Rum Barrel Aged Poor Soldier Porter
C.H. Evans Brewing Company

Poured from the 2015 vintage 500 ml bottle #577 into the test glass.
A - Charcoal colored backdrop, conceals all within. Carbonation is excellent, fueling a lovely mocha cap.
S - Molasses, cola, vanilla, char, roast malts all up front. A wave of fig, black pepper, and wif of smoke are the next phase. Lovely aromatics.
T - That molasses is up front, with lovely dark fruit expressions, the vanilla and char keep in tune.
M - Feel is deceptive, lite on the palate, with excellent tension between the sweet vanilla, molasses, dark malts and bitter hops. For me the offering is more hefty that it feels. A nice trick by the brewer. Finish is dry and has elements of Bakers Chocolate.
O - A very good Porter, with a very good barrel treatment. The real treat for me is the complex molasses vs. vanilla dance. The texture feels lite but really a solid body.

 

 

On-tap at City Beer Hall - 8 oz. pour in a small Weizen tasting glass. Pours a deep and dark, not much light getting through. Not much of a head, but some lacing remains. Smell is nothing special - smells like a typical, malty porter. Little bit of smoke - not much rum in the nose. Taste makes up for that quickly. Smoky, deep taste up front and nice molasses and vanilla flavors come alive with moderate carbonation and lingers on the tongue. Honestly, the first overall impression that came to mind is that it tastes like a well-balanced rum and coke. The rum barrels for this are from C.H. Evans' next door neighbor, the Albany Distilling Company. Haven't been able to try the bourbon barrel aged variety of this yet, but if it's in this realm, I'm sure it's another good one.