Category Archives: Porter

Equilibrium Möbius Papua New Guinea Vanilla

Brewery: Equilibrium Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: Porter
Other Notes: American Porter with Papua New Guinea vanilla

Brewer Description: (from Untappd) Papua New Guinea is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean producing beans with a creamy and floral vanilla note. Pouring rich and creamy, we get roasted coffee, chocolate, and dark malts all balanced by a sweet cream, tropical floral orchid, and classic vanilla. The toasty notes harmonize with the unique vanilla and finish with the slightest hints of cherry and caramel. This makes the second of the series unique and a great success for our beloved Porter. Please enjoy Möbius Papua New Guinea Vanilla at 55°–60°F.

My rating: 4-
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.94
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 1 pint can, with no canned on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a half finger brown head that had pretty good retention and left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, black coffee, chocolate, with some caramel and vanilla sweetness.
Taste: Light roast, chocolate, coffee, light to moderate sweetness, caramel, and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: It’s essentially what you’d expect from a Porter with vanilla. Solid and enjoyable.

The Garden Vanilla & Chocolate Porter

Brewery: The Garden Brewery
Country: Croatia
ABV: 6.7%
Style: American Porter
Other Notes: 26 IBUs. Malts – Pale Ale, Carafa Special 2, Crystal T50, Chocolate Malt, Aromatic Malts, Oats, Golden Naked Oats and Torrified Wheat. Hops – Centennial. Yeast – AY4. Adjuncts – Cocoa Powder, Cacao Nibs and Vanilla

Brewer Description: (from can) Rested on vanilla and cacao nibs, velvet on the tongue.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.83
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml can, canned on 19th August 2020, but with a best before date of 19th February 2022. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a two finger brown head that dissipated fairly quickly, but left some decent lacing.
Aroma: Lightly roasty, chocolate, and cacao, with light vanilla notes.
Taste: Light roast, lightly sweet, chocolate, chocolate milk, and light vanilla notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking with nice chocolate and vanilla notes.

Amager x 18th Street Lawrence Of Arabica

Brewery: Amager Bryghus x 18th Street Brewery
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7%
Style: American Porter
Other Notes: Malts – Pilsner, Roasted Barley, Caraaroma, Chocolate, Flaked Wheat, Wheat and Rye Crystal. Hops – Tomahawk and Citra

Brewer Description: (from bottle) One day we received an email from the Mikkeller HQ saying that they had an American gentleman coming to Copenhagen. The name of this gentleman was Mr. Drew Fox who not only happened to have his own brewery close to Chicago back home, but who also would love to come visit Amager Bryghus to brew a beer. That kind of proposal is simply impossible to turn down, so we found an open slot in our brewing schedule. For quite some time we had been curious about brewing a beer that had both coffee and orange zest, and since Drew has brewed several excellent coffee beers at his 18th Street Brewery we sat down to create Lawrence of Arabica, a Coffee Orange Porter. A mild and easygoing Porter, with an orange twist. We don’t hesitate to call Drew one of the kindest and friendliest dudes in the craft beer world, and we are honored to have made this beer with him.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.96
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 500ml bottle, batch no. 1095 with a best before date of July 2018. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown in colour with a one finger mocha head that dissipates quickly and leaves only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Coffee, chocolate and dark roasted malts with only subtle hints of orange peel.
Taste: Strong bitter coffee, milk chocolate, roasted malts and a light herbal element with only hints of candied orange peel in the background.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Nice and easy drinking Porter with good strong coffee flavours. The orange was perhaps a little light such that I probably would have missed it if it wasn’t written on the label. Still pretty good though.

Magic Rock Common Grounds

Brewery: Magic Rock Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 5.4%
Style: American Porter

Brewer Description: (from can) Triple coffee Porter.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.48
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 28th August 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a nice two fingered tanned head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: A good amount of fresh black coffee and chocolate.
Taste: Like drinking iced black coffee with a touch of chocolate, toffee and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: I thought that it looked and smelt great. However, taste was a little one dimensional coffee, and unfortunately, in a way, I would prefer regular iced black coffee. In addition, body was a little light and could do with higher carbonation.

Hill Farmstead Shirley Mae

Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 4%
Style: American Porter

Brewer Description: (from website) Shirley Mae (1936 – 2015) was our cousin, daughter of Everett, and a beloved supporter of her family and Hill Farmstead. In her honor, this American session version of our Everett porter is crafted from American malted barley, English and German roasted malts, American hops, our ale yeast and water from our well. Chocolate, coffee, and light malty sweetness, this ale embodies her ebullient and generous spirit – a fitting tribute.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.15
My ratebeer.com rating: 3

Intro: On tap at Mikkeller & Friends (Stefansgade), Copenhagen, into a Mikkeller tasting glass.
Appearance: It was a dark brown colour with a one finger tanned head that had great retention and lacing.
Aroma: Wonderful coffee bean, chocolate, mocha and a touch of vanilla.
Taste: Surprisingly disappointing considering the great aroma. An un-complex mish mash with a bit of coffee here and a bit of chocolate there.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with very light carbonation.
Overall: I guess this just wasn’t my thing. I easily preferred Everett over Shirley Mae.

hill farmstead shirley mae 1

hill farmstead shirley mae 2