Hellsmoke Porter
The Blind Bat Brewery LLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got this from the Northport farmers market he attends on Saturday's.

Poured from bottle into Sniffer.

Poured a dark brown/dark chocolate color with a semi thick 1 inch head that was a brown sugar coffee color.. stuck around a little bit and left a nice ring... lacing was milky and coffee colored that was thin but stuck to the glass.

Smell was immediate smoke followed by a sour/vinigary smell... thought it was infected but no.... not in the least bit. Apple cidery smell in there as well.

Immediate smoke BBQ flavor followed by the Porter malt/chocolate/coffee(so very light, barely noticeable) taste. Light taste of bittering hops but stays thru the finish and is in my opinion... exceeds perfection..

Mouthfeel is extremely light/watery with a clean aftertaste with smoke all over...

Extra - I had 2 other beers from Blind Bat and with I drank on there own. This one I happened to pair it with food (like I should of done with his potato stout). I Cooked 2 skirt steaks, ( my own recipe) one sweet and one spicy with sweet corn and a spicy creamy broccoli pasta. This beer was far and beyond phenomenal when it's paired with BBQ. The smoke is in the front which matches with the BBQ flavor of the food your eating topped with a perfect mouthfeel that's not too heavy. The watery aspect I mentioned above play's a huge roll in the overall finish of the beer. If you drank it by itself you might be turned off but it plays a huge roll when drinking it with a meal. It washes everything down and leaves a nice smoke aftertaste. I honestly commend this brewery for such s phenomenal offering. If you can get your hands on one definitely get it. Remember to BBQ with it and you will see what I mean.

 

Poured from a 0.5 L bottle into a pilsner glass

A: Opaque, dark brown color showing clear light brown at the edges with less than one finger of diminishing light beige/turmeric tinted foam. Scant lacing remains and solids linger at the bottom of the glass.

S: Fairly intense and complex woodsmoke, followed by some fruit that doesn't really detract from the smoky theme.

T: Begins off-dry, simultaneously tart and malty with a definite fruitiness in attendance. Parts become married comfortably by the middle, with darker malt and lingering tartness staying through the finish.

M: Medium viscosity, slightly oily on the palate, with low carbonation.

D/O: Surprisingly tart--the most tart porter encountered since New Glarus' infamous Old English Porter. Flavor does not match the smell--while the smell is devoted to woodsmoke, the flavor profile oscillates wildly. Interesting.

 

 

 

500ml bottle.

Pours opaque black with a half inch head of tan. A partial skim coat and dots of lacing for the duration of the glass.

Aromatics lead off with coffee grounds, bitter chocolate, roasted barley and a hint of smoke. The smoke is dissapointingly subdued.

Medium bodied with a crisp, sticky mouthfeel.

Charred malt, bakers chocolate, and light smoke start the palate. A hint of apples runs underneath along with a firm, drying bitterness.

Finishes with lingering roast, char, and subtle smoke.

The base beer isn't bad, maybe a bit on the watery side, but what this beer really needs to deliver is the smoke which it promises on the label.

A – Loose, open bubble structure on the head with little-to-no lace and poor retention. Solid black body.

S – Nice, soft smoke note. More woody than hammy imho. Slightly sweet, almost apple cider aroma.

T – Soft malt into a light smoke. Like the nose, the smoke is on the woodier side of the spectrum. Salted caramel sweetness. Semi-dry finish.

M – Super light, almost watery, body and low carbonation really hurt this brew.

O – Light by itself, but great with food.

P - The smoke pairs well with turkey or pork sandwiches. You’ll find an especially nice match if you dress the sandwich with a roasted garlic aoli.

Forgot I had this...16oz bottle

a - opened the bottle and filled my capt lawrence taster tulip. poured a nice rich black with a bubbly frothy creamy mocha-like head. looks pretty milky and creamy.

s - VERY NICE burnt cooked smoked malt backbone. chocolate milk...reminds me more of a milk stout, but smells GREAT. full bodied...really nice.

t - much like the nose, this is a robust beer. again, campfire burnt smokiness. the malts are dripping with it.

m - tad fizzy, but really cooling. not very porterlike. pretty full bodied, but the smoky sting makes it not too heavy.

o - overall if you don't like smoky beers then run the other way, but if you do enjoy smoky beers (like me), then find this one! it is not very porterlike, except for a touch of that porter tingle...mostly burnt roasted smoky milk stout. i quite enjoyed it and was into it way more than i expected i would be. SUPER glad to have another set aside. nice job by the locals! i look forward to trying more of your beers.

bear in mind this is small batch, and reading through the reviews, it has become obvious that there are different ones out there. this one came in a 16oz bottle.

Thanks to afksports for this 500 mL bottle.

A: The porter pours with a beautiful cascading head. Tanner in color, the head is sizeable (> 1 finger) and laces as it recedes. The porter is syrupy brown, concentrated enough to look black.

S: The smoke is evident immediately, a sweet, meaty presence atop the porter. Darker roasts and chocolate drive the porter aromas. Back to the smoke though, its mildness steers the porter, mixing nicely with the chocolate.

T: More porter than smoke. A simple diagnosis that downplays that roasted might of that porter. Darker malts, chocolate, coffee and char, grab hold early and don't relinquish their hold. Lactic creaminess is a nice touch. What smoke is there starts off and quickly passes, meaty with a distinct sweetness. The roasted malts are the finish, a pleasant reminder of each sip. A good porter but the 'smoke' in the name is a little misleading.

M: The mouthfeel benefits from the lactic creaminess, a sweetness that cuts into the dark porter base. Smoke comes up front and peeps up again near the end. Strong finish.

Dusted off the grill last night & that lingering soot under my nails got me all worked up again. Bottle from New Beer about two months ago. No batch or BO/BB date. Rounded pint glass pour.

Hard pour down the middle. Not quite black body with a velvet-like inch of oatmeal-colored head that doesn't linger long.

Smell is chocolate wafers, coffee creamer, & some out of place fruity pith.

Taste is soot, iced coffee, & some barky bitterness in the back. Touch salty. Disappointing smoke. This product seemed way more meatier in the initial batches. This is just sooty. There's also a fruity tang that is much more apparent when cold then cool. That wasn't there in the any previous bottles I've had. It could just be the wood the brewer is using to smoke his malt, but it's pretty apparent. There have been infection issues in the past.

Thin & well carbonated(which is/was also an issue).

Hoping for better consistency in future bottles. Also hoping the ones I traded away were drank sooner rather then later.

Tried at the Blue Point Cask Festival

A - Pours dark brown to a settled black. A mocha foam is on top, and some lacing in my glass.

S - Scents of smoky wood, like from a campfire. Also a malty sweet smell is present.

T - Taste is a bit mild for a smoked porter. The smoke is slight and leaves quickly. It has a dry finish with a little bit of fruit. Kind of like a dry riesling.

M - The blend was a pretty smooth and pleasant taste. Actually refreshing.

O - A decent smoked porter. Wouldn't go nuts about it, but worth the effort.

I love supporting my fellow Long Island brewers and decided to get a bottle of the Hellsmoke Porter from Blind Bat brewery. This porter poured a deep opaque black with little if any head. Some larger bubbles on the surface was all.

My initial nosing of this porter found it to have a mild maltiness with a hint of smoke and some sweetness. I think I was expecting perhaps wrongly that there would be a bolder smokiness to the nose, but it does smell pleasant.

The taste is like the nose a very subtle and clean smokiness with malt, and perhaps a hint of apples. The porter finishes very crisp and clean with a very slight pleasant bitter finish not unlike a crisp fresh Granny Smith apple.

The mouthfeel is somewhat watery with mild carbonation, but all in all a very clean and crisp porter.

Overall I would say that this is a very competent porter that would be a pleasant to share amongst friends. It doesn't blow the senses but what it has works well. Enjoy!!

From 01/02/11 notes. Shared by nimbleprop at a local tasting; thanks Mac.

a - Pours a dark brown, almost black, color with three + fingers of fluffy tan head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of roasted malts, coffee, light smoke, light chocolate.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, coffee, and light smoke.

m - Medium body and low carbonation.

d - A nice smoked porter. Would certainly have again.