Blackguard Porter
Butts Brewery Ltd.

From a 500ml bottle.
L: Black with ruby edging. Thin, off-white cap that leaves some spotty lacing.
S: Roasted coffee beans and treacle. Smells good while it lasts but disappears very quickly.
T: Dark treacle and liquorice up front. Then biscuit, light coffee and chocolate.
F: Light/medium body with some foam and a little chewiness. Rich, bitter finish. Very nicely done.
O: Rich and smooth with a good balance of flavours that emphasise coffee over chocolate. Malt doesn't dominate hop, resulting in a nice dry porter. An easy-drinking 4.5% ABV.

Served in a tumbler.

Gotta give another shout-out to Gwen and her husband for being awesome enough to bring me a bottle of this back from their trip to Merry Ol'. It pours a clear ruby-sienna topped by a finger of khaki foam. The nose comprises roasted malts, lightly-acrid coffee, mild earthy greens, and a pinch or two of cocoa powder. The taste brings in more of the same, along with some light black tea leaves, light charred nuts, and some vague root-like flavor I can't quite put my finger on. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fairly smooth feel. Overall, a nice porter, one that seems to scream "English!" to me for some reason. Not bad at all.

Purchased at the Waitrose supermarket. Bottle-conditioned organic ale coming in a 500ml brown bottle, BB 04/09, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: pours a russet brown colour with good clarity and red hues observable against light - very pale indeed for a porter/stout; the mild carbonation quietly supports a thin fluffy beige foam. Elegant.
S: well-composed - the slightly dusty and earthy note, dark fruits and grape skins seem to lift up the very light chocolatey, burnt and nutty maltiness, while a root-herbal note sustains at the back. Overall, the fruity sourness, pale malts and hops are key elements for the balance.
T: sour-sweet fruit/plum-juice, a touch of black sugar, restrained burned maltiness and woodiness, and bitter-sweet edge of roasted nuts... followed by an increasingly chewy hop-bitterness and more fruity aftertaste. The moderately chewy herbal hops, dark fruits, and a mild touch of licorice all linger elegantly in the end.
M&D: very refreshing due to the successful bottle-conditioning and light-bodied for a porter, yet it tastes absolutely satisfying and shows a decent balance achieved b/w light malts and a fuller hop profile. All in all, this is a tasty and quaffable porter!