Oliver's Pagan Porter
Pratt Street Ale House

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From:
Pratt Street Ale House
 
Maryland, United States
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
4.9%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.63 | pDev: 12.12%
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
32
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 08, 2014
Added:
Oct 04, 2003
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
An ale in the "brown porter" style with a smooth mouth feel, a hint of licorice and a dry finish. This is what we choose with our famous crab dip.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by woodychandler:
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 3
Notes from GEN Sutter's 28 August 2009 Cask Night. Once again, Steve Jones slightly modified a recipe to bring north, but rather than add a new beer, I feel it is more justified to review it under its standard name.

They filled the glass to the rim with this beer, so it was impossible for a head to form beyond a film of brown. Steve brewed this with vanilla beans and then added a few beans into the cask before shipping it out. The nose was faintly vanilla with a definite chocolate overlay. Color was a deep, dark brown allowing for very little light penetration. Mouthfeel was silky smooth with a chocolate/vanilla interplay on the tongue. The same thing went for the finish. It was like one of those soft-serve swirly cones that I had as a kid. It was a dessert beer, to be sure.
Oct 31, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by wrightst from Maryland

Nov 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Aug 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

Jun 03, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by MarvinSnyder from West Virginia

May 26, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Boone757 from Virginia

Dec 22, 2012
 
Rated: 2 by t0rin0 from California

Dec 16, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by mendvicdog from Maryland

Nov 23, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by 2dogbrew from Virginia

Aug 05, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by Gww1864 from New Jersey

Jul 01, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by bootsandbeer from Maryland

Jun 03, 2012
Photo of ckollias
Reviewed by ckollias from Maryland

3.58/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Enjoyed this brew at the brewpub downtown out of a pint glass.

A: Pours an almost pitch black hue with a thin tan-head that quickly dissipates into a wispy lace.

S: Roasted malt aroma with hints of chocolate and coffee in the background.

T: Smooth and sweet caramel and chocolate flavors.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Decent porter – well balanced and tasty.
Apr 30, 2012
Photo of binkman
Reviewed by binkman from Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Had on cask from Liam Flynn's in Baltimore.

Poured cloudy brown, settled out to black with rich off-white head. Ruby highlights around the edges of the glass. Globby lacing down the glass.

Smell was a balance of dark malts and hops. Flavor betrayed little of the hoppiness but rich malt character with a light roasted accent. Not a stout roasted malt bitterness, more muted, but also lacking a bit of a middle of the road brown malt character I've come to expect in my porter.

Soft carbonation from a beer engine was just right. This was the first pint pulled, so it may have contributed to the head.

Not an American porter by hopping standards, but the lack of brown malt character makes it not quite English for me either. Nevertheless, an outstanding pint. I think I'll order another.
Mar 13, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Jan 28, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by mcphish22 from Maryland

Nov 17, 2011
Photo of drabmuh
Reviewed by drabmuh from Maryland

3.6/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This should be an English porter but whatever. If it weren't for Oliver's I'd probably drink way less British style ales. Beer is brown on cask and mildly hazy. Low carbonation and a big soapy head that breaks and falls quickly leaving no lacing on the glass.

Beer's aroma is mostly roasty, overall weak. Mild sweetness. The aroma appropriately frames the beer, weak, sweet, coffee roast at the back with a thin mouthfeel and a clean finish. Its OK but Oliver's makes better beers and there are better ENGLISH porters out there.
Sep 08, 2010
Photo of esv
Reviewed by esv from Virginia

4.24/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A) 1/8" white head. Went away quickly. Dark brown with ruby-red edges.

S) Light toastiness. Hints of chocolate.

T) Chocolate with light, ripe plum. Wonderfully balanced. Roasted flavors.

M) Medium mouthfeel. Low carbonation.

A wonderful Brown Porter.
Aug 10, 2010
Photo of blackie
Reviewed by blackie from Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
this one was reportedly given the cask treatment with vanilla beans

a: nonic pint, deep brown in color, not much head or retention

s: nose composed mostly of some watery coffee and semisweet chocolate aromas, which would be nice, but there's no supporting body here, the vanilla is mild and melds pretty well into the chocolate

m: just under medium with very little carbonation, seems a touch light to me

t: much like the aroma - smooth chocolate and a weak roasted coffee edge, the lack of much background malt makes it seem timid in character, some mild vanilla flavours, lightly hopped

d: low abv and cask serving typically bode well for drinkability, and it does go down easy, but it's not something I'd care for another of

served at ChurchKey, DC
Aug 09, 2010
Photo of mdfb79
Reviewed by mdfb79 from New York

3.21/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
From 08/02/10 notes. Had on cask at Churchkey in DC.

a - Pours a dark brown color with one finger of brown head and no carbonation.

s - Smells of straight up coffee grinds, as well as roasted malts.

t - Tastes of again, coffee grinds, as well as water, roasted malts, and chocolate.

m - Light body and no carbonation. A bit watery in feel.

d - An ok beer, but not one of Oliver's best. I thought it smelled and tasted like pure coffee grinds, and wasn't very balanced or had much else going on. I usually like every beer I have by them but this one didn't do it for me. Wouldn't seek out again.
Aug 05, 2010
Photo of TMoney2591
Reviewed by TMoney2591 from Illinois

4/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served in a nonic pint glass.

Yet another reason to love ChurchKey: a lovely handful of cask ales to choose from, including this little ditty. Pours a clear dark amber brown with a thumb of ecru foam topping it all off. The smell is of wheat, walnuts, corn, and light maple syrup. Those pesky walnuts return in the taste, along with some unsalted cashews, a loaf or so of rye bread, a short stack o' pancakes, and a half-bag of semi-sweet chocolate morsels. What is this, a beer or a bakery? (Sorry, I've been watching a bit o' the Marx Brothers lately...) The body sits at the lighter end of the medium scale, with low carbonation and a moderate amount of mouth-coating. Not much else to say, other than "Tasty!"
May 21, 2010
Oliver's Pagan Porter from Pratt Street Ale House
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 32 ratings