James Squire Porter
Malt Shovel Brewery

James Squire PorterJames Squire Porter
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From:
Malt Shovel Brewery
 
Australia
Style:
English Porter
ABV:
5%
Score:
81
Avg:
3.54 | pDev: 12.43%
Reviews:
84
Ratings:
124
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 07, 2021
Added:
Nov 26, 2001
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  8
No description / notes.
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Rated: 3.49 by eric5bellies from Australia

Jun 07, 2021
 
Rated: 3.94 by Daneve76 from Australia

Jun 03, 2021
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
i believe this is called jack of spades porter now, as thats what mine said, the style and abv are the same as whats listed here, and i dont think its been reworked or anything, this must be the same beer as is listed in this space. if in fact the jack of spades is a different porter, someone correct me please. for now, it will be reviewed in this space under the assumption its a rebrand, not a new brew. near black but a little thin looking under a fast fading head from the bottle. aroma of roast, some wheatiness too, bready and dark, dry, and with an english yeast that seems a little tired at this point, beers from australia and new zealand have that more often than not, it sure is a long ways for beer to travel. in any event, its flavorful and balanced in the taste, has a nice roastiness to it and decent structure. if the oxidation were gone, it would be a really nice and pretty drinkable example of the style. i like a porter with some yeast character, which this definitely has. fine example of the style, i like these guys.
Apr 24, 2019
Photo of Beginner2
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
This was a refreshing break from drinking hoppy and/or too cold beers for three weeks Down Under. Aromas seem like the classic style, but Tastes are less tasty that I expected. I also got more of a bitter linger. A decent try, but not one I'd have again.

Reviewed in Roger Prosts' "300 More Beers To Drink Before You Die" (the sequel to the CAMRA classic), I think you will get a better review from him.
Jan 16, 2018
 
Rated: 3.56 by Decko from Australia

Sep 02, 2017
Photo of patre_tim
Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand

3.9/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Dark brown with a ruby tinge only when held to the light. Topped with 3 fingers of beige head.

Smells of dark toasted notes of chocolate, fresh butter, coffee, and Halloween toffees.

The taste follows the nose, with all the components in balance. A hint of rust on the end. Some black licorice, and burnt toast. Mild sweetness to it as well.

Medium body, medium low carbonation.

Got this in Australia, drinking it in Thailand, Sept. 1st, 2017. Excellent brew, well done and interesting.
Sep 01, 2017
 
Rated: 2.88 by Fixedodds from Australia

Mar 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4.14 by Ajax85 from Australia

Jan 20, 2017
 
Rated: 3.43 by hunteraw from China

Dec 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by Hypersomnia from New Jersey

Dec 09, 2016
Photo of Radcpa
Reviewed by Radcpa from Washington

3.61/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Dark brown appearance with a nice head and a little too much carbination. Mild aroma of chocolate. Taste is also mild chocolate that is a little disappointing. I was hoping for a little bolder taste from this porter
Nov 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

Mar 05, 2016
 
Rated: 2.88 by WoodBrew from Ohio

Jun 24, 2015
Photo of Andrewharemza
Reviewed by Andrewharemza from Australia

3.77/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
From bottle, Getting chocolate and coffee which is quite nice. It's a quite easy drinking beer with a very thin mouthfeel. Could quite easy drink a few of these.
Jun 20, 2015
Photo of Act25
Reviewed by Act25 from New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Much better at cash temp. James Squire (OZ original brewer) is kind of like their Sam Adams, at least as a brand legend character. But their beers are not as good and suffer from feeling a bit watery and mass. So far beers in Aus tend to be thinner and lighter and lower ABV than US.

A- Brown walnut color, not as dense as typical porters. Tan head full of large bubbles faded fast and did not lace much. (see thin, not sticky).

S- Roasted malt aroma with a slight metallic, iron ore note (rusty anchor stirred in cold coffee?) More coffee when it warms a bit.

T- Continues with the rust acid feel mixing with coffee roasted malt. Tartness to the finish of the malt which saves it. A goods light sipper. (but too thin)

M- Too thin mouthfeel with a watery texture.

D- It's thin for a porter, without robustness.
Apr 19, 2015
Photo of Andrewziggy
Rated by Andrewziggy from Australia

3.7/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Chocolate yes every where one of the best but the label has now changed lol
Dec 29, 2014
 
Rated: 3.66 by pagriley from Illinois

Dec 22, 2014
Photo of SmashPants
Reviewed by SmashPants from Australia

3.49/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Bottle: a standard solid brown 345mL bottle with a decent semi-boutique label.

Appearance: a dark brown body with a reasonable off-white head that lasts. Good retention.

Aroma: plenty of chocolate on the nose with some roast coffee and liquorice. Smells good.

Taste: dominated predominantly with the chocolate and coffee as expected, but with a touch of caramel and again the liquorice.

Aftertaste: more of the same, with some bitterness from the coffee. Quite smooth.

Mouth feel: a moderate feel with moderate carbonation. Not bad - almost a bit too easy to drink.

Overall: a decent Australian take on the English porter. The usual flavours of chocolate and roast coffee, with a touch of liquorice and caramel to boot. The price is right, at around AU$58 a case, but a slightly fuller body could have improved it somewhat. Nonetheless, an easy-drinking, reasonable beer.
Nov 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Stuckey_Stuckey from Australia

Aug 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Stickydates from Australia

Jul 05, 2014
James Squire Porter from Malt Shovel Brewery
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 124 ratings