Umbel Magna
Nethergate Brewery Co. Ltd.

Hazel-coffee black with no real head to speak of. Amazing nose, properly dominated by minty, refreshing, floral coriander, which entwines itself together with the malts and hops to call to mind all sorts of things: licorice, cardamom, pine, cola, lime, and of course other coriander beers like Hoegaarden and Stone PA with Coriander. Herbal and verdant, though it tastes less interesting than it smells. Fruity with berry qualities and a pleasant herbal echo of coriander and oregano. Clean, soft, and dry. This is excellent, it's remarkable how much more complex a beer can become with the addition of just one ingredient. I could smell this all day and drink it all night.

Sampled at the Cambridge Beer Festival 2008.

Appearance: quite dark, opaque cola color

Smell: dark malts, slight savory note, coffee, molasses

Taste: subtle coriander, good porter, and particularly so for a historical beer (based on a 1750s recipe, according to the brewery's tasting notes). sweetish finish

Mouthfeel: medium body, good level of carbonation

Drinkability: Paired with a curry purchased at the festival, figuring the coriander would match nicely. Went down well.

Tasted this Coriander Porter yesterday at the Black Bull pub near White Chapel in East London.
A: it pours a dark brown, almost opaque, hue, with a thin but very fine beerhead.
S: upfront is slightly sour but overwhelming note mixed of red grapes, coriander seeds, unidentified herbs and even some root vegetables... covering a bed of dark malts. Very distinct but quite mild nose in contrast to my imagination.
T: upfront is smooth, rounded flavour of crystal malts and slightly chocolatey taste, which is just sweet enough to balance the body with mildly fruity hops along with a soft, herbal body lying at the back... the aftertaste is slightly warmish but also clean, along with a touch of chewy dark malts lingering in the throat. Very pleasant!
M&D: overall it's quite balanced and the mouthfeel is extremely soft throughout, I'd say a bit 'normal' or flat for a spiced porter, but the touch of coriander is just adequate to leave a subtle hallmark in this otherwise very smooth and mild porter. I enjoy this pint.