Proper Porter

December 17, 2018

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Been finding quite a few Porters hitting the shelves lately. One in particular caught my eye yesterday.

Proper Porter from Lakefront Brewery.

This Brewery has some good examples of various styles so expecting a decent beer here.

Opening the 12 oz bottle instantly gets you a nose of light roast. Curious, I somehow wasn’t expecting that from just cracking the bottle open.

Pouring into the shaker provided a foamy, almost rocky tan head that I would suspect would stick around for some time

Now that we have it out of the bottle, I was expecting more of that roast. But its actually more of a background thing. No hop. Slight grainy peeking through. A level of sweet that is just there enough to notice. This foamy head is definitely keeping aroma levels in check.

I wouldnt say it’s black. But it’s close enough. Ruby highlights and crystal clear. And the slow intermittent bubble of carbonation streaming up indicates a possibility lower carb level.

On first taste. I’m totally surprised. Not by overwhelming roast or a blast of hops.. but by how amazingly relaxed this beer is.

This is the kind of Porter that you found 20 years ago. Simple, solid. Hitting all the correct points and nothing out of balance.

Roast, sweetness, hop all staying just under the radar enough to let you get all three at the same time. While ever so slightly letting the yeast esters come through.

Almost chocolate but not quite, definite black roast, but not enough to stand out.

The carbonation is about as spot on as you could get for this medium bodied, mid gravity Porter.

These are the kinds of beers that craft brewing of old built its self on, but have seen to get away from. Fantastic, while not being gimmicky. Just letting the beer as a whole be the star,, not any one point taking over.

For me this is one of the best beers I have had in quite a while, and also one of the more ordinary… And that’s why I like it.

Take your 4.75! I’m going back for more of this.

Local Ruffian

May 29, 2018

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Another local beer this time out! We are at Badger State Brewing on a brisk 95 degree day. Perfect stout weather!
Their offering today is the Dubious Ruffian chocolate stout. One of the few (maybe two) year round local stouts.

This is usually in cans but since I am at their tap room this came in a pint. And as usual with the beers here, they are waaay to cold. Like Bud light cold. So take that into account when ordering.

Right at the pour there is not much for head at all. A thin little tan film. But this is probably from the pre-mentioned cold. Jet, opaque black.
Even the cold cannot stop the chocolate and sweet grain aroma. Right from the get go you know this is a chocolate stout. No perceived hop, alcohol or yeast aromas, But as it starts to warm a bit of roast starts to show.

Even though the roast in the nose was minimal, it is there is taste. An easy non overpowering roasty with no sharpness or burnt. Quickly followed by chocolate. Like a bittersweet chocolate square kind of thing.

It’s sweet, I’ll say that. But not anywhere near being overly sweet. Pair that with the almost non existent bittering hop you would think this would be syrup. But it keeps it’s self in check. The thin body, dry finish and moderate carbonation helps this for sure. And the mid 6% packs just enough punch to make it fun, but not dangerous.

This is a decent chocolate stout, but it really is in dessert beer range. And I’m not sure, especially on a screaming hot day like today, if I could have more than one or two at a time. Sweet, thin, low roast. But I do like it. And drink it quite regularly.

3.75 rated from me.

Grey Lady Porter 

December 22, 2017

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Another local release beer. Titletown Brewing’s Grey Lady Porter. A pre-pro style American porter

The pint came with a nice tan head that tried to stick around for most of the festivities. And provided some nice lacing


Grainy/malty chocolate – like aromas along with some caramel. I wouldn’t say sweet smelling but it’s close, could be the molasses coming thru, could be a hidden yeasty thing. But its very subdued and I think makes the other things going on stick out more than they would by themselves.

The color and clarity of this is great. Deep brown but not approaching black.

In the taste we got darker caramel that is equal to the light roastyness. While being on sweet side, I would not call this a sweet beer. Just enough to balance out the roast and the hopping rate, which is also on par with the rest.

Everything about this beer is in perfect balance with each other. It walks that dividing line between a brown ale and a porter. It’s definitely in porter range but if you told me this was supposed to be a brown ale I would be just as happy with that description.

(ya I know I’m not usually worried about where style guides fit in these tastings, but its in the name so have to account for that)

Its probably the alcohol level that puts the Porter stamp on this. Not hot, or distracting. But definitely evident.
This is one of those beers that just feels good to drink. A no nonsense beer that I would petition to be a year round staple.

A balanced lightly roasted lightly sweet Porter.  I really like this.

4.5 untappd score

Choklat

July 6, 2017

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I wss putting this off for a while but today is the day. SOUTHERN TIER CHOKLAT from the Blackwater series,, on tap

Came in a small snifter style glass.. guessing because it was also a bit cold for a chocolate beer. While it may hard to tell from the picture, it looked a bit muddy, or hazy. Thats tough to do in something this black. But the chocolate aroma really stood out even being 2 feet away!

From the very first taste all I could picture is that powdered cocoa in the can.  That would explain the lack of any head what so ever. The oily powder keeps that down. Very thickly body. That may be a push this twards a “dessert” beer for some, but it does fit with amount of chocolate.

Defiantly a hop presence. A nice firm bittering which it surely needed otherwise this would be sickly sweet. 
Took a bit, but once it started to warm the actual stout aspects start coming thru. More of a black malt than a roasted barely which I think works great with the sweet.
Plus now the alcohol stands out.. it’s a nice burn but not overly.

This beer balances everything about as good as you can. I would defiantly have another,, like right now but since it’s like 11 in the morning I have long day of 4th of July drinking to do.

I am not really a fan of beers that add stuff like this, but I am a fan of this one.

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