Elemental
Renaissance Brewing

ElementalElemental
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From:
Renaissance Brewing
 
New Zealand
Style:
English Porter
ABV:
6%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.96 | pDev: 9.34%
Reviews:
53
Ratings:
105
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 27, 2022
Added:
Jan 03, 2008
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  9
A rich, full bodied brew with plenty of dry, dark chocolate and roasty malt flavours which gradually give way to a cleansing hop-driven finish.
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Ratings by JohnnyBarman:
Photo of JohnnyBarman
Reviewed by JohnnyBarman from Canada (ON)

4.08/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bottle from the LCBO. Nice to keep seeing Renaissance brews on the shelves.
. Poured into a goblet.

Dark Chesnut, nearly black. Good sturdy head of off white foam, nice retention.

Rich coffee, cream, licorice, caramel and nuttiness to the nose. Very nice.

Tasty porter, nice blend of flavors. Initally sweet but finishes dry. Coffee, roasted malts, licorice or anise. A touch of hops in the finish.

Lighter bodied, mild carbonation. Very easy to drink.

3/3 with Renaissance. Very enjoyable porter.
Jan 18, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Feb 27, 2022
Photo of jbehlar
Rated by jbehlar from Mississippi

5/5  rDev +26.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
World of Beer NOLA.

This is the best porter I've had yet.
Apr 19, 2018
Photo of Act25
Reviewed by Act25 from New Jersey

4.09/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
While I hate to ship beer all the way from NZ to NYC, having dinner on Union St in park slope at Mark Simmons' NZ restaurant - Kiwiana. A must try.
a) As pretty and dark as Old Engine Oil with lasting head and lace.
s) Molasses, vanilla, chocolate predominate - great with the cheese course.
t) Follows smell with more fruitiness and smokiness.
f) mid body, low carbonation, wine like, great last beer of evening.
o) An English influence, hence comparisons to Fullers, Taddy, or Harviestoun.
Mar 23, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by cryptichead from Illinois

Sep 02, 2017
 
Rated: 3.49 by Dewsby from Kentucky

Oct 28, 2016
Photo of JonCorbett
Reviewed by JonCorbett from Canada (BC)

3.96/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Poured in to a chalice. Cola black. Carbonation consists of medium to large bubbles that develop a loose, frothy, and rather small head even with a fairly aggressive pouring. The head is a medium tan colour and retention is low - (rapid dissipation). Even after swirling it doesn’t stick to the glass and settles smoothly back into the ring.

Aromatics: Nose is full of dark fruits - dates/plums, with hints of vanilla and caramelized brown sugar, and mellow roasted coffee.

Taste: Starts somewhat fruity, and is quickly replaced with a grassy and slight alcohol punch, but finishes with a very impressionable cacao/espresso flavour. I’ve never tried to roast wheat grass, but if I had to describe the bitter - that’s what I would say is it tastes like toasted wheat grass. Rich bitter with a slight tang at the edges of the palate when it finishes.

Feel: A very robust character; medium weight and the lack of carbonation gives it a smooth and dry coffee texture.

Overall: A rich bitter nature so similar to coffee I would use it as an after dinner digestif, especially with a simple dessert like a fruit tart or pie and vanilla ice cream.
Jul 13, 2016
 
Rated: 4.08 by BCborn from Canada (BC)

Jul 04, 2016
Photo of jmdrpi
Reviewed by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
500 ml bottle no date

black, opaque, tan head. good head retention. aroma of milk chocolate and a little coffee. taste is slightly roasty, good balance of sweetness. slightly dry finish. nice thick silky mouthfeel.
Apr 17, 2016
 
Rated: 4.02 by mdagnew from Northern Ireland

Apr 06, 2016
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

3.92/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
16.9 oz bottle at 42 degrees into a hand washed and dried JK snifter; allowed to warm to 50 degrees
Aroma – begins with some roasted malt and light coffee and toffee; weakens but remains entire glass
Head small (< one cm, aggressive pour), light brown, creamy/fizzy, diminishing to irregular two to six mm ring and partial layer
Lacing good – curtains of tiny bubbles with large openings
Body dark brown/black, opaque
Flavor light coffee and roasted malt; no hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate medium, watery, soft carbonation

Appearance 3.75, Aroma 4, Flavor 4, Palate 3.75, Overall 4
Mar 30, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

Feb 21, 2016
 
Rated: 4.41 by Vylo from New Jersey

Jan 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4.44 by KensWorld from Florida

Dec 17, 2015
Photo of Jeffsta1
Reviewed by Jeffsta1 from Washington

4.2/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Nice dark color, tan head, disappears a bit quickly.

Beautiful bouquet of malt and cocoa. Simple, but fantastic. Not a single off note.

Subtle flavor or malt, cocoa, licorice, perhaps hints of soy. Some hoppy bitterness on the release.

Fairly rich mouthfeel, nice.

Bitter finish.
Sep 27, 2015
 
Rated: 4.73 by Zond from Idaho

Jul 26, 2015
Photo of drtth
Reviewed by drtth from Pennsylvania

4.17/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
The beer pours out into a Duvel glass a deep brown almost black color with a 2 1/2" tan foamy head, that leaves some patches and legs of lacing as it slowly recedes to a layer of foam. Each sip leaves a coating of foam the becomes patches, and legs of lacing.

The strongest aromas include black chocolate and cocoa, along with some dark roasted malt.

As expected from the nose the flavors are strongly dominated by dark chocolate and cocoa, both supported by the background of bittered roasted malt. The hops don't seem to me to play much of an obvious role here but may be contributing to the bitterness. With only 6% ABV there's no alcohol detectable.

The mouth feel is medium bodied and smooth with gentle, persistent moderate carbonation. The finish is medium length and tapers off from the chocolate into persistent dry bitterness which seems to me to be more from the roasted malt than the hops. (It is also quite persistent and may be a bit stronger than some prefer.)

Overall I think this is a very well made beer with a lot to recommend it. The brewery says they have positioned themselves to produce high end premium ales to "enlighten the palate and thrill the senses." Seems to me as though they've done reasonably well at meeting that goal. I'd certainly be willing to have another sometime if it were possible to get it without the imported beer price tag it carries.
Jun 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.94 by markgugs from New Jersey

May 28, 2015
Photo of 50wolves
Reviewed by 50wolves from Australia

4.24/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Aroma - smells milky like, reminds me of a Guinness. Appearance - Pours dark with no carbonation, heady is very milky / creamy like (minimal head). Taste - Well balanced, mild tasting beer. Finish is present however not overly so. Mouthfeel - Creamy with a cool touch Overall - Easy to drink, fairly similar to Guinness.
Mar 12, 2015
Photo of CJNAPS
Rated by CJNAPS from California

4.68/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
This was a great beer, very dark, thick head that lasted the whole time. Gotta find more.
Mar 07, 2015
Elemental from Renaissance Brewing
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 105 ratings