Polka King!

March 6, 2023

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Another local,, well semi local beer. Door County Brewing‘s 5.3% Polka King English Porter. I have have this many times, at many venues or events before, but never really reviewing, And it’s been a while now,, so here we go.

Pours Black. No other way to describe it.  Thick shiney head that sticks around. Cannot see much for clarity or bubbles, the blackness sucks the light from it’s surroundings.

Very light on aromas. Slightest ever chocolate. Slighty grainy. Faint roast, but not much of any hop or yeast. But that thicker head may be blocking alot. So will check back after a few sips.

Taste is that dark roast right up front,, but turns to hop taste quickly after. Not hop bittering so much as hop taste. And those hops are doing the brit kind of taste. Not your citrusy American style. 

Back to that wonderful roast though. Wow! This is what the beer world is missing nowadays. Not a chocolate bomb, just good old roasty black malt. Firm, I guess you would call it, but not over the top. 

Now the body here has decent carbonation that plays with the bittering perfectly. I can feel it bitting my tongue, but It does not come across as bitter. A good body that has a silky feel to it. There is substance to it, but very crushable.. This is not a one and done.

Oh the more this warms up the better this is getting. This beer is roast and hop taste. The aromas are now starting to stand out more as well.  I do not know what I would add to make this any better than it is. 

I am thinking to my self that I cannot describe it as good as it really is because  I just wanna drink and enjoy it.

Feels like this beer has stepped out of the portal of craft beer drinkers past. About as good of an old school, no bull shit Porter that ever was. You do not find beers like this any more. 

This nails everything I like, and everything I ever wanted in a roasty beer. 

4.5/5 from me,, and I’m going to grab another one.

Good Dog Porter

February 6, 2023

stoutmaker Porter , , , , Leave a comment

So I have been hearing some good things about this beer lately. Its a local, and one that I have had several times before. But,, it just never was something I was a big fan of. But I was assured that things have turned around with it.

The last time that I reviewed Good Dog, it was a nitro pour, but I have had this in bottles before, and this time around it will be a regular C02 pour. So lets get to this.

Served to me in a regular pint glass. Much colder than I would have liked if I had a choice. But it does look very good! A nice light tan head that doesnt really hang around, even with the carbonation bubbles coming up. I wouldn’t say this was black, but about as close as you can get. Very very deep brown. Sure looks tasty.

Aroma is fairly light. A bit of chocolate and some grainy notes. Just the slightest bit of sweetness, but thats about it. Nothing for roast, or hops or any yeast. Yes it is quite cold, but I was still hoping for something.

But in the taste, along with that bit of chocolate, is a bit of back malt. Not big, but there. The sweetness is trying to hide that grainy note, but it is still there. After doing a bit of warming I can start to get just the faintest bit of hop flavor. Old school hops. But just just as with the rest of the flavors, its melding in with everything else. And that is a good thing. Everything is there, just enough to notice, but not standing out. I may have talked my self into detecting a bit of yeast ester, its so faint that it might not even be there, but I do like how what ever that might be made me go look for it.

The body is not what I would call thick, but it definitely not thin. I think that this higher carbonation is making it feel just a little thinner than what it really is. But that carbonation seems to be helping the bitterness. If it was not as carbbed as it is, it would probably feel a bit under hopped. but as it is,, its right where I like it.

Well. I have to say that this iteration of Good Dog Porter is much better than what I have had in the past. It has always been a subtle porter, and it still sort of is,, but its layers now have just the right amount of oomph behind it. I certainly hope that this is the final version, and I am guessing it will be now that Zambaldi’s is in its stride.

I can now say that I like this beer, and am glad for that. Its hard enough to find a decent Porter or Stout these days, much less one that is made mere blocks from me. I am going wo give this a 4/5. And after this one, I am going to go find me a 6 pack to bring home.

AFTER NOTE:

A couple days after that beer I stopped at a different local place and they also had Good Dog on tap. I grabbed one just to see if anything would change in a different local, and happy to say that it was was just as good there,, (for breakfast this time), as the last one. Cheers!

City Lights Coconut Porter

November 15, 2022

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Seen the tap handle and was intrigued. We all know I am not a flavored beer lover, but it’s coconut!

Pours very dark for a porter. I’d say the brownest brown before black. A smallish tan head that didn’t stick around very long though,, but coconut is inda oily so not surprised.

Terrible pic but it was very dark in there

Got a good whiff of chocolate above everything, but more like milk chocolate. No hop or yeast or anything else.. including coconut.. but what would coconut smell like anyway?

Well remember when I said coconut is oily? Holy crap… Thats all I get when taking a sip. It like coats your whole face. Now there is coconut taste. Not much.. but it’s there. So is that chocolate. And a good hit of hops. But it’s that oil feel. Just take me out.

Its bitter enough for sure and full on body. Quite full for a porter but I’m not complaining about it. I think it’s good that it is as carbonated as it is or that oil slick would be even more over the top.

Ok. I would have liked the coconut. The bitterness level, the chocolate.. but that oil feel.. mucho no mas. I can’t do it.

I gave it a .5 for how good it smelled.. but that’s all I can do.

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