Vatted Man Full Of Trouble Porter
Dock Street South

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Dock Street South
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
6%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
3.73 | pDev: 9.12%
Reviews:
3
Ratings:
3
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 13, 2012
Added:
Mar 24, 2011
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of Rifugium
Reviewed by Rifugium from North Dakota

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Ok, well, based on other reviews, I'm guessing it was this and not the regular version that someone shared, because this was definitely a sour beer. So extra kudos and karma to whoever it was that shared this!

Dark brown pour, nearly opaque, lighter around the edges, capped with a small tan head. Aroma of roasted dark malts, cocoa, stone fruits, and oak. I didn't really know what this beer was, so I was a bit surprised upon tasting it. Fruity tartness up front, citrus and sour berries, quickly mellowing out as a chewy chocolate flavor came in, giving a chocolate-covered cherry sensation...not too sweet...the sourness provided a good sense of balance, and the roasty bitterness kept everything in check; otherwise, notes of earth and wood, with a dry, tannic finish. Body was medium to full. It's not for everyone, but I was definitely a fan.
Dec 13, 2012
Photo of rfgetz
Reviewed by rfgetz from New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Magically disappearing review... repaste from notes.

Pours a rich, dark brown with cap of creamy khaki froth. Scent is quite the blend of heavy roasted grains with notes of chocolate and coffee, combined with pungent souring dark fruits such as cherry. Nice vanilla and musty wood notes. Taste was quite the eye opener as well. Begins with notes of chocolate covered cherry but quickly powered over by an onslaught of tart and souring fruit. Chocolate and coffee as well as vanilla and oak come through in the back end again. Full bodied, taste lingers on the palate, dry finish. Quite the interesting brew we got here, definitely better as a sipper and in small quantity, not for everyone.

Note: So far this is the only sour porter I have enjoyed (I'm looking at you Dark Humor).
Sep 20, 2011
Photo of Kegatron
Reviewed by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
"This special version of Dock Street's Man Full of Trouble Porter underwent a special aging and blending process which harkens back to the early days of porter and stout brewing. First, a small quantity of Man Full of Trouble was aged for several months in an emptied Apple Brandy oak barrel. Then, like the old vatted Porters of England and Ireland, the beer was blended with "stale" beer which had been aged and for over a year. During this time the "stale" beer acquired a strong acidity from wild yeasts and bacteria. The result of the blend is a complex and delicious brew with notes of caramel, espresso and chocolate balanced by hints of apples and brandy along with a tart and "wild" acidity lent by the stale beer. This experimental batch of Man Full of Trouble Porter is extremely rare!"

On cask, via gravity fed firkin, @ the 2011 Philadelphia Real Ale Invitational (Yards Brewing in Philadelphia, PA) on 3/20/11. Served in a tasting glass.

Pours brown in the glass, with some additional clear ruby along the edges, and is topped with a mocha colored foamy head. This retains with a mostly sudsy look with some rich foamy edges and lacing. The aroma smells of oak and fruit, with notes of vanilla, tart apple, sharp funky earth, and woody tannins. The chocolate and roasted grains of the base Porter come out across the back but this is overall heavy on that sour smelling barrel character.

The taste is similar, with an acidic souring nature to it of fruit, oaky tannins, and some deep pithy earthiness. Like the nose, the Porter sits in the back, with chocolate (that clings to some strong vanilla flavor from the barrel) and roasted coffee being the most prevalent here. The finish has a deep tannic dryness to it, along some lingering bitter earth. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with an initially lively feel on the tongue that then feels more slick and creamy on the edges.

Yeah, I don't know there's a lot going on with this but it just never really pulled together for me. That souring fruity acidity and oak just kind of ran over any complexity that would have really made this interesting. Ah well, at least the concept of the beer is somewhat cool.
Mar 24, 2011
Vatted Man Full Of Trouble Porter from Dock Street South
Beer rating: 3.73 out of 5 with 3 ratings