Alfred's Porter
Barley John's Brew Pub

 

Tasted on my visit to Barley John's last week 1/27/15.

On tap in 5 oz. servings in a wine glass.
A - Color is a dark brown with only a ring of cream colored head.
S - Aroma is not strong, smells of dark fruit.
T - Somewhat sweet with dark fruits, hints of vanilla and alcohol.
F - Creamy, full bodied, very little carbonation.
O - Drinks easier than the 14% abv might suggest. A very good beer but I enjoyed Alfred's cousin The Dark Knight more.

Cask pour. No head. Color is a dark caramel tinted brown.

Flavor profile: massive molasses and dark cherry. Chocolate syrup. Caramel and toffee. Creamy silk chocolate. Raisins. A light amount of roasted malts. Some vanilla.

Mouthfeel: creamy and smooth. Full bodied. Lower carbonation. Ends with a slight amount of roast.

Overall, this beer is fantastic. A real treat that hides it's abv well. This is the 2014 batch and they estimated it was around 15% but it tastes like 8-9%. Very glad I made it out for this one!

Originally reviewed on December 4, 2005. On tap at the brewpub. Pitch black with a thin head of nut tan. Highly concentrated aroma of smoke, chocolate cake, rum, cherrries, raisins and brandy. Supple and seductive, yet somewhat reserved. Flavor is extremely sweet, sugary and grainy. Loaded with coffee, kahlua and hint of juniper. Alcohol very notable, but not harsh or detracting, instead warming and rounding. Sugary malt with brown sugar, cane sugar and some Mexican chocolate, swept up in a fresh vanilla bean. Lacks a bite or movement that makes you stand up and take notice. Maintains oilyness and smoothness across the palate, with creaminess that just dissolves into the tounge. Sublime.

This is one nice looking beverage. Almost black with a thin brown head on top. The aroma consists of chocolate, cocoa, slight roast, vanilla and maple. The flavor comes through with some great milky chocolatey tones and vanilla bean. Nougat tones come through in a big way as well. Maybe sweeter than you're typical Imperial Porter, but at this AV, it's understandable. Very smooth mouthfeel and not alcoholic in the least. This is one highly drinkable and flavorful Imperial Porter.

A pitch black glob topped with laces of brown.
Nose of blackened raisins, gooey fudge, liquorice, maple, and mocha.
Begins with a sweeping caramel nougat sweetness, with brown sugar to spare. Fruits pop up in its wake, mostly via plum and raisin. Chocolate is huge, with its draping fudgy qualities. Liquorice shows up and comandeers everything, turning it sideways towards maple syrup and brown sugar. Roast is modest, but present. Ends with a whisky-leaning sweet boozy smoke, with additional notes of cognac.
Thick and coating. This is a huge porter, with a flavor profile closely in line with Baltic tradtionals (aside from the obvious fact it's an ale).

But loose the midget 4oz snifters, Barley John's. This derserves a bigger vessel.

This might be the best thing there, supassing even the barreled version of itself, Dark Knight.

not sure of the availability...had a sample one visit, had a snifter the next, hope it's there when next I stop in...
Toasty tan ring of foam, large, though not so long-lasting, and the body is a solid, thorogh, excellent black coat.
Nose is rich, roasty, notes of rum and molasses, sweet, and complex.
Taste: luscious and warm, thick and sweet, huge mouthfeel, rushes in and hits the palate. Fits the profile of the Baltic porter, but kicked up a notch. I lorded over this one, relished in it, reveled over it...there's a woodiness, too, a solid, thick, coffee, and caramel and thick, malt, utterly delicious. I'll be back for more, again, and again.

P.S. When I first heard of the Dark Knight Imperial, I wondered whether the brewer was a Batman fan...with Alfred's, that suspicion is confirmed!