Ivan Porter
Barley's Brewing Company

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From:
Barley's Brewing Company
 
Ohio, United States
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
87
Avg:
3.9 | pDev: 11.03%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
22
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 30, 2019
Added:
Jul 02, 2002
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mikeg67:
Photo of mikeg67
Reviewed by mikeg67 from New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at the brewery. Pours dark brown with along lasting off- white head. Aroma is of dark fruit, toasted malt and hints of coffee. Body is medium, creamy and smooth. Toasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla, prunes fill the mouth. Very nice porter.
Sep 12, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 2.39 by vrbulldog22 from Ohio

Dec 30, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by Cynic-ale from Texas

Jul 29, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Brewsed from North Carolina

Aug 07, 2012
Photo of ne0m00re
Reviewed by ne0m00re from Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
01/28/11- Had this one on-tap at Barley's Ale House 1.
A: Very dark brown with a nice thick tan collar and film with lacing.
S: Subtle chocolate, caramel, slight roast... very mild, but nice.
T: Nice creamy chocolate roast, slightly dry, with pecans and a little banana. Good.
M: Creamy, good.
D: Great.

A good example of a porter. One that surprises me every time.
Jan 31, 2011
Photo of MbpBugeye
Reviewed by MbpBugeye from Ohio

3.92/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A- Dark looking but when held to the light plenty of reds shine through. The head is quick to rise up to a nice froth but also quick to fade down to a thin spotty film.

S- Cocoa powder becomes evident at first. Investigate this closer and one will find a very grassy hop presence. The roasted malts, chocolate and coffee pair with the grassy hops to create a smell that can best be described as mulch.

T- Pretty smooth throughout most of each sip. Light coffee and cream come out at first. All those hops then follow. They lend a very floral and dry finish to this beer. Some coffee bean bitterness lingers.

M- Smooth, a touch on the light side and dry.

My brother and I recently got a growler from these guys (FINALLY!). While Ive had many of their beers on tap at the bar it is hard to remember my impressions. Out of the few Barley's beers that I have reviewed, this one is close to the top for me.
Jun 11, 2010
Photo of Otesanek
Reviewed by Otesanek from Ohio

3.72/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Growler from the Ale House #1 poured into a snifter. Watching the pouring liquid shows it to be a dark amber/golden brown. In the glass it's a deep brown nearly black at its center. 1/2" khaki head drops to a sold ring, no real lace. Lots of chocolate and coffee, it seems a little cool so I'll let it warm for a minute and see if more character comes forward. Flavor is lightly sweet, the coffee comes in more towards the end with some hop bitterness. No real hop character in the flavor or aroma, just bitterness. The flavor is super clean, this porter is almost refreshing in its crispness. There's a hint of soot on the back-end. As it warms there's a hint of nondescript fruit in the aroma. The mouthfeel is really clean, light and faintly sweet. Drinks super easy, probably lower alcohol, I wouldn't imagine above 6%.
Nov 07, 2009
Photo of UDbeernut
Reviewed by UDbeernut from Florida

3.7/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
on tap at Barley's Tap House 1, poured into a pint glass

a: dark brown color with very small off white head

s: chocolate and roasted malt

t: chocolate and roastyness dominate flavor, slighlty smokey and nutty. Very nice porter example

m&d: crisp mouth, medium body. Pretty decent beer.

Cheers!!!
Oct 13, 2009
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.72/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Black with white crowning head. Chocolate aroma, medium mouthfeel. Served room temperature which was appropriate. Roast, was secondary. Nicely undercarbonated as almost all of the beers are, and therefore easier drinking as less bloated factor. A chocolate porter.
Jun 19, 2008
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4.27/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Arrives at the table with a coffee brown color but a rather modest head that leaves only a few splashes of lace

Smell: Milk chocolate and other roasted notes

Taste: Chocolate notes up front are joined by a building coffee bitterness, mid-palate; after the swallow, the both the sweet and bitter flavors intensify

Mouthfeel: Medium body and moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Eminently drinkable; the balance of this beer is extraordinary
Sep 13, 2007
Photo of Buildscharacter
Reviewed by Buildscharacter from Georgia

3.68/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 4
Thin heavy chocolate malt aroma. On first sip it's got a nice burned flavor, but I was immediatly hit with how thin the mouthfeel was. Much too thin for this much flavor. The light brown head dissipated in about a minute, leaving a little bit of lace on top. There are deep chocolate and coffee tones throughout the aftertaste.

It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but I have had beer that I've enjoyed a bunch more.
Sep 28, 2006
Photo of Osiris9588
Reviewed by Osiris9588 from Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours a nearly opaque dark brown. The head, tan and thin. I found with growlers from Barley's the Stouts and Ports seem to lose carbonation, but the ales not as much. The head dissipated quickly, leaving just a suggestions of lacing.

The smell is of deeply roasted malts, chocolate, and molasses, which are the three flavors that dominate the flavor profile as well. The mouth is medium bodied, somewhat flat on the front, malty with a touch of hops on the back, finishing with a syrupy tang.

Rather drinkable, but seems to be a little lightweight, lacking the complexity which I have come to expect from Barley's. I have not had this one on-tap at the Alehouse, which I predict would deliver a better experience.
Sep 11, 2006
Photo of mcallister
Reviewed by mcallister from Ohio

3.97/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Nothing special in the looks department. Deep brown but thin and watery feel to it. Light penetrates very easily. A slight tan head fades quickly and leaves no lace.

Thick chocolately aromas. Roasted marshmallows as well with a hint of bitter hops and the slightest bit of espresso.

Sweet chocolatey, roasted malt. A espresso twist with heavy cream. Just the right amount of carbonation and RS. A very good easy drinking porter.
Aug 02, 2006
Photo of BigBry
Reviewed by BigBry from Canada (AB)

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had the chance to taste this beer on tap at the brewpub.
From their website: "Our first dark beer was named after our brewmaster's son. A generous dose of British crystal malt gives this beer a caramel chewiness that is quite satisfying."
Pours out of the tap a deep brown, almost black, color with thick and creamy looking tan head that left nice thin lacing. The smell is full of chocolate and roasted grain aromas. A very tastey porter, with lots of chocolate malt and toastiness. Full flavored, without one thing overpowering another. Nice creamy smooth mouthfeel. If their other brews are as good as this one, I could stay all night.
Apr 05, 2006
Photo of TheEclecticGent
Reviewed by TheEclecticGent from Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A: Had this beer on tap out of their house pint glass. It poured a black/deep brown color with a nice tan head that left good lacing.

S: The smell is rich but light. A malted chocolate and roasted barley nose.

T: Oooo this is good! Wow, what an interesting balance this porter has. It comes off light but flavorful. Wow again. It has notes of malt, chocolate and roasted grain. It has a bit of creaminess but a flavor that is light and airy. Very atypical but very good.

M: Mouthfeel was medium and had a bit of creaminess.

D: I lost count during the week. This and their Scotch Ale (cask conditioned or standard pour) are their best brews by far.
Mar 27, 2006
Photo of BEERchitect
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

3.62/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
How'd they do that? They acheived all of the classic Porter characteristics with absolutely not astringency or agressive roasted charcoal qualities. An opaque ruby-brown color. Head retention was lacking, but easily understood. Solid chocolate, molassas, and roasted coffee (Columbian) flavors. Mouthfeel is perhapse a bit light after drinking all of those Baltic Porters lately, but still to style. Finishes barley-like sweet. Not powdery, astringent, or roasty bitter. Quite nice.
Sep 19, 2005
Photo of Ahhdball
Reviewed by Ahhdball from Ohio

4.08/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Doing this from old notes i just found, should do it justice.
Deep dark brown nice beige foam 2 fingered head.
Cocoa and malt aroma but I may be out of my head because my buddy was smoking next to me.
The taste was great. Burnt chocolate and a great helping of malt while finishing off with coffee. Vague sense of hops in here but no matter, still a fantastic drink to be had.
The mouthfeel was smooth and clean and carried a fine sense of drinkability. I'd love to have a few more.
Jan 03, 2005
Photo of gentlebubbles
Reviewed by gentlebubbles from Massachusetts

4.55/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
A thing of beauty, served in a tulip glass framing a creamy dense mocha head over oily black. Sweet caramel scent. Perfect, mouth-filling tender carbonation wraps the tongue with a light fizzle and a constellation of malty flavors: raisins and caramel, port and vanilla. A fantastic match with my steak. Nice warming liquor that drifts up to my head faster than dinner could ballast me for the drive home.
Aug 20, 2004
Photo of beergeek279
Reviewed by beergeek279 from Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Served as a sample at Barley's #1. The color was a very dark brown, with a nice white head. The smell was of coffee malt. The taste was a very strong coffee/dark chocolate malt taste, more towards the bitter end than the sweet. Mouthfeel was very smooth. Drinkability-wise, could have many of these!

This one is probably my next favorite after the Pale Ale. A quality porter, and certainly another to have again if and when I return.
Nov 04, 2003
Photo of AtLagerHeads
Reviewed by AtLagerHeads from Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
An exquisitely crafted porter that is as nice to drink as it is to look upon. The body is a deep ruby hued mahogany that has a nice tan head. Good retention and nice lacing down the glass. The nose is full and contains plenty of toasted malt. The flavors include the toasty malt and bring in a nice chocolate sense to go with it. Decent body and a clean finish. This is a nice, refreshing beer at any time, but I'd like to try it on a cold winter's eve.
May 22, 2003
Ivan Porter from Barley's Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 22 ratings