Raven Porter
Downtown Brewing Co.

On tap at the brewpub in Santa Barbara. My favorite beer from Downtown so far, though that isn't saying a whole lot. Actually a tasty and balanced porter, albeit a bit simple. Nice dark brown color that you can just see through, capped with a lasting tan head and lots of lace. Light aroma of espresso. The flavor is a bit on the sweet side, as is the house trend. Chocolatey, with a nice roasted bitterness and enough hops to clean the sweetness up. Medium bodied with middle of the road carbonation. I liked the hops bite in this a lot, though the malts were pretty one dimensional. We were drinking the IPA before this, and it took a little bit of prodding to get the group to get the "dark" beer, but this turned into the hit of the night.

 

Ummm Yeah. Roasted malts, some barley backing, low ABV and some espresso and faint but very faint chocolate. An average porter that poured a deep, deep drown. Nose was of roasted malts and some espresso, much ike the taste. Not to compex and pretty standard. If you are this is worth a try over the rest I would say but dont get your hopes up.

Wow, this is one average beer! And it may be the most uninspired porter I've ever tasted. It's not horrible, it's just forgetable.

A - Standard dark, dark brown to black body. Not an overwhelming head after the initial foam up settles, and it settles quickly.

S - There was a smell?

T - Lacks the spiciness, or any kind of bite, that you'd get with better porters. This tastes more like a stout gone flat. The roasty, toasty malty flavors are there but in sparse numbers and with little force.

M - Pretty watery for what it should be.

D - Drinkable, but only in the way water is.