Old Growler
Nethergate Brewery Co. Ltd.

Cask at 5.0% ABV. Sparkler used. Very dark brown with a thin tan head. Smooth lacing.
Aroma of overdone roast potatoes with some coffee grounds. Distant dark fruits present.
A charred bitter flavour at the end.
Decent cask conditioned feel. Very smooth. Full bodied.
Well worth trying on cask.

Aug 2008: One of the first dark cask ales I had in England, and it made a lasting impression on me. Brimming with dark malts, dark fruits and everything you possibly could ask for in a classic porter. Brilliant!

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.5%. Very dark colour, nearly black, reddish brown in the highlights. Decent tan head with good retention, leaves a nice lacing. The aroma has loads of malts, also chocolate, dark fruits, caramel, rye bread and coffee, hints of oak too. The flavour has much of the elements as the aroma, plenty of malts, chocolate and fruit, but also decent hops in the finish. A brilliant porter, and a true classic.

 

 

New lable featuring a black+white pen+ink sketch of a grumpy looking bulldog in a bowler hat. Lable states this porter has twice won CAMRA Winter Beer of Britain Awards.
L- Ultra-dark ruby if held to a lightbulb, held away it likely appears black. Clear, pours with 3mm ultra fine bubble pale tan head that's holding well. [ps. 15 mins later, still mostly holding, with lacing down the sides of the half-drunk pint-pot).
S- Quite toasty with coffee notes, in a rounded/rich way. Also the suggestion of deeper Xmas pudding notes.
T- Classic roasty/toasty flavour, but in a very pleasant rounded way ie. not thin or bitter.
F- It is moderately rich giving it good balance vs the punchy 'black beer' taste.
O- I'm not a born fan of porter/stout though enjoy exceptional ones. This is a good one, for sure, certainly way more drinkable than say Guinness. This might be one to look out for for fans of the porter style.
Bought from the Co-Op shop at Norwich station. 500ml. BBE: Sep-2020

 

 

 

 

Brown with garnet highlights, creamy tan head of foam.
Aroma-Toffee, milk chocolate
Taste-Dark roasted malt, subtle chocolate, coffee, faint tobacco note. A session able classic English porter.

 

Strong aroma is malty and smoky with a firm undertone of apple and hints of molasses (should I say treacle?) and licorice. Pours a warm opaque sable that lets in a bit of light at the bottom and has a fairly thick wheat head. Mouth-filling flavor has notes of roast malt, coffee, treacle and licorice. Smooth texture has good, firm body and a fair amount of fizz, not as heavy as a stout but certainly pleasing. Let this one growl for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

500 ml bottle into pint glass, L1125 bottle code. Pours fairly crystal clear dark reddish brown color with a 1-2 finger dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of caramel, toast, toffee, raisin, fig, cocoa, brown bread, molasses, light roast, herbal, and toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roasted malt and yeast ester notes; with good strength. Taste of caramel, toast, toffee, brown bread, cocoa, molasses, raisin, fig, light roast, herbal, and toasted earthiness. Lingering notes of caramel, toast, toffee, molasses, brown bread, cocoa, raisin, fig, light roast, herbal, and toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice balance, complexity, and robustness of dark/roasted malt and fruity yeast ester flavors; with zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied; with a moderately creamy and slightly slick/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with no warming present after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice English porter style. All around good balance, robustness, and complexity of dark/roasted malt and fruity yeast ester flavors; and very smooth to drink. A very enjoyable offering.