Founders Brewing Porter

 

Style: American Porter
ABV: 6.5%
Current Untappd Rating: 3.86

Brewery Description
"No absence of hops gives Founders’ robust porter the full flavor you deserve and expect. Cozy like velvet. It’s a lover, not a fighter."

When I first got serious about beer way back in 2012 it was hard to find Founders beer in my area (hard to believe now). I distinctly recall the day I found Founders Porter at one my stores and immediately grabbed it off the shelf and clutched it tighter than my true love. I don't remember the last time I've had it but even to this day this remains one of the most highly thought of American Porters on the market.

APPEARANCE

Absolutely black out. Pitch black in all regards with no red or brown on the edges. The pour produced a hefty three fingers of off-white head.

AROMA

Lots of roast and I mean A LOT. It's like a cup of coffee though I don't think it is specifically brewed with any coffee. I get some sweet caramel notes and even some vanilla. A good hint of chocolate syrup rounds out what is turning into a decadent dessert beer. 

TASTE

I tell ya that roast from the aroma is singing just as loud and proud here on the taste. It's bordering on burnt coffee, but is reeled in just enough where it is just dark roast. With that comes a big blast of bitterness, but it is quite pleasant. My next swig just got me a ton of that chocolate syrup which brings us right back to dessert beer territory. Subtle caramel notes in the front and the end is more of that coffee bitterness.

MOUTHFEEL

Not too thick, but not watered down. Very smooth and velvety as the brewer's description prepared me for. Despite all that coffee bitterness it is a pleasure to drink and it doesn't leave behind a sticky film despite all the sweet flavors.

OVERALL

Lives up to its reputation and then some. It's a robust porter at a reasonable ABV and is available year round. A winner in all aspects.

RATING
8.7/10

Trillium Pot & Kettle Oatmeal Porter with Chocolate

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 7.5%
Current Ratings...
- Untappd: 4.04/5
- Beer Advocate: 4.13/5
- RateBeer: 3.8/5

"For this rendition of our signature porter, brewed with oats, we added a post-fermentation dose of chocolate. Inviting aromas of coffee milk, cacao nibs, and pudding are followed by a hazelnut heavy palate, strong notes of dark chocolate, and Pot & Kettle's signature smooth mouthfeel. Opaque in appearance with a warm brown color."

Pours out dark brown and sits black in the glass with some ruby red edges and a hefty three fingers of almond-colored head.

The aroma has a dark coffee ground roast character with subtle peanut butter and bitter dark chocolate. Hints of milk chocolate and syrup hide in the back.as does some coffee bitterness.

The taste is quite bitter. Bitter black coffee and bitter dark chocolate lead the charge. Most of the chocolate flavor comes from the base porter itself and not from the addition of any extra chocolate. flavor. Toasted almonds and an overall nutty quality seem to outweigh any chocolate, but I do enjoy the taste, so I can't complain all that much. Actually, when the beer hits the back, a genuine, rich chocolate taste finally shows up and reminds me of melted chocolate sauce. I wish this was present throughout, but I'll take what I can get.

Mouthfeel is calm with a soft body and smooth texture. The alcohol is nowhere to be found. The more bitter notes linger from time to time and it has a relatively clean finish.

Chocolate Pot & Kettle has a really good base porter with soft mouthfeel, but the key ingredient wasn't as big as I had hoped. Granted, it tried to make a last ditch effort, and this can be enjoyed as a dessert beer, but if they can add more chocolate to this, then it can be be elevated to a much richer experience.

Rating
8.3/10

High West Barrel Aged Victory at Sea

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 12%
Current Ratings...
- Untappd: 4.27/5
- Beer Advocate: 4.29/5
- RateBeer: 4.06/5

"We partnered with our friends at High West Distillery to create a barrel-aged version of  Ballast Point Victory at Sea, our award-winning Imperial Porter with cold-steeped coffee and vanilla. From a blend of Ballast Point Victory at Sea aged in High West’s own bourbon & rye whiskey oak casks, new layers of complexity emerge with notes of soft caramel and smoky oak over a dark chocolate and roasted almond body. High West crafts delicious and distinctive whiskeys to honor the American West, making it the perfect pairing with our signature San Diego-born porter."

Sits pitch black in the glass with dark brown edges and almost a finger of eggshell-colored head.

That aroma is bursting with vanilla and chocolate. The bourbon is a bit more nuanced than expected, but still accounted for. Lots of oak and a spicy rye character fight for attention, but I tell ya, the vanilla of the base beer and vanilla from the barrel create a marshmallow fluff overtone and it is awesome.

The taste is just as great as the aroma. Not surprising;y the vanilla is first in line and it still has that marshmallow flavor to it. I didn't get much coffee on the nose, but the taste is making up for lost time with black iced coffee bitterness with cream. After the vanilla and coffee, the bourbon really opens up and not to be outdone, the rye whiskey sings louder with just the right amount of spicy bite. Actually, when this was fresh out of the fridge, the vanilla, chocolate, and coffee popped the most, but as it warms, the barrel takes over. Elements of oak, char, and tobacco contribute equally and all in a big way and there's a warm, refined alcohol taste to keep things interesting. On top of all that, I am getting a good dose of plums, figs, and raisins to bring in a dark fruit bomb at the end of my bourbon and vanilla nuke. This stuff is awesome!

Mouthfeel is nice and thick and has a warming sensation on each sip. Aside from a minor alcohol taste, the 12% abv is very well-hidden. The body has a velvety texture and this is a joy to drink over the course of an hour.

High West Victory at Sea was one of the best barrel aged beers I've had in recent memory. A marshmallow, bourbon, and whiskey bomb all in one, this one competes with the best on the market. A truly complex and tasty beer, this one should be held in the highest regards. It might be the best, widely available, barrel aged beer out there.

Rating
9.7/10

Trillium Pot & Kettle with Vanilla

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 7.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.25/5
- Untappd: 4.2/5
- RateBeer: 3.76/5

"For this rendition of our signature porter, brewed with oats, we added a heavy dose of vanilla beans. Aromas of cream soda and pungent vanilla are followed by a smooth mouthfeel and flavors conjuring root beer floats, tootsie rolls, and a subtle fudge undertone."

Pours ruby red going in, but sits black in the glass. I got two fingers of almond-colored head.

Coffee from the base porter is strong on the aroma and the vanilla beans also pack quite a punch. I definitely get that cream soda and root beer mentioned in the brwer's description, but I also get brownie batter, fudge, and whipped cream.

That coffee from the nose is the first thing I notice, but it is dark and bitter (not in a bad way). Some more of the fudgy notes contribute rich chocolate and as it warms a subtle caramel flavor emerges. The vanilla comes in the form of cream and maybe even a Cool-Whip taste which makes for a dessert experience. There's a faint nutty quality associated with English Brown Ales and when combined with the chocolate notes, makes for a peanut butter cup taste.

Mouthfeel is full, but not too thick. Some of the more bitter coffee notes tend to linger, but that's not a negative. I found my self gulping this down thanks to the dessert flavors.

Vanilla Pot & Kettle kept its promise with the addition of the vanilla beans and the beer turned into a confectionery experience because of it. It's a great base porter with a creamy addition, but also throws in some serious chocolate to make this a sundae of a beer while staying true to its Porter roots.

Rating
8.9/10

Castle Island Palmside

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 6.4%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.96/5
- RateBeer: N/A

"Smooth and silky with an uplifting coconut blast, Palmside is a tropical riff on our favorite porter recipe. We blend seven specialty malts for a rich, roasty backbone, then layer in loads of toasted coconut for a fragrant sweetness to keep it balanced. So find yourself some shade, kick those feet up, and go nuts."

The pour is pitch black for the most part except for hints of glowing, ruby red on the sides. There was a little less than a finger of khaki/almond-colored head.

The coconut is bold, but not overpowering. Then there are notes of rich chocolate, vanilla, and iced coffee.

Toasted coconut up front. Like the aroma, it is flavorful, but not overdone. Surprisingly, the black coffee flavor shares just as much time (probably more) with the coconut, almost as if the base porter still holds center stage despite the abundance of coconut in this beer. The good news is that the base porter is also excellent, so this isn't a big issue with me. The second half is actually all dark roast coffee/burnt coffee grounds, which again points to the base porter recipe being what you taste first and foremost. It isn't too bitter and it drinks more like cold-brewed iced coffee. I wish there was a bigger coconut component to this, but seems to go away after the initial burst at the start.

Mouthfeel seems relatively standard for a 6.4% porter. It's calm, but doesn't leave a lasting, coating feeling. That burnt coffee leaves an aftertaste, but nothing too extreme.

In the world of coconut porters & stouts, Palmside is a solid entry. If this was featured in my Coconut Porter Versus, then I would have ranked it between the Maui Coconut Porter and the Baxter Window Seat. As I said before, I wish coconut was more present throughout in order to create a great dessert beer, but the coconut was more for accenting the base recipe instead of being the star. A solid porter that needed a larger emphasis on the showcased ingredient.

Raitng
8.2/10

Funky Buddha Wide Awake It's Morning

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 9.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.53/5 (Top 250: #108)
- RateBeer: 4.19/5 (Top 50: #38)

"Rise and shine, buttercup - it's time for breakfast. This imperial version of our infamous Maple Bacon Coffee Porter adds some girthy gravity to the the smokey, salty, rich combo of maple syrup, fresh roasted coffee, and bacon."

Pours nearly pitch black with just shades of ruby red and dark brown on the edges. An aggressive pour still only produced (maybe) half a finger of brown head.

Oh, man. That maple syrup is so sweet and in your face, but is also assisted with fresh coffee (iced coffee) and noticeable saltiness. Oddly enough, I'm also getting a freshly-made chocolate doughnut aroma to this too. Pretty much everything screams breakfast.

I must say that out of everything I experienced on the aroma, the salt appears to be the flavor that sticks out the most on the taste. I acquired two bottles of this in a trade and I had the same experience with my first bottle. I thought what I tasted was influenced by what I had eaten right before, but sitting down a second time after a completely different meal, the results are the same and I can safely that this is how the beer is meant to taste. I don't mean that in a bad way whatsoever, so hear me out.

I wouldn't compare the salt in this to the saltiness of a Gose, but instead it is similar to bacon (which is what they were going for) or even the smoked malts of a good Rauchbier. Like the aroma, the syrup is big and sweet. Would I say it is like fresh, Vermont maple syrup? Not exactly. Think more supermarket maple syrup, but not as artificial. The coffee was more like a creamy iced coffee on the aroma, but now has flipped to dark coffee grounds on the taste, which is more similar to a classic porter. Near the finish are more dark roasted malts, black coffee, and dark chocolate bitterness.

Mouthfeel is nice and thick with lingering salt and coffee grounds. At 9.5%, there is no alcohol feeling at all and I am actually moving through my 22oz bomber at a good pace. Drinkability is surprisingly high for such a big beer thanks to the sugary, dessert-like flavors. There's a lot of stickiness thanks to the maple which will leave you smacking your lips after each sip.

Calling itself an imperial version of their Maple Bacon Coffee Porter, this variation from Funky Buddha has tons of flavor that will seem like a big ole glass of breakfast. That being said, since I have had the pleasure of having the standard Maple Bacon Coffee Porter (including the 2016 version I got in a trade along with this beer), I will say that I don't think Wide Awake It's Morning is much of an improvement over the base MBCP. Again, I had the 2016 MBCP within a small time frame of drinking this and I think the standard beer packs just as much flavor into a smaller form. Basically, they smell, taste,and feel the same, so you can't go wrong with either. Whichever one is easier to get is the one you should trade for and I don't think there's a need to dish out big time for this beer if you can get regular MBCP at a cheaper price.

Rating
8.7/10

Versus: Maui Brewing Coconut Porter & Baxter Brewing Window Seat

The Stats
Maui Coconut Porter
Style: American Porter
ABV: 6.0%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.99/5
- RateBeer: 3.69/5
Baxter Window Seat
Style: American Porter
ABV: 6.0%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.95/5
- RateBeer: 3.4/5

I really enjoy doing these "Versus" reviews. This is my second time doing one of these comparisons and this will be an ongoing feature on the blog. It's fun to put two beers of the same (or similar) style next to each other and see how one brewery approaches the recipe when compared to another. Last time I did this, I compared two beers of the same style, but were from the same brewery. This time, the breweries are different and the example is a coconut-flavored porter. I had a sweet tooth today and my dessert requirement is going to be filled (and then some).

APPEARANCE

Maui Coconut Porter
Sits seemingly pitch black in the glass, but shows shades of ruby red when held up to the light. The almond-colored head stuck around forever.

Baxter Window Seat
Almost identical to the Maui porter with the black body and dark red highlights. The head was also the same color, but with Baxter, the head disappeared quickly and wasn't as frothy.

AROMA

Maui Coconut Porter
Dark roast coffee is the most prominent. There's a small touch of toasted coconut, but it's not all that big. Some nice sweet chocolate syrup on the back end makes this smell like dessert and not the coconut.

Baxter Window Seat
A-ha, the coconut came to play on this one. Shredded coconut and nuttiness remind me of an Almond Joy. Then there's overly bitter coffee grounds hidden behind everything.

TASTE

Maui Coconut Porter
Thankfully the coconut showed up on the taste, and it's delicious. Don't think shredded coconut, but more toasted, which isn't as sugary or artificial-tasting. Middle of the mouth has flavors of iced coffee and mocha with a bitter dark chocolate finish with a minor bite of dark roast coffee on the very end.

Baxter Window Seat
I compared the aroma to an Almond Joy and I can safely say the same thing for the taste. All of the flavors are here just like the Maui porter, but they are more vibrant and dessert-like. A pleasant likeness to a fresh cup of coffee with cream is here too. That coffee bitterness is here throughout, but it's not like burnt coffee grounds, so it is actually welcome in this case.

MOUTHFEEL

Maui Coconut Porter
The feel is relatively calm, but that dark coffee bitterness sticks to every bit of my tongue and takes a few moments to go away. While you can't expect a luscious mouth-coating for 6%, the body does come up a tad thin, but not watery.

Baxter Window Seat
Smooth all around, but also a tad thin for style like the Maui porter. Unlike the Maui porter, there were no unpleasant cloying flavors as this was just a liquid dessert with easy drinkability.

OVERALL

I give the victory to Baxter Window Seat on this one. With the Maui Coconut Porter, the coconut was a background player while the coconut on the Window Seat was the lead actor. The Window Seat is a better dessert beer with the flavors popping off more on the taste and aroma when compared to Maui.

RATINGS

Maui Coconut Porter
 7.1/10

Baxter Window Seat
8.0/10

WINNER

Night Shift Awake

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 8.70%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.23/5
- RateBeer: 3.78/5

Night Shift has been killing it recently with their hoppy beers such as Whirlpool, Morph, and Santilli, but they also make some delicious dark beers. Awake is a big porter coming in at 8.70% and is brewed with Counter Culture Coffee.

Sits nearly pitch black in the glass, but you can see dark brown on the bottom, top, and edges. The pour produced two fingers of eggshell head.

Obviously massive coffee on the aroma, but also some cocoa powder and vanilla (a lot of vanilla). The base porter's dark roasted malts are also inviting.

Big bitterness from those dark malts hit the front of my tongue first followed by wave after wave of coffee. The vanilla was quite big on the nose and while it is here on the taste, it isn't equal to the aroma. Some nice cocoa bean flavor and even milk chocolate or chocolate syrup is really turning this from a coffee porter into a sweet dessert beer. The finish goes back to the bitter dark malts, but they aren't unpleasant and they don't linger.

A big porter at 8.70%, it does tend to feel a little thin, but still robust enough to remind that it's a big beer meant to be taken seriously. Not a lot of carbonation as it leans more towards a velvety feel with only a slight feeling of mouth-coating. A sticky sensation stands out after each sip, but it's nice and sweet.

Awake is a better-than-average coffee porter. It adds some sugary chocolate and vanilla notes to a great base porter without being cloying or overly sweet. Frankly, coffee porters are a dime a dozen, but Night Shift's interpretation is bold and dessert-like which adds enough complexity to make it worth your while.

Rating
8.3/10

Funky Buddha Morning Wood

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 12.00%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.6/5 (Top 250 - #113)
- RateBeer: 4.47/5 (mean)

Way back in January I reviewed Funky Buddha's Maple Bacon Coffee Porter which was a sweet and delicious porter. So, naturally when I heard about an imperial version aged in bourbon barrels, I had to get my hands on it. The standard MBCP came in at 6.40% and this beast is nearly double the abv plus the addition of several months of aging.

Pours pitch black, but you can barely get dark brown on the edges if you tilt it and hold it up to the light. Got less than a finger of light brown head.

The aroma is bursting with maple syrup and coffee. This is truly MBCP cranked up as it is so much more pungent on just the initial whiff.  After that there are subtle vanilla and oak from the barrel, but no real bourbon component.

Bourbon finally shows up on the taste. It's quite sticky, but also sweet and smooth. It's not just the bourbon that sticks either as that maple syrup is so bold just like the standard MBCP. There's a small alcohol taste to this, but a lot of the sweetness helps cut into it. In relation to MBCP, I recall that one having a stronger, salt and smoke character, but I don't get that here as I think the bourbon barrel has neutralized those flavors. I don't necessarily miss them since the abundance of maple syrup makes up for it, but I would have liked that piece if the puzzle too. I'm surprised at the amount of bourbon on the taste considering I got NONE of it on the aroma. It sticks around like crazy and lingers on the finish.

I mean you can call this an Imperial Porter or an Imperial Stout, but it's apples to oranges with this beer. It's thick, viscous, and coats your mouth. I don't care what its classification is, but it feels perfect, especially at 12.00%. It's also very soft and smooth on the tongue. There was the aforementioned alcohol taste, but it's minor and won't at all prevent you from enjoying this.

Morning Wood is nearly twice the abv of Maple Bacon Coffee Porter and it tastes and feels as such. Now, here's my criticism of this beer (Stop booing me!). While I love, LOVE the maple syrup, coffee, and bourbon, I don't think they are working off one another as perfectly as they should. As I drink this, I am saying to myself: "Oh, there's maple.Oh, there's coffee. Oh, there's bourbon". As a total package (not Lex Luger), it falls JUST short of blending everything together in the same way that other world-class barrel-aged beers do. All of that being said, all the flavors present are superb and as basically a Double MPCB with bourbon, this is fantastic.

Rating
9.2/10

Funky Buddha Last Snow

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 6.40%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.47/5
- RateBeer: 4.04/5

Hey, in Florida, even the Summer months feel like the Winter. Porters may be a cold-weather brew, but Florida doesn't have the luxury of watching the mercury drop to single digits, so you gotta make the most of the situation. Last Snow is Funky Buddha's homage to the fleeting winter temperatures and it has all the makings of a delectable dessert beer as it is made with coconut and coffee.

Pours pitch black for the most part. I had to hold it up to the light just right to get shades of ruby red and dark brown. I got two fingers of a beige/light brown head.

As soon as I popped the cap I got wave after wave of roasted coffee. When I stuck my nose in, I was floored by massive amounts of coconut and plenty of chocolate. It's basically a Mounds bar.

With all of that coconut and chocolate on the aroma, I have to say that the robust, base porter is what sticks out for me. Intensely rich, dark coffee and roasted malts come to me first. Only after that does the toasted coconut make itself known. Again comparing this to a Mounds or Almond Joy, the coconut has a sugary tinge to it like candy. While there was some delicious dark coffee up front, the finish is more comparable to bitter coffee grounds which linger on the back of my tongue.

Mouthfeel is dead-on for the style and abv. It's not thick enough to be a stout, and it's not thinning or watery. No alcohol detected and it is quite robust and full for a standard porter.

Last Snow was an intense combination of in-your-face coconut and coffee. The flavors popped more on the aroma than on the taste, but this was still a delicious flavored porter reminiscent of a Mounds or Almond Joy. It is very similar to the Wormtown Norm in that regard, but either beer will give you the same result.

Rating
9.3/10

Funky Buddha Maple Bacon Coffee Porter

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 6.40%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.5/5 (#91 on the Top 250)
- RateBeer: 4.07/5

Once a year Funky Buddha Brewery (another on my hit list) has a special release for one of their most highly acclaimed beers. This past month they had the MBCP Fest which was an all day event featuring music, food, and close to 50 different beers on draught. Those lucky enough to be there got their share of MBCP. I wasn't there, but I was able to work out some trades using my persistence, charm, and rugged good looks.

Pours pitch black with a miniscule amount of ruby red on the edges if I hold it up to the light. Got a finger of a tan head that disappeared quickly.

The first sniff is all coffee. Rich, roasted coffee. When I inhale deep, it's a blast of sugary maple syrup. I wouldn't call the malts roasted, but it has a smokey smell which is even a little bit salty.

There's a nice chocolatey taste initially, but it comes with the aforementioned salt. Behind that is even a hint of toffee. There's not a whole lot in terms of actual bacon, but the "B" in MBCP is represented by smokiness and salt. The coffee is pretty subdued on the taste, but the maple syrup is here all throughout from start to finish, especially the finish, where it lingers for a few joyous seconds. At first the salt was a bit overpowering, but as the beer warmed up, maple syrup became more prominent and helped take away some of the saltiness.

There's no carbonation to speak of which makes it feel like flat Pepsi. While not as heavy as expected, it does spread flavor all over the tongue and feels just like a 6.40% porter should. Maple lingers in a pleasant way and after each sip, this finishes sticky and sweet much like fresh maple syrup.

Maple Bacon Coffee Porter was almost held back by some overpowering saltiness, but luckily maple syrup and some chocolate swooped in to balance that out. The coffee was stronger on the aroma than on the taste, but most of us will come into MBCP wanting maple syrup. If that's your thing, then this delivers big. This beer is salty, sweet, sticky (I know what you're thinking) and is reminiscent of a morning breakfast. A great dessert beer, and if socially acceptable, a great breakfast beer.

Rating
9.1/10

Ballast Point Victory at Sea

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 10.00%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.39/5
- RateBeer: 4.04/5

Infused with whole vanilla beans and San Diego's own Cafe Calabria coffee, Victory at Sea is a big, ballsy imperial porter clocking in at 10.00%. It has all the makings of a fine dessert beer, but we won't know until we dive in.

Pours pitch black like a stout with some dark brown on the edges. Gave off two fingers of a dark khaki, light brown head.

Huge roasted coffee to lead things off on the aroma. It's like a fresh cup of joe in the morning. The vanilla beans offer a nice compliment to the coffee and subtle chocolate flavors. Very reminiscent of a bowl of coffee ice cream. Almost a distant oak and wood smell to it too.

There's almost a mocha, espresso taste to this beer. I know it isn't brewed with chocolate, but I get that in the taste with the coffee. It's also incredibly roasty and the vanilla beans are there on the end for one final kick of a marshmallow taste. Believe it or not, I'm picking up just the slightest red wine/red grape taste too.

As an imperial porter, this coats your mouth and tongue like an imperial stout while also being light and fluffy - pretty cool how it got the best of both worlds. With such a high abv, there is a small warming sensation, but other than that, there is no alcohol smell or taste.

In terms of dessert beers, this is up there with the best of the chocolate/coffee/vanilla stouts and porters. It has a ton of flavor and it's easy to drink for 10.00%. With these cold moths on the horizon, this is one to enjoy on a cool autumn evening after a hearty meal.

Rating
9.1/10

Avery Pump[KY]n

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 17.22%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.08/5
- RateBeer: 3.73/5

Who would have thought that the biggest beer I'd review on this blog (up until this point anyway) would be a pumpkin beer? Pumpkyn is a bourbon barrel-aged porter brewed with pumpkins and all of the associated spices. This baby clocks in at a staggering 17.22%!

Pours almost pitch black, maybe a deep, dark brown. Got a finger of khaki-colored head which for such a high abv, stuck around for the duration of my drinking.

You'd think the first thing I'd get on the aroma was the bourbon, but it's actually the cinnamon and a lot of nutmeg. The bourbon is not as powerful as the spices, but it's there. There's some roasted malt, and as it warms up, the pumpkin begins to shine through.

On the taste, pumpkin is the biggest flavor out of every ingredient with cinnamon being the dominant spice. The bourbon is smooth and sweet and I detect a small raisin or plum flavor. There is some alcohol taste, but at 17.22%, that is to be expected. Luckily it isn't off-putting when combined with the other flavors.

This was surprisingly thick and fluffy for a porter; it can be compared to a lot of stouts. At the same time, it has pretty decent carbonation. The abv causes a warming sensation in your throat and chest, but this actually drinks nicely for the alcohol content.

I was concerned with this being too hot given the gravity of the beer, but Pumpkyn is a solid pumpkin porter with great bourbon taste that accentuates the spices and pumpkin mash.

Rating
8.6/10

Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break Natale - Pretty Please With A Cherry On Top

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 11.50%
Current Beer Advocate Rating: 4.15/5

Imperial Biscotti Break is on of my favorite offerings from Evil Twin. This version adds sour cherries to the mix in an attempt to compliment the robust coffee and chocolate flavors of the original beer.

Pours like Shane Diesel - a pitch black base with a dark brown head.

The aroma is the familiar Imperial Biscotti Break that I know and love. Creamy milk chocolate and roasted coffee with tons of malty goodness. The cherries aren't in your face and are subdued in the mix of all the other flavors.

While the cherries weren't the first noticeable flavor on the aroma, the complete opposite is true for the taste. Immediately I am hit with sour cherries all the way from front to back. I still get a lot of roasted notes, but those chocolate and coffee flavors have taken a backseat to the "cherry on top".

Like its predecessor, this is a thick, creamy, and fluffy mouthfeel that coats your entire mouth. At 11.50% the alcohol is nearly undetectable and the drinkability is quite high for the abv and style.

Adding cherries to an already winning formula didn't take the beer to a new level, but instead it made a sweet beer sweeter. The cherries came through loud and clear on the taste, but their presence can be overpowering and they tend to linger on the aftertaste more than I wish they did. In the end, this is a good offering from Evil Twin, but I would stick to the regular Imperial Biscotti Break any day.

Rating
7.5/10