Truncheon
Salamander Brewing Company

(Notes of 04/10/07) Tasted by a half-pint at the Devonshire Cat, Sheffield, served with a sparkler pour.

A: deep dark brown in colour, nearly black; coming with a creamy tan head and very low carbonation.
S: sour-sweet fruits, roastiness and a deep scent of caramel come on a par with plenty of earthy and leather-ish hops in the background; given a swirl, overripe autumn fruits develop. Later on it proves that it smells sweeter than it tastes actually.
T: a sour hint of charred/roasted bitterness and herbally (licorice-like) bitter hops are mixed with a delicious stream of toasted autumn fruits (a by-product of amber malts and hops I presume), leading towards a chunky, roasted-nutty sweetness... turning rather dry, chewy as well as bitter-sweet in the long, nutty finish, which is much less chocolaty than a sweeter porter, but retains the sour fabric of a porter and, better still, benefits from a very pleasant bitter edge overall.
M&D: a very bitter Porter this is - refreshing, full-bodied and utterly delicious, in an understated or "quiet" way, I'd say~~