Beer Review: Atlantic Coal Porter

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 6.5 percent

Appearance: Here we find ourselves with yet another brew that if it didn't have the color similar to that of its title we'd have a problem. Luckily, everything ended up just right for this one. The color of the body was in deed coal black! It also boasted some golden brown hues. The head rose to a thickness of about a half-inch and appeared to be somewhere in between a white and a beige. It did look flat after the initial pour, but after foaming up it did leave a ring of foam entirely across the glass without any breaks.

Smell: Very dark, but with some interesting layers. I got plenty of cocoa and roast. Behind that came some sweeter and darker malts.

Taste: I was bombarded with some cocoa and dark chocolate up front. I haven't come across too many porters that had a layer of cocoa and one with darker chocolate playing off of one another. The dark chocolate became more prevalent and noticeable about mid-way back. It was at this point that some robust coffee flavors came out and combined with the dark malts perfectly. I think this assisted in the roasty and bitter after taste I got after each of my sips of this brew.

Overall Rating: 

This was an aged beer on my part. If you grab one of these today you're likely to see a completely re-branded bottle. I couldn't find anything wrong with this. It definitely was complex for a porter, which we get used to being basic and not featuring quite as many layers of flavor. Different chocolate tastes and some robust and bitter coffee notes. A good beer.

Beer Review: Bell's Kalamazoo Stout

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Six percent

Appearance: Kalamazoo Stout has a dark body. It can be classified anywhere between a very dark brown and a black. There are highlights of both colors floating around in the body of the brew. The head is what made this stout one of my favorites in terms of how it looks. It was a lighter shade of beige, but the upper portions of it were a creamy white. That looked very appetizing as I went in for a few sips of this brew.

Smell: This smelled very dark, roasty and robust. The prominent scent I picked up was the brewer's licorice that's noted on the label. I love black licorice. So, this was a big plus for me. There was also a couple notes of chocolate and coffee. There was more coffee present between the two.

Taste: The black licorice was very present on the front of the tongue as was some dark, sweet and roasted malt. The chocolate that I picked up in the aroma seemed to be a bit overwhelmed by the malt bill in this beer as I wasn't able to get much of it. The coffee in the beer had a dryness that paired well with a nice hop bitterness on the finish. The aftertaste consisted of heat from the booze in this one. Not overwhelming at all. This stout wasn't as "chewy" as I would have liked it to be. If felt to be a little on the thinner side.

Overall Rating: 

This is a great stout if you're looking for a good one to drink. I love black licorice. So, this was an instant hit with me. This was very similar to the General Washington's Tavern Porter that I also love. The only difference as that the Tavern Porter had molasses. Something that's rare in stout today. In the Kalamazoo Stout, I would have really liked to have more chocolate as well as the beer playing a little thicker than it did.

Beer Review: Troegs Java Head Stout

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 7.5 percent

Appearance: It seems as if the stouts that put themselves ahead of others in the pack seem to be those that have a very dark, black color. Java Head Stout fits the bill in this department. The only presence of carbonation that's visible to the naked eye is what's in the foamy, tan head atop the brew. It's tan and is very reminiscent of what foams up when you pour a glass of cola. It was somewhat weak retention, but there was a nice thin layer of foam throughout the drink. I've seen confusion in reports of this being both a regular stout and an oatmeal stout. it is in fact an oatmeal if you check on the Troegs website. More evidence is in the beady lacing the tan head will leave inside your glass.

Smell: Overall, the theme of this beer is darkness. I caught a ton of dark and roasted coffee beans. Behind that was plenty of dark chocolate to counter the coffee's bitterness with something sweet. These two aromas are very powerful, but not overbearing to the point where it's unnecessary.

Taste: This beer kind of tasted like an intense mocha from an upscale coffee shop. The two dominant aspects of the beer's aroma were also the two dominant features in the taste. I'm a guy that doesn't like putting all kinds of junk in his coffee in the mornings. I like it black and the taste of this beer reminded me of that. The coffee was dark, roasty and robust. the sweetness of the chocolate complimented the bolder flavor very well. There was also a decent backbone of roasted malt on the front of the tongue. The flavors seem to mesh well as the beer warms, making it that much smoother despite the boldness.

Overall Rating: 

This is an excellent beer. If I had to say it was missing anything it would be an obvious presence of oats since this is an oatmeal stout. The only thing that shows is the beady lacing as I mentioned, but I didn't pick up any in the aroma or the taste. That might be attributed to the dominance of the coffee and dark chocolate that's in this brew. Still, those two flavors make this an awesome drink. This could go with a nice breakfast in some cases!

Beer Review: Atwater Vanilla Java Porter

Serving Type: Draft/Growler

ABV: Six percent

Appearance: Atwater Vanilla Java Porter is a tad lighter when it comes to porters, which are almost exclusively black. By lighter I'm still talking in a darker connotation. This brew was pretty much a dark brown. If I took some dark chocolate and melted it down the finished product should be something close to this color.The head of the beer wasn't too active. There was a very thin layer, but it did feature some of the biggest bubbles I've seen in a beer.

Smell: The aroma kind of reminded me of an upscale coffee shop. I noticed a few hints of coffee roast with some vanilla sneaking in behind it. Overall, the smell is in the dark and roasty category. The vanilla plays the role of a nice kicker.

Taste: Expect a rush of coffee up front and an above'average finish with the vanilla. I also got an unexpected touch of cocoa mixed in there with the vanilla sensation. In terms of mouth feel I was kind of disappointed in that regard. I expected this from the sight of the brew's head, but it does indeed not feel as thick as I'd want it to be. As us geeks like to say "we like a porter/stout that we can chew."

Overall Rating: 

There's a good use of flavors in this beer. Usually you get a dark brew that has either a combination of coffee/cocoa or coffee/vanilla. This one provides you with all three. The two small misses for me was the lack of head activity and the weak mouth feel. Still, I'd be happy with another growler of this. Reminded me, albeit slightly, of Breckenridge Vanilla Porter.

Beer Review: Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.8 percent

Appearance: Edmund Fitzgerald Porter pours a deep coal black and has some appetizing brown highlights scattered elsewhere throughout the body. The crown of the brew gives off an almost brown head, which had thickness of approximately quarter of an inch. It provided a creamy cap atop the beer for pretty much the entire drink.

Smell: A robust aroma of coffee beans was the most dominant thing I noticed upon initial waft. The chocolate came next. The thing with the chocolate was the fact that it didn't smell too sugary. It was somewhat bitter, which complimented the coffee very well.

Taste: This beer tastes really warm and roasty. That can be contributed to the coffee content. As I mentioned previously about the bitterness of the chocolate complimenting the coffee notes, the same can be said for the taste. Another thing I'd like to note is how the slight hop bitterness also successfully plays into the role of complimenting the strong coffee. Everything works quite well in this beer.

Overall Rating: 

One of the best porters I've ever had. Before I began to explore what each beer style had to offer (years ago) I tried this beer once and it tasted awful to me. My palette wasn't quite ready to appreciate the bold and dark flavors this brew provides. I've finally come back to it and couldn't be happier. You also have to listen to Gordon Lightfoot's song as you drink this!