Imperial Porter
Ten Ninety Brewing Company

Imperial PorterImperial Porter
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Ten Ninety Brewing Company
 
Illinois, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
ABV:
10.8%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.76 | pDev: 15.69%
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
95
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 15, 2019
Added:
Jun 10, 2013
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  13
Created in 18th century London, porters were some of the first mass-produced and consumed beers of the industrial revolution. Porter evolved from a blend of brown and darker beers that were precursors to stouts. Tradition has it that these beers were favored by porters and other physical laborers.

Ten Ninety Imperial Porter is fiery elegance. Our porter is brewed with ample Munich, mild brown and de-bittered black malts for a chocolaty, espresso base. To contrast this bittersweet backbone, we added an ample dose of cayenne pepper, and tempered this heat with tart pomegranate juice.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by atone315:
Photo of atone315
Rated by atone315 from Wisconsin

4.12/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

May 19, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.17/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Unknown vintage; drank 8/17/14 @ the Yarchives.

Brown/black/purple hue.

Dark tan head; minimal lace.

Chalk, black licorice, chocolate & oatmeal nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Spice heat dominates the flavor throughout; as it warms, though, creamy milk chocolate emerges.

Too hot to really enjoy.
Apr 15, 2019
Photo of Stooven
Reviewed by Stooven from Illinois

3.96/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Unknown date, though I purchased it probably a year ago, and it was on a bargain rack, so let's say 18 months (summer 2016).

Head dissipates quickly. I actually enjoyed that part. Usually, I find many of this brewer's beers' to be overly carbonated. Once it settles, the color is kind of muddy, undistinguished. The smell is rapturous. The pomegranate and cayenne combine into something like a spiced, dark-fruit brandy or cognac. Really fantastic. The cayenne has maintained its strength, while coffee comes forward. Notes of chocolate and the pomegranate have weakened. Very drinkable, especially for 10.8%. ABV has smoothed.
Jan 22, 2018
 
Rated: 3.59 by Anatole from Belgium

Jul 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by jonbonfondle from Minnesota

Jul 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by jakea from Wisconsin

Feb 07, 2016
 
Rated: 3.91 by dandiprat2015 from Illinois

Jan 29, 2016
Photo of Hopheadjeffery
Reviewed by Hopheadjeffery from Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Tasted in a Spiegelau stout glass from a 12 oz bottle on December 28, 2015. Look is dark brown with thin tan head and little lacing. Smell is pomegranate blossom and spicy peppers with dark roasted malt aromas. Taste is pomegranate juice, spicy cayenne pepper with chocolate and espresso roasted malt flavors. Feel is medium in body with soft carbonation and a spicy bite in the finish.
Dec 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.59 by firkingroovin from Illinois

Dec 22, 2015
 
Rated: 3.73 by Inglewood from Illinois

Dec 17, 2015
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

2.23/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25
BOTTLE: 12 fl oz. Brown glass. Branded black pry-off crown cap. Seductive maroon label design; understated and classy.

10.8% ABV. Brewed iwth cayenne and pomegranate juice - sounds unique.

Served chilled into an oversized snifter and allowed to come to temperature over the course of consumption. Expectations are average; I believe this is my first Ten Ninety beer. Reviewed live as an imperial porter for obvious reasons.

APPEARANCE: No bubble show forms as it's poured.

No head. No lacing. Just a khaki floater that sits on top of the body for maybe 6 seconds. It did look nice while it lasted...

Body is, predictably, an opaque solid black. No yeast is visible, nor do I see any cayenne pepper sediment or anything. It's not a jet or ink-black, probably on account of the pomegranate juice, but I don't notice any overt grape coloration or anything.

AROMA: Pungent pomegranate juice dominates the aroma, with subsidiary notes of generic dark malt sweetness. There's a kiss of cayenne pepper, yes, but I doubt I'd find it in a blind tasting.

The pomegranate and cayenne are nice, but they can't hide the fact that this aroma is lacking in terms of fundamentals; it's just not much of an imperial porter. I find no chocolate malts, no roasted barley, and no additional intricacy (e.g. coffee, vanilla, hazelnut, charred sugars, marshmallow, or even caramel). The malt base that does come through is weak - hardly indicative of a robust porter.

What really does work is how well the ABV is hidden; I'd figure this for your average 6% ABV porter if I didn't have the label in front of me.

No yeast character, overt hops, or off-notes are detectable.

TASTE: Heavy on the pomegranate juice to the point that it's almost syrupy, with supplementary notes of red grape/grape juice and prickly cayenne pepper - the latter of which injects a subtle chili heat into the mix (probably about 1-2/10 in terms of spiciness). Dark malt sweetness is present throughout, but couped with the pomegranate juice makes the beer entirely too sweet. More tartness from the pomegranate would help curb that, as would any bittering agents (coffee, roasted barley, burnt sugars). That's really it in terms of this simple shallow reticent build, though I guess some drinkers may find raisin?

Disappointing as an imperial porter. It's really more of its own thing, but what that thing is I don't care much for. To use juvenile terminology, it's ceased tasting "like beer," with the malts getting swallowed up by the pomegranate. Poor depth of flavour. Zero subtlety.

TEXTURE: Also badly executed. Syrupy, sticky, overly thick, and oddly viscous, with a prune juice-esque filling feel on the palate. It's smooth and wet otherwise. Paradoxically, though it's too thick, it still somehow comes off watery at times. Overcarbonated to boot.

OVERALL: Not a gestat beer. There's no harmony of texture and taste. I was drawn to the wacky premise, but the execution is a let-down. While the cayenne heat works, the pomegranate juice takes over the flavour profile at the exclusion of the malt backbone, and the build offers nothing in terms of compexity for discerning imperial porter fans. While it does hide its ABV well, its troublesome mouthfeel really holds it back in terms of drinkability. I'd caution others from buying this, but it isn't a bad idea for a beer.

High D (2.23)
Oct 15, 2015
Photo of zonker17
Reviewed by zonker17 from Texas

4.03/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Brown pour with light brown thin head that goes away within a minute or so. Faint burnt aroma. Peppers shine through in a great way here. Love the amount of heat along with the roasty malt. Medium body and medium carbonation. Heat keeps coming back. Not for the timid yet extremely enjoyable.
Oct 11, 2015
 
Rated: 3.73 by RajaSTL from Missouri

Sep 12, 2015
 
Rated: 3.41 by Hopstout from Minnesota

Sep 10, 2015
Photo of sweemzander
Reviewed by sweemzander from Illinois

2.34/5  rDev -37.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5
750mL bottle poured into a snifter
(A)- Gusher! Pours pitch black with some decent tan froth.
(S)- A light nuttiness meets a very cocoa-forward dark berry jam note
(T)- Similar to the smell, but a huge cayenne pepper kick. A big heat on the finish.
(M)- A mellow carbonation level. Sadly, the cayenne just kills this beer for me.
(O)- Far too spicy to taste the rest of this beer. No thanks
Sep 03, 2015
Photo of buschbeer
Reviewed by buschbeer from Ohio

4.16/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 FL OZ bottle
Served in a snifter

This beer pours black in color with no light coming through. It is topped with an inch of mocha head that leaves virtually no head.

It has a tart aroma. There is some roasted malt aroma, and I can smell the cayenne pepper.

It starts out with a tart porter taste. Honestly it reminds me of a tart stout. The cayenne is noticeable in the back of my throat. It is an interesting combination of flavors.

Full mouthfeel

This is an interesting beer. I like all that is going on here. The tartness and the heat really work for my palate.
Aug 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.44 by Chris912 from Illinois

Jul 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.51 by ChicagoNick from Illinois

Jul 11, 2015
 
Rated: 4.14 by Fusebuddy from Wisconsin

Jul 09, 2015
Photo of Bonis
Reviewed by Bonis from Ohio

4.08/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
This is a very weird blend of flavors in a beer, but for some reason it works for me. Almost a puckering tartness up front from the pomegranate, cayenne mixes with chocolate next, with a mellow malty roasty finish. Heat lingers a bit, but not overwhelmingly. The peppers help hide the alcohol. This is a big beer, but a slightly thin body makes it an easy drink. I'd try it again if I ever see it.
Jun 26, 2015
Imperial Porter from Ten Ninety Brewing Company
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 95 ratings