smith Old Brewery, Tadcaster, England
  
  This Famous Taddy Porter from Samuel Smith in Tadcaster, England pours out black in color with a good, thick, tan colored head that hangs around. Bread, roasted malt, nuts, coffee and chocolate along with some sweetness come through on the nose. The flavor is very rich, almost stout like, semi-sweet with coffee, dark chocolate, smoke and nuts. On the finish there is a little bitterness to go with the sweetness. A very robust, full bodied porter. Excellent lacing on the glass. This porter really impressed me. I will have to keep some on hand at all times.
• IamSanto

  

  Member
   

  January 8, 2009

  
  I was expecting more coffee with this being labelled "Mocha Porter" but I did not find that.
  
  
  I'd say Mark nailed this one, but I was actually a little glad this one leaned more on the side of chocolate than coffee as coffee isn't always my bag in beer. Sometimes it comes off a bit too bitter.
  
  I'd say this was a good one, thought I would have liked it creamier and with less carbonation.
  
  *** out of five.

  [quote=Mark]
  I was expecting more coffee with this being labelled "Mocha Porter" but I did not find that.
  [/quote]
  
  I'd say Mark nailed this one, but I was actually a little glad this one leaned more on the side of chocolate than coffee as coffee isn't always my bag in beer. Sometimes it comes off a bit too bitter.
  
  I'd say this was a good one, thought I would have liked it creamier and with less carbonation.
  
  *** out of five.
• IamSanto

  

  Member
   

  January 8, 2009

  Harpoon Leviathan Baltic Porter, 9.5% ABV (and yeah, I felt that...)
  Harpoon Brewery, Bahstan, MASS.
  
  Yeah... friggin' awesome beeah from the Beantown brewery known more for their IPA than anything else. I'll tell you, I love this one and it comes as advertised: fruity, full and with malty, chocolate notes in aroma and in taste. Tan head when poured. Plentiful lacing when drained. Mouthfeel was nice and full, without too much carbonation. I was glad I stumbled onto the last two bottles of this in my local shop.
  
  ****1/2 out of five.
  

  Harpoon Leviathan Baltic Porter, 9.5% ABV (and yeah, I felt that...)
  Harpoon Brewery, Bahstan, MASS.
  
  Yeah... friggin' awesome beeah from the Beantown brewery known more for their IPA than anything else. I'll tell you, I love this one and it comes as advertised: fruity, full and with malty, chocolate notes in aroma and in taste. Tan head when poured. Plentiful lacing when drained. Mouthfeel was nice and full, without too much carbonation. I was glad I stumbled onto the last two bottles of this in my local shop.
  
  ****1/2 out of five.
  
• johnnyirishman

  

  Member
   

  January 9, 2009

  Old LegHumper Porter:
  
  Thirsty Dog Brewing Company, Akron, Ohio
  
  ABV%- 5.70
  
  Style- American Porter
  
  Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Sam Adams Pint glass.
  
  Apperance- A thick opaque color witha sandy colored head that dident stick around for long. Decent lacing left on glass.
  
  Smell- Roasted malts, coffee and grains.
  
  Taste,Mouthfeel- Roasted grains and malts, creamy coffee, kinda watery through the middle but a clean finish.
  
  Drinkability- A definate afternoon sipper, a good grilling companion.
  
  Porters arn't really my thing but, I'm starting to enjoy a "malt bomb" from time to time.
  
  

  Old LegHumper Porter:
  
  Thirsty Dog Brewing Company, Akron, Ohio
  
  ABV%- 5.70
  
  Style- American Porter
  
  Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Sam Adams Pint glass.
  
  Apperance- A thick opaque color witha sandy colored head that dident stick around for long. Decent lacing left on glass.
  
  Smell- Roasted malts, coffee and grains.
  
  Taste,Mouthfeel- Roasted grains and malts, creamy coffee, kinda watery through the middle but a clean finish.
  
  Drinkability- A definate afternoon sipper, a good grilling companion.
  
  Porters arn't really my thing but, I'm starting to enjoy a "malt bomb" from time to time.
  
  
• johnnyirishman

  

  Member
   

  January 9, 2009

  Road Dog Porter
  Flying Dog Brewing Co
  Denver, CO.
  
  ABV%- 6.00
  
  Style: American Porter
  
  Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Pint glass.
  
  Apperance- Poured a Dark amber color with a tan head and dense bubbles, decent lacing left behind by the quickly dissapating head.
  
  Smell- Roasted grains and malt, earthy tones
  
  Taste,Mouthfeel- Slightly metallic at the first taste. The taste seems to get better as the beer "Breathes". Chewy beer, malty, light carb, typical porter body.
  
  Drinkabilty- Its a good beer for the style, I personally am not a porter fan but enjoyed this beer, for whats it worth.
  
  

  Road Dog Porter
  Flying Dog Brewing Co
  Denver, CO.
  
  ABV%- 6.00
  
  Style: American Porter
  
  Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Pint glass.
  
  Apperance- Poured a Dark amber color with a tan head and dense bubbles, decent lacing left behind by the quickly dissapating head.
  
  Smell- Roasted grains and malt, earthy tones
  
  Taste,Mouthfeel- Slightly metallic at the first taste. The taste seems to get better as the beer "Breathes". Chewy beer, malty, light carb, typical porter body.
  
  Drinkabilty- Its a good beer for the style, I personally am not a porter fan but enjoyed this beer, for whats it worth.