Isabel
Blue Mountain Brewery

IsabelIsabel
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From:
Blue Mountain Brewery
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
8%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.68 | pDev: 14.13%
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
53
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 24, 2021
Added:
May 29, 2012
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  1
Residual malt sugars from the beer meld with the cocoa nibs to produce an intense chocolate flavor, while the orange peel adds a citrus undertone that carries the oak imparted vanilla and bourbon flavors forward on the palate. Named for Isabel, the princess imperial of Brazil. Isabel is from the royal house of bourbon, and Brazil is a leading producer of both oranges and cocoa.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.12 by metter98 from New York

Jul 24, 2021
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Reviewed by dd53grif from Michigan

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a dark brown with a foamy tan head that lasts quite a while. Aroma is roasted malts, orange and chocolate. Tastes of dark chocolate, caramel and alcohol. Slightly bitter at the finish. Not a lot of warming from the alcohol.
Feb 20, 2021
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Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.46/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
really special stuff here, the latest hit from the rare beer club, a pleasure to drink it over text chat with my brother back east, best we can do given the pandemic. in any event, this is a stunner, and as he rightly said, among one of the best smelling beers on memory, i concur. its a boldly flavored porter but without a ton of the deep end grains, and at only 8% abv, there is a lot of space for things other than malt heft and booze, a smart use of restraint there, especially compared to what seems to be trending in the style these days. deep brown in color be decidedly not black. over an inch of frothy bottle conditioned looking tan creamy head rises up and lingers long, not a ton of lace on the edges of the glass as i drink it, but a great mouthfeel and lots of bubbles for the style. the nose really is amazing, a fresh and concentrated zested orange thing, natural and identifiable immediately. of course it jives with the bitter cocoa, that earthy low end in here, but it also works super well with the chocolate malt, the parts of this that are more like a brown ale than a porter, and that is true in the flavor as well. hints of vanilla bean decadence, black tea earthiness, and rich bourbon are also present, awesome depth and proportions! i actually get more chocolate character from the grain i think, which i am fine with. there is a little sweetness through this too in the flavor, hints of honey and brown sugar meet the roast and light smoke in the malt, balanced by the obvious bitterness and light acidity of the orange, which seems more peel than juice or flesh as it warms. not too much barrel on this, some mellowing oak, a little sweetness from the bourbon too, natural vanilla and honey in here too, a little char brings up the darkest malts late again, and this continues to open up as it warms. for how flavorful it is, its not desserty to me, and i have no problem drinking the large format bottle as a solo mission, theres not a ton of residual sugar at all, and the carbonation keeps it moving. medium bodied, light for a porter, but silky smooth the whole time. this is unique and delicious, super expertly done, and an early beer of the year candidate for me so far. need to get my hands on more from these guys, this was crazy impressive!
Feb 10, 2021
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Reviewed by mwilbur from Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours an amber-brown hue with 2 inch frothy tan head with excellent retention.
S: Orange peel hits first, quickly followed by cacao nibs, and hints of chocolate and caramel. No apparent barrel elements here.
T: Orange peel again dominates with cacao nibs, sweet bourbon, caramel malt, and hints of milk chocolate and almonds.
M: Surprisingly light body. Sweet chocolate, bourbon, and citrus. Wish this had a tad more heft.
D: A decent brew. This one immediately makes me think of pairing it with a holiday dinner.
Dec 14, 2020
 
Rated: 3.88 by smithj4 from New York

Dec 10, 2020
 
Rated: 3.5 by Hellpop65 from Kansas

Dec 05, 2020
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Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

3.61/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark, mahogany brown color and a thick consistency. There was a quarter inch of foamy, tan-colored head that quickly dissipated, Not a whole lot of lacing to speak of.

F: A fair, but underwhelming aroma of chocolate, roasted malt, citrus fruit, booze, and vanilla.

T: Tasted of a good amount of roasted malt (present throughout; very subtle), a tinge of vanilla (kind of fleeting), a bit of bourbon (and its accompanying barrel), some citrus (orange, in particular), and a fair bit of chocolate (could've used more). This is a decent flavor, but it needs some oomph with its ingredients.

F: An average amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Not a terrible beer, but seriously flawed. Worth a look, though.
Sep 21, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by McBraniel from Virginia

Sep 22, 2019
 
Rated: 3.92 by Griffith from Connecticut

Jun 30, 2019
 
Rated: 4.6 by beerrat from Virginia

Apr 13, 2019
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Rated by kjones6 from Virginia

4.68/5  rDev +27.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Another great beer from Blue Mountain. I am on the verge of declaring them my number one.
Mar 09, 2019
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Reviewed by crwrunner from Virginia

3.42/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
I think this beer should be label more as a stout than a porter. The beer flavors blend well together. I get a vinilila bourbon flavor and oranges with slight chocolate. The flavors go well together. Not much roast ones that is expected from a porter though. Overall a good beer.
Mar 08, 2019
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Rated by cjgiant from District of Columbia

3.91/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Decent orange/chocolate offering with a light/thin feel and a bit of spice-like bite from the barrel.
Jan 17, 2019
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Reviewed by Beejay from Virginia

4.06/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
My 1600th Beer review.

A: Black in body with a light tan head.

S: Sweet orange and chocolate. A slight amount of caramel, but not a lot from the bourbon barrel aging.

T: First sip is pure chocolate, followed by orange and vanilla with bourbon and caramel rounding out the finish. Like a bourbon ball wrapped inside of a chocolate orange.

M: Medium in body with moderate carbonation, and a slick and sticky mouthfeel.

O: Overall a lighter stout, but full of rich flavor. Very enjoyable.
Jan 11, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 08, 2019
 
Rated: 3.71 by brocktune from Virginia

Dec 07, 2018
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Reviewed by Riff from Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a deep brown almost black color with a finger of tan head fading down to lacing about the rim. Smell is orange peel, bitter chocolate, coffee, and malt. Taste follows with orange at first, coffee, bitter chocolate, light malt backbone, touch of bourbon towards the finish, and a little hop bitterness throughout. Medium body, light carbonation. Pretty good, the orange and chocolate are a nice mixture, not too sweet and delivers on all the promised flavors. Certainly benefited from being allowed to sit and warm up.
Nov 02, 2018
 
Rated: 3.25 by mltobin from Connecticut

Oct 31, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Sanchezrox23 from Virginia

Sep 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by JWalterWeatherman from Virginia

May 05, 2014
Isabel from Blue Mountain Brewery
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 53 ratings