Thursday, July 19th, 2012
Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black
Brewed in New Zealand
Style: Black IPA/Porter
Price: $8 a bottle from various online stores
“Pot Kettle Black is by far and wide my favourite brew from those creative Kiwi brewers – Yeastie Boys! It’s full of hops (Nelson Sauvin, Styrian Goldings, NZ Cascade) and is balanced seamlessly with four different types of malt. The aroma is mainly roasty and of dark chocolate like notes. This brew was a pleasure for all the senses and if you haven’t tried it yet do so tomorrow!”
| Posted in Beer Reviews, India Pale Ale, Porter | No Comments »
Sunday, July 15th, 2012
Rogue Mocha Porter
Brewed in Oregon, USA
Style: Porter
Price: $8 a bottle from The Wine Emporium, QLD
“I found this brew to be a tad thin on the palette. It did however have a lovely chocolate aroma and flavour. I certainly don’t believe it warrants the $8 price tag, but if you do decide to splurge out this would make for a decent dessert beer”.
| Posted in Beer Reviews, Porter | No Comments »
Friday, May 25th, 2012
Sierra Nevada Porter
Brewed in Chico, California
Style: Porter
Price: $5 per bottle from various independents
A beautiful combination of roasted malts and chocolate notes – perfectly suited to these colder months!
| Posted in Beer Reviews, Porter | No Comments »
Sunday, June 5th, 2011
If you are looking to expand your brew horizons and have been thinking about trying a Porter styled beer, then this is the beer for you.
Julesnadder is a not so traditional Norwegian Christmas Beer and not so traditional in the fact it’s quite light in alcohol for a Porter, 4.5% alcohol per 500ml bottle to be exact and there’s a very good reason for this. Norwegian legislation stipulates that any beer above 4.75% alcohol must be sold through the Vinmonopolet which is basically a chain of government owned beverage retailers. Now Nøgne Ø being the crafty craft brewers they are decided to purposefully create this beer at 4.5% so that it could be sold outside of the Vinmonopolet so that it could be enjoyed by the masses. They have also taken into consideration the fact that most people in Norway do not shop at these government owned chain stores. Nøgne Ø means naked island and the brewery based in Grimstad, Norway has been creating high quality brews since 2002 with their motto being “The Uncompromising Brewery”. They currently export over 70% of their total product with the intent of becoming bigger and better!
Julesnadder pours a picture perfect two finger thick tan head that lasts well and leaves consistent rings of lacing down your glass. It comes out as a cloudy mahogany colour with just the right amount of carbonation. The aroma is similar to the taste, slightly sweet with caramel tones and full of roasted malty goodness. Its taste, apart from being full of roasted malts, is smooth & light and would make for a great beginners porter. A few mouthfuls will leave a dry bitterness on your taste buds and you wanting more. This brew is best served at around 8 degrees and is said to go well with rich, greasy Norwegian dishes.
This is an exceptionally light tasting and easy to drink Porter and I have no doubt it would make for a great intro into that beer style. If you prefer a strong, fuller tasting Porter then I would personally take a pass on this brew as you may be disappointed, but bear in mind it was made that way intentionally.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 4.5% alcohol – 500ml brown bottle – Pop top
| Posted in Beer Reviews, Porter | No Comments »
Thursday, April 21st, 2011
So it’s Easter time again and what better beer to review then a Chocolate Porter.
The Holgate brewery aka Holgate Brewhouse is located in Woodend, Victoria, which is just over an hour’s drive from Melbourne’s CBD. There you will find a restaurant, bar, hotel and the brewery which is the pride of business owner, Paul Holgate. The 100 year old hotel Paul acquired is somewhat of a local icon and is known to many as the Keatings Hotel. Holgate produce five different types of beer all year round including this one, along with a further nine brews that are seasonal and limited release. If you’d like to visit the Holgate Brewhouse further details can be found here.
The creamy chocolate flavour in this beer is huge and it dominates all other flavours – it would be ideal for a chocolate lover. This brew is very warming when consumed which would make it perfectly suited to a cold winter’s night. This beer wafts a beautiful aroma of chocolate combined with hints of coffee and vanilla, a very pleasant smell indeed. It pours pitch black with little head, my first bottle had no head whatsoever which was a little disappointing. The head is tan in colour and disappears rapidly with no lacing. In my opinion there’s a little too much carbonation to this beer. The trick to this Porter like any other is to actually let the bottle warm a little before drinking, generally anywhere between 8-12°C is appropriate and this gives the beer more flavour.
This is an amazing porter that should be savoured rather than quaffed and at $6 a 330ml bottle you wouldn’t want to be rushing it anyhow. This beer really grows on you, I recommend purchasing at least two bottles to get the full experience from it and there’s no need to drink them both in the one sitting.
I’d like to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Easter!
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 6.0% alcohol – 330ml brown bottle – Pop top
| Posted in Beer Reviews, Porter | No Comments »
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
Old Engine Oil is the perfect name for this craft brewed porter, cause that’s exactly what it looks like.
Thankfully though, the taste is not the same as old engine oil, not that I have any idea of what that tastes like and nor do I want to. Old Engine Oil Porter is brewed and bottled by the Harviestoun Brewery in Alva, Scotland. The Harviestoun Brewery has been producing fine beverages since 1984 and has gone from strength to strength. It now has a range of bottled brews from Ales to Porters and luckily enough for us most of them have made it to our shores. Old Engine Oil Porter was given the silver medal in its class in the 2007 Australian Beer Awards and has won many other awards the world over.
This Porter pours with a creamy tan head that quickly disappears leaving the top portion of your glass coated with an even amount of lacing. It is extremely dark in appearance and lets through hardly any light at all, which again is similar to that of old engine oil. There is a dark chocolate aroma to this brew along with some roasted malt and an underlying sweetness. The taste is impressive but overwhelming. It has strong coffee and chocolate elements that go hand in hand with the hoppy bitterness of this brew. Each mouthful is filling and has a sweet, sugary ending to it. I can understand why this Porter would be greatly appreciated in colder countries like Scotland and England and with that said, I am unsure whether the Australian market will come to enjoy its uniqueness.
Oil Engine Oil Porter has the sure makings of a great beer, for example, there’s an excellent malt to hop balance to it but for me personally, this wasn’t a sure favourite. The taste is overpowering and I can honestly see a lot of drinkers being put off by it. You can find this beer at selected 1st Choice stores, so get a bottle and try it for yourself, just remember though, this is a beer that should be savoured and not quaffed.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts : 6.0% alcohol – 330ml brown bottle – Pop top
| Posted in Beer Reviews, Porter | 5 Comments »