Beer Review: General Washington's Tavern Porter

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Seven percent

Appearance: General Washington's Tavern Porter pours a really dark black. By black, I mean black like the ocean abyss with the weird-looking creatures you learned about in elementary school. The body also featured a few slight brown highlights. The head was a dark beige and begins as the width of a half-finger and has a moderate dissipation rate..

Smell: Some strong and dark coffee is prevalent in this brew's aroma. Behind that came some roasted malt. What made me feel like I was in a colonial tavern somewhere was the presence of molasses. A lot of molasses, which I had no problem with at all.

Taste: That dark, roasted coffee was once again dominant. I got some nice zing from some black licorice as well. The molasses took over on the finish and in the aftertaste, which really lingered. You'll thank me for this later, but let the beer warm a bit. As it warms, there's a small alcohol warmth sensation that accompanies each sip.

Overall Rating: 

This is a fantastic beer. I love the heavy use of molasses in this brew. It's something that I don't sense much in a lot of beers today. The zing I got from the licorice also added an awesome touch. If you get a good glass of this with a great head, it's a very attractive beer as well. Unfortunately, the photograph I took doesn't get that across as well as I would've liked.