Donner Party Porter
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

Donner Party PorterDonner Party Porter
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From:
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
American Porter
Ranked #109
ABV:
6.7%
Score:
89
Ranked #12,314
Avg:
3.97 | pDev: 8.56%
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
89
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 10, 2023
Added:
Feb 28, 2007
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  8
Donner Party Porter is one tasty porter that will get you through the harshest winter. This complex pint's flavor profile includes hints of oat cakes, molasses, smooth rich dark chocolate, mocha, and espresso. That, my friends, is what we call a robust, almost historical porter, and why we can say "your friends never tasted so good!"
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.31 by LA2ED7

Sep 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.12 by InfernoBoss from California

Sep 04, 2023
 
Rated: 3.94 by Lucnifter from California

May 29, 2023
Photo of RyanK252
Reviewed by RyanK252 from California

3.94/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Can poured into a Mountain Rambler Brewery pint glass

A: Pours nearly black dark brown with a frothy khaki head that settles to a light layer and leaves a little nice lacing.

S: Roasty, earthy, dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, coffee, faint smoke, molasses, burnt sugar, and slight herbal notes.

T: Roasty, big earthy char, a touch of smoke, bittersweet chocolate, and espresso, underlying dark and dried fruit, plum and date, slight herbal notes, faint vanilla, rounded out with molasses and burnt sugar sweetness.

M: Medium body, moderately lively carbonation.

O: Had to try it because of the name. Earthy char is a bit more assertive than I typically prefer. When combined with the slightly elevated carbonation it makes this one not the easiest drinking at times, though it became a bit more balanced as it warmed. Would make a nice fireside beer after a day in the snow.
Nov 26, 2022
Photo of oldmankoch
Rated by oldmankoch from Tennessee

4.04/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Solid classic porter. Very earthy with some cocoa, vanilla, char, tobacco and maybe a touch of honey.
Feb 02, 2021
Photo of mntlover
Reviewed by mntlover from Tennessee

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours black at least in the wee hours of the morning it does. Small one finger tan head falls slow with good lace.

Aroma is chocolate malts, lightly roasted notes, lighter coffee hints of molasses.

Taste is spot on to the nose good roasted notes, chocolate more espresso then in the nose hints of molasses. Finish is nice linger roasted notes with some light herbal earthy hops.

Mouthfeel is solid medium with very lightly peppy carbonation, could be turned down 1 fro me anyway.

Overall a solid and tasty porter.
Jan 12, 2021
 
Rated: 3.65 by ckeegan04 from Texas

Jul 15, 2020
 
Rated: 3.82 by HopBelT from Belgium

May 08, 2020
 
Rated: 3.18 by StoutSnob40 from California

Mar 06, 2020
 
Rated: 3.5 by Elicoleman from Colorado

Feb 19, 2020
 
Rated: 4.23 by Jsalz21 from New Jersey

Feb 05, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by FLBeerGuy from Florida

Jan 12, 2020
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Reviewed by HoppingMadMonk from New Jersey

4.09/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Light carbonation with a just above average body with a bit of a creamy oily feel
Aroma is a really pleasant mix of dark roasted espresso beans,roasted malt, some milk chocolate and mocha candy. Aroma is very well balanced with even more there than I'm explaining
Taste is mildly sweet yet has a slight dry component. Not as complex as the aroma but theres roasted malt,dark chocolate, espresso beans.
Overall it's a delicious beer that I would try again
Jan 05, 2020
 
Rated: 3.25 by djrn2 from New Jersey

Dec 21, 2019
Photo of champ103
Reviewed by champ103 from Texas

4.12/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A: Pours a dark black color with ruby/brown highlights around the edges. A dense tan head rises with excellent retention. Some spotty lace is left behind.
S: Roasted malts for sure, coffee light bakers chocolate. A bit of a metallic aroma that I find odd, but other than that classic strong porter/stout aroma.
T: No metallic character in the taste at all. Lots of roasted malts with coffee and chocolate as would be expected. A touch smoky, but not over done in that department. As this warms, a huge baked bread flavor emerges that I love.
M/O: A full body without being overly viscous or heavy at all. Perfectly weighty for the style and ABV IMO. Good carbonation, Which all leads to this being really easy to drink.

I would call this a stout, especially since my can says ABV is 7.2%. Though that is neither here nor there. Just a good beer, that I will be revisiting.
Nov 03, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by kkarimi from Texas

Oct 11, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by kjkinsey from Texas

Sep 14, 2019
Photo of BigGold
Reviewed by BigGold from Mississippi

3.97/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had poured from 12-oz. can, stamped “CANNED ON 03/26/19,” into nonic pint.

A beautiful deep brown beer with a lasting tan head and world-class lace, and a more than interesting aroma, which has the requisite roast malts but is wrapped in a creamy, chocolate, mocha package, with a just bitter enough finish.
Aug 26, 2019
Photo of ArrogantB
Reviewed by ArrogantB from Colorado

3.16/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
On tap at the brewery in Truckee. Dark brown. Aroma is roasted malts. Flavor is smoky, way too smoky for my tastes. I love porters but this one is a hard pass.
Jul 24, 2019
Photo of Snowcrash000
Reviewed by Snowcrash000 from Germany

4.17/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a pitch black coloration with a medium, creamy, mocha-colored head. Smells of roasted, caramel malt, with hints of chocolate and coffee. Taste follows the nose, with a nice balance of roasted, caramel malt and some chocolate and coffee notes coming through, as well as just a hint of licorice and earthy/herbal hops as well. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some chocolate and coffee notes lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

While this may not be particularly bold or complex, it does have a rather nice, mellow balance to it that is quite enjoyable, with the roasted malt and mocha notes staning out particularly and some ligher notes of dark chocolate, licorice and earthy/herbal hops. This is a 6.70% ABV Porter, after all, not an Imperial Stout, and quite a nice example of the style at that.
Jul 09, 2019
Donner Party Porter from FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 89 ratings