Bully Porter
Gray Brewing Company

Bully PorterBully Porter
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From:
Gray Brewing Company
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
4.95%
Score:
73
Avg:
3.06 | pDev: 20.26%
Reviews:
37
Ratings:
70
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 27, 2019
Added:
Feb 10, 2009
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  6
A classic British style brown porter that at one time was considered the beer of the working class. You will notice a ruby brown body with an aroma of malt and mild roastiness. Contains chocolate, nutty and toffee-like undertones with medium to low hop bitterness.
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Ratings by BuckeyeNation:
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.5/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself."

--Harvey S. Firestone

Burnt sienna that becomes dark reddish orange when backlit with this overcast (currently snowing!) early October morning. A thick chunk of ecru colored foam stays put for a time, then slowly deflates, leaving small dots and spots of melty lace as it does so.

The nose is consistent with the ingredients list. This brew is a so-called brown porter (as opposed to a roasted or chocolate malty robust porter) and contains nothing darker than caramel malt. It's no surprise, then, that dark caramel and a medium-dark fruitiness leads the olfactory parade.

Even though Bully is brewed to be an extremely light, easy drinking porter, and should be reviewed as such, it still doesn't have what it takes to be considered good beer. Having said that, it's still above average and is probably pretty sessionable.

This new-for-2009 offering actually tastes more like an English brown ale than a porter of whatever stripe, which sort of fits with the English bulldog on the label. The brewer (Fred) calls the dog (Bully), a 'slobber dog', which is exactly the image he wanted for his new mouth-watering brew. Okay then.

The flavor profile consists of lightly sweet brown bread, caramel, a hint of cocoa and a modest tea leaf bitterness. There's a faint citrusy tang, but I would never have guessed Cascade hops. Given the skimpy malt backbone, more hoppiness would not have worked well at all.

With an ABV that's somewhere in the vicinity of 4.5%, the mouthfeel is respectable. Sure, it's light, but it isn't watery. A few more bubbles might have helped, as long as they didn't contribute a sharp-edged fizziness.

If I hadn't taken the time and effort necessary to learn the brewer's goal, I would almost certainly have scored Bully Porter lower. It isn't bad for what it is, but I like more meat on dem bones. Once a big beer lover, always a big beer lover.
Oct 10, 2009
More User Ratings:
Photo of superwho24
Rated by superwho24 from Arkansas

3.92/5  rDev +28.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Picking up black licorice or maybe prunes in smell. The smell is this beers best characteristic in my opinion
Apr 27, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by a77cj7 from South Dakota

Mar 10, 2019
Photo of scaliasux
Reviewed by scaliasux from Wisconsin

3.07/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
L - Very dark brown. Appears clear. Thin, tannish head - not persistent.

S - Dark malts. Dark chocolate and coffee.

T - Mildly sweet dark malts. Similar to the aroma, getting mostly coffee with some dark chocolate. Flavor is relatively light, though.

F - Medium.

O - Dark flavors in a fairly mild beer.
Jan 27, 2019
 
Rated: 3.08 by Strigiform_Witness from North Dakota

Nov 11, 2018
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

3.02/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Poured from 12oz bottle into glass. Could not read the smudged dating stamp on the bottle neck.
Clear, amber brown colored body. Initial pour gives about a half finger of beige head, which settles to thin cap. Leaves an oily sheen of lacing after each sip.
Faint malt aroma, toward the smell of toffee.
Malt driven flavor, in the caramel taste range. Taste profile is rather brief.
Thinner mouth feel. Okay carbonation.
Muted aroma and flavor result in a lower rating score for this beer. I would not buy this again.
Oct 06, 2018
Photo of Murray0420
Rated by Murray0420 from Wisconsin

2.08/5  rDev -32%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2
Nothing like the dark Porter's.. Very light. Porter's should be at lease 7% and very dark..
Aug 18, 2018
 
Rated: 3.76 by NodakEric from Minnesota

Jul 14, 2018
 
Rated: 3.48 by BLarson31 from Minnesota

Aug 05, 2017
Photo of Savan
Reviewed by Savan from Minnesota

3.18/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
pours black, smells like something from the black lagoon, tastes is a lil sour lil bitta. mouth feel is mouth feel is light. Over all not terrible... not great either. I am not impressed and would never buy this beer again.
Sep 28, 2016
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
L: Has a twist off cap. Pours brilliant chestnut brow with a thin cream colored film covering the top.
S: Chocolate, traces of oxidation, light roast, nothing harsh or burnt.
T: Chocolate malt, dark sugars, slight oxidation. The beer is malt driven. Hops are medium to medium low. Some graininess from the malt.
F: Medium body to slightly above and medium to medium low carbonation.
O: Not bad but nothing special. The brewer should provide a bottle date and get rid of the twist off cap.
May 31, 2016
 
Rated: 2.75 by MonkeyPilates from Minnesota

Mar 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.34 by Hendrick24 from Wisconsin

Dec 20, 2015
Photo of DabblinWiscCraft
Reviewed by DabblinWiscCraft from Wisconsin

3.31/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.25
Nabbed a bottle from a six-pack my dad had purchased. No bottling code that I can see. Poured right from the fridge into an imperial pint glass.

L: Pours a cola brown--reddish at the edges where the light strikes through--with a tan head that is also somewhat reminiscent of cola. The head is only about a quarter-inch, and it dissipates very quickly to just a slight ring. Moderate visible carbonation at the edges.

S: A nice bouquet on this one: Caramel and roasted malts are the most prominent notes. Molasses, vanilla, and chocolate also make their presence felt. Just a touch of licorice in the mix, as well.

T: After the promise of the nose, the taste is a bit disappointing. All the aforementioned notes are present, but they are all quite muted and watered-down. The front has caramel and roasted malts, accompanied by a bit of molasses. The middle introduces a bit of vanilla and chocolate, with the malts still asserting themselves. The back end has some more of the thin chocolate and vanilla flavor, with just a touch of licorice. Again, these flavors could all use some intensifying.

F: On the lighter side of medium-bodied, this one--as I've said--feels too thin and watered-down. Drinks a little flat, as well. Very clean-finishing. It certainly is quite drinkable, but this is at the expense of what should be a heftier style.

O: This one could have been a very nice porter, but it suffers from those muted flavors and thin body. If you're looking for a porter you can session for hot summer days, this one might be for you. I probably won't be returning to it.
Aug 18, 2015
 
Rated: 3.53 by jessb_55 from Minnesota

Apr 27, 2015
Photo of vette2006c5r
Reviewed by vette2006c5r from Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Bully Porter pours a black color with a small head. There is a big roasted aroma with nice hints of chocolate and vanilla. The taste has a weak flavor, a crisp malt backbone with some hints of chocolate. The body is watery and a little flat. Overall its a very average porter, some weaker flavors.
Mar 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.84 by Ajmorriso1

Nov 14, 2014
Photo of twb0392
Rated by twb0392 from Wisconsin

1.75/5  rDev -42.8%
Taste liked watered down porter
Nov 07, 2014
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.5/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
a bit generic, but a nice dark porter exhibiting the roasty side of the malt spectrum, rather than the chocolate one. its light in body maybe even thin for the style, but has a great grain depth, ranging from coffee bean to ashy charred wood. coffee is the most dominant flavor, low acidity but plenty of roast and bitterness too. the finish is quick though, maybe a little burton ale yeast or something, a little character there. the body is a little on the thin side for me, but it lets me drink a bit more of it. carbonation is also right where it should be, medium and relaxed for the style. gummy finish after the swallow that i dont really love, but i would happily drink more than this one bottle if i had it.
Oct 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by jschott75 from Illinois

Oct 08, 2014
Bully Porter from Gray Brewing Company
Beer rating: 73 out of 100 with 70 ratings