Rosberg's Porter
Taps Brewing Co. Inc.

Had this on cask at Volo cask days. I heard that it will be Taps new seasonal (was talking to their new brewer). They apparently are expanding their line-up.

The appearance wasn't all that great, sort of muddy looking. The cask hadn't settled enough, or something.

It smelled like coffee, maybe some chocolate, and sort of nutty. The nose was all malty, didn't really pick up on the dry hopping.

Tasted great, coffee, nuts. Hazelnut? I think I did taste some earthy hops in there, I'm guessing that's from the dry hopping. Overall tastes pretty good. I'd like to try the regular keg version though to compare.

Mouthfeel was good. Medium bodied. Low carbonation.

High drinkability. I had a 1/4 pint to taste at the beggining of the fest, then went back for a pint later.

Overall, it's a pretty good porter.

Taps recently opened a brewpub in Niagara and have started to expand their lineup. Whether this is a regular offering I do not know. It appeared at Volo's 5th Annual Cask Days.

The pour is muddy brown, with a limited bubbly head. The association with mud is not an appetising one, and I can't decide whether its intentional or whether the cask hasn't dropped yet. The aroma gives off strong toasted nut and dusty coffee notes. Likewise the flavour contains a lot of nut and coffee, but is also joined by cocoa powder and a strong earthiness. Its a bizarre mix, and not really true to style. It actually reminded me a lot of Dogfish Head's India Brown Ale, which aint a bad comparison, but would be if you were expecting a porter. The mouthfeel is a touch light for a cask, and has the signature restrained carbonation.

There's so many flaws with this beer I don't know where to begin, but you know what? I actually liked it! True, its not a real porter and I'd be disappointed if I definitely wanted to drink one, but on this sunny afternoon I'm happy with a decent beer. The dusty, earthy flavour of this offering wouldn't be for everyone, but I'd love to have a couple bottles in my fridge.

Cask at Volo Cask Days 2009. 22 IBU, 4.5% abv. Lots of coffee grounds, drying. Brown with soapy Caesar head. Chalky taste, consistency of mouthfeel. So its not watery but still did not come out great. Dry hopped but not getting the hops. Not a great porter.