Small Batch Series No. 4
Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling

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From:
Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling
 
Texas, United States
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
10%
Score:
78
Avg:
3.38 | pDev: 23.96%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
72
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 24, 2020
Added:
Dec 20, 2012
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  13
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.94 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Aug 24, 2020
 
Rated: 3.59 by Abe_Froman from Massachusetts

May 21, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by nathanmiller from New York

Nov 14, 2015
 
Rated: 2.73 by kingjohnh from New Mexico

Sep 21, 2015
Photo of HipCzech
Reviewed by HipCzech from California

3.5/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Serving: 12.7 oz bottle (marked "11.26.12"), poured into a 9 oz Libbey Embassy snifter.

Appearance: Deep, dark, clear mahogany brown. Builds a quick head of overly large, tan bubbles that recede to a fringe of foam.

Smell: Sweet, dark fruit, vanilla and subtle barrel notes; slight mesquite smoke.

Taste: Roasted grain, plums, vanilla, slight bitterness and warming, boozy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, smooth feel, but overcarbonated with large, prickly bubbles.

Overall: Some nice barrel elements and smoke, but doesn't quite pull together.
Aug 15, 2015
 
Rated: 3.65 by cultclassic89 from Texas

May 03, 2015
Photo of Goblinmunkey7
Reviewed by Goblinmunkey7 from Massachusetts

2.89/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
Appearance: Dark brown that ends up looking more like a cola brown once it settles. Head is massive and pillowy khaki. Crazy high retention. Popping the cap causes the bottle to gush immediately. Settles quickly. A gentle pour yields more foam than is necessary. Sticky splotches of lacing.

Smell: Tons of mesquite smoked wood. Smoke. Malts are slightly roasted with some cocoa and chocolate notes. Very minor hop profile - grassy. Leather, tobacco leaf, teriyaki, jerky, very meaty. Sweet thanks to the mesquite. Bourbon barrel is almost impossible to detect. Very vague notions of low-grade bourbon buried in the back and it only comes out as the beer hits room temperature. Some caramel as well.

Taste: Mesquite and lots of it. Oak barrel as well. Touches of bourbon. Some vanilla and caramel as well. Loaded with sweet smoke. Some hints of cocoa, alkaline cocoa powder, and some sweet generic waxy chocolate. Smoke dominates. Worn leather, liquid smoke, teriyaki, and even some general meatiness. Slightly metallic. Some oxidation as well. Malt base runs a touch light for the style. Some grassy and slightly herbal elements. Some dark fruit - raisin and dried cherry.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a moderate carbonation. Slightly bubbly. Clean and lightly effervescent.

Overall: A sad tale of a good beer.

The base Mesquite Smoked Porter is delightful. This, not so much. It's over carbonated and the barrel, if its even really there, hurts. It's still relatively well constructed but is not an improvement or even a lateral movement.
Feb 23, 2015
Photo of LittleDon
Reviewed by LittleDon from Texas

3.25/5  rDev -3.8%
Bottled on 11-27-12, consumed 8-30-14. Decent visuals, nice head and color. Aroma has components of bananas and bourbon. Bone dry, possibly due to age. A bit boozy in the middle. Bourbon, oak, smokey, with some acidity on the finish.
Aug 31, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by deadliest from Texas

Aug 16, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by ThreeFishes from Florida

Jul 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Getalegup from Texas

Apr 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Thanx4AllDaFish from Texas

Apr 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by BGsWo22 from Texas

Jan 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by vmdominguez from Texas

Jan 21, 2014
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

3.58/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Received in a trade, Bottled 11/27/12, poured into a snifter

A- Pours nearly all foam in the glass, then quickly settles to a small sudsy layer on top, short lasting legs when agitated, beer is nearly pitch black in color

S- lots of smoky aromas from the mesquite, some hints of chocolate, oak and vanilla, not really picking up and bourbon aromas. Any of the aromas that result from the barrel aging seem to be overpowered by the mesquite smokiness, which I believe is the base beer itself

T- The base porter is simple with some light chocolatey notes, the mesquite smoking actually compliments the base beer quite well, without being overbearing. The mesquite gives some woodsy and herbal flavors. I'm not really picking up any barrel flavors, maybe if I try really hard I can pick up a hint of bourbon on the finish. But like, the aroma, the flavor is dominated by the smoke of the mesquite

M- medium body with high carbonation leads to a pure foam mouthfeel all the way to the finish, a bit over-carbonated. ABV is pretty well hidden though, with just a little bit of heat at the end

O- This was a nice concept, but I don't think that they got enough influence from the barrel to match up with the smoke of the base beer. Regardless, its a good beer, but doesn't hold it's own in the barrel aging category

I noticed previous reviews mentioning infection issues, I didn't experience anything sour or that would suggest infection
Dec 16, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by greenspointexas from Texas

Dec 14, 2013
 
Rated: 2.5 by Tertullian007 from Missouri

Oct 13, 2013
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

2.64/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
Bottled 11/27/12. Reviewed live, making this a month or so shy of a year old. 375ml brown glass bottle with waxed-over (black wax) pressure cap and nondescript label acquired at a local bottle shop for $6.99 USD and served into an Independence Brewing pilsner glass in me gaff in low altitude Austin, Texas. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average given the brewery. There is no indication of the style on the label, but it's identified on Ranger Creek's website as an "Imperial Mesquite Smoked Porter Aged in Ranger Creek Bourbon Barrels." Reviewed as an imperial porter.

Served cold - straight from me fridge - and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Whoa! We have a gusher! Severe overcarbonation! Liquid all over my desk...

No bubble show forms as I pour.

Pours a three finger wide head of khaki colour. Decent creaminess and thickness. Subpar frothiness. Messy "legs"/lacing cling(s) to the sides of the glass as the head slowly recedes. Head retention is quite good for the high ABV - about 7 minutes - but I'd credit this to the rampant overcarbonation.

Body colour is a dull murky opaque dark brown-black. No yeast particles are visible.

Overall, it's not looking great for an imperial porter. The body colour should be a jet black and the head could be fuller and more tan. Not unique or special.

Sm: Obvious mesquite wood, vanilla, bourbon, oak wood, dark malts, and chocolate malt. The aroma hit me as soon as I opened it. Unfortunately, the mesquite overwhelms the oak, depriving the aroma of nuance. Sea salt. I look for the marshmallow mentioned on the beer's description on Ranger Creek's website, but don't find it. Maybe some mesquite smoke. I also get some spiciness which I believe is from the mesquite, but it lends the beer more of a rye whiskey aroma than a bourbon aroma. If not for the vanilla, I wouldn't have found the bourbon.

An assertive aroma of high strength. It's not particularly appealing for the style; I want more cream and chocolate as well as less aggression - it's really in-your-face.

No yeast character, hop character, or imbalanced alcohol is detectable.

T: Heavy mesquite wood and spice. Smoked meat. A kiss of peat. Boozy rye whiskey. Quite woody, but it's all mesquite and no oak. The bourbon, vanilla, and chocolate notes from the aroma are nowhere to be found, to its detriment. Even the dark malt base gets overwhelmed by the aggressive mesquite. Not finding any marshmallow. That's one hell of an overbearing flavour profile, bereft of any nuance or subtlety at all. Perhaps the least intricate barrel aged imperial porter I've ever had. For all the effort that clearly went into this - aging in their own barrels, using mesquite wood (and maybe smoke) - it comes off shockingly one note. Huge flavour intensity, but no depth of flavour. Duration of flavour is average.

The barrel notes are sorely lacking, leaving this feeling like a smoked imperial porter - not a barrel aged one. I suspect the base beer is pretty underwhelming; it seems it was easily taken over by the mesquite.

I wouldn't call it balanced, but there's some general cohesion. It's not gestalt. A bit musty; the flavours don't ring clean or distinct but feel tainted - maybe this is why some reviewers are suspecting infection.

Do I like it? Not really, no.

No hop character or yeast character comes through. I do pick up on some light alcohol warmth.

Mf: Lightly coarse. Wet. A bit rough; has a slight cardboard feel. Overcarbonated. Unrefreshing. Has some heat to it. Not at all soft; indeed, it's a bit rough. Has an aggressive heavy presence on the palate that doesn't suit the style particularly well; smooth sleek bourbony textures are ideal, not a harsh spicy whiskey feel. It doesn't suit the flavour profile well. Not very carefully handled; disappointing execution.

Not oily, buttery, or astringent.

Dr: Difficult to drink given the sheer aggression of the beer coupled with its noticeable alcohol presence. If it drinks this rough with nearly a year of age, I can't imagine how abrasive it was fresh. I've had some good brews from Ranger Creek, but this isn't one of them. I do love the idea of a mesquite aged bourbon porter, but the execution of that concept here is very lacking. Quite overpriced. I wouldn't recommend this to friends or trade partners. Very disappointed.

Not to be aged; it isn't worth the cellar space and I doubt it'd develop or mellow with age.

C-
Oct 08, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by wildstyle2k3 from Texas

Sep 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by ilikebeer03 from Texas

Sep 13, 2013
Small Batch Series No. 4 from Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling
Beer rating: 78 out of 100 with 72 ratings