MacTarnahan's Blackwatch Cream Porter
Portland Brewing Company

MacTarnahan's Blackwatch Cream PorterMacTarnahan's Blackwatch Cream Porter
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From:
Portland Brewing Company
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
5.3%
Score:
79
Avg:
3.45 | pDev: 14.78%
Reviews:
203
Ratings:
223
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 07, 2020
Added:
Sep 15, 2001
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jbsteiny:
Photo of jbsteiny
Reviewed by jbsteiny from Hawaii

3.83/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours an unusually dark brown with a tan, foamy head that quickly fades into a thin ring of tiny bubbles. Leaves chains of lace with poor retention. Persistent, fine carbonation nearly invisible in this opaque liquid. A porter couldn't get much darker without being a stout.

Aromas are very faint when this beer is refrigerator temperature, but as it warms, roasted malts, especially burnt coffee, emerge. A lingering sweetness combines with moderate diacetyl to produce toffee aromas. I don't really smell much hops. When the beer is at a good drinking temperature, it can smell very sweet and creamy.

This is a very flavorful porter -- big roast characteristics, followed up by bitter hops. It's amazing that I can't really smell them when they're so prominent on the palate. While the sweetness is prominent in its scent, the flavor is dominated by the bitterness and astringency of the roasted malts and hops until late in the finish, when I'm left with the taste of coffee ice cream and diacetyl.

The mouthfeel has positive and negative aspects: it's too fizzy when it's in the mouth, but it does a fairly creamy body (it says they use oatmeal) and goes down easily (aside from all those bubbles). Slightly sticky coating, but at least it tastes pretty good.

I can't say I love it, and though it's an interesting take on the style, I'd probably rate this beer higher if it hedged less with the diacetyl and was more of a big, bold, bitter American porter. As it is, it's certainly tasty, and as it's moderately priced at Safeway, I'll probably be buying it again. Still, Deschutes Black Butte provides a better example of the style because it tries to do less and achieves its goals.
Oct 03, 2007
More User Ratings:
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.24/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Picking up a 6 pack of Portland Brews used to be pretty easy, they had good west coast distribution and their 6 packs were rarely over 5.99; things have changed, as I almost never see these beers anymore. I think the cool historical footnote to this beer is that it took the ways to make a hazy ipa (oats/wheat), but applied them in a cream porter.

Poured darker than expected, had a black exterior when I was looking for something more akin to brown with a "cream porter". 1/2" cream colored head. Interesting nose, is this oxidized or use a Russian Imperial Stout yeast? Its got a fair amount of dry dark fruit notes in the nose that seem to take the most prominence.

Taste is easy going, there is the expected roasted malt that is tempered by the alternative grains making for a more streamlined and smooth mouth feel experience. Its not bitter or roasty all that much, they went for smooth. Think of this as an alternative to Black Butte porter which is a little bit bigger, roastier, hoppier without getting all imperialized.
Jan 07, 2020
 
Rated: 3.84 by arini10 from Oregon

Dec 10, 2015
 
Rated: 3.67 by Spaceman_Jer from Colorado

Mar 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.45 by airpup from Oregon

Feb 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.18 by cambabeer from New York

Dec 31, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by jakewatt135 from Oregon

Dec 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by Hellpop65 from Kansas

Dec 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by KAF from Iowa

Jul 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by jaydoc from Kansas

Dec 14, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Murphious from Illinois

Nov 23, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Sir_Goatman from Oregon

Oct 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by lighthabit from Oregon

Oct 23, 2013
Photo of vkv822
Reviewed by vkv822 from Oregon

3.26/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
2013 seasonal release from Portland Brewing.

Pours black, with a thick, foamy beige head.

Roasty malts, sweet oat character.

Medium, smooth body from the oats and wheat.

A tasty, easy drinking porter. Nothing too robust or complex, but pleasant nonetheless.
Oct 21, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by harpus from Alabama

Oct 10, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by coldmeat23 from Oklahoma

Sep 15, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Hopheadjeffery from Illinois

Aug 05, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by WOLFGANG from South Carolina

Jul 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by ejimhof from Pennsylvania

Jul 24, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Slatetank from Pennsylvania

May 24, 2013
MacTarnahan's Blackwatch Cream Porter from Portland Brewing Company
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 223 ratings