London Calling Porter
Sly Fox Brewing Company

from cask at my local

A - clear dark amber-brown; some foam and light lacing

S - impact from the ale yeast is noticeable, with fruitiness and malt with hints of chocolate and nut aromas; hops are minimal

T - has a tight malt profile; more fruitiness, very little bittering, some chocolate, nuts, wisp of smoke,

M - excellent on hand-pump, but it is a little lean textured

D - very easy to drink; the low abv lends it to sessions

On cask, via hand pump, @ the Sly Fox Brewing Company (Phoenixville, PA) on 12/19/10. Served in a 10 oz Pils glass. This is there new English Porter brewed exclusively for the handpumps at the Phoenixville location.

Pours a deep clear amber, with a thin covering tight looking and slightly off-white colored head. This retains with some foaminess around the edges and some thin wisps that float in the center of the glass, leaving back some light spotty lacing. The aroma is sweet and sticky with notes of toffee and cocoa, as well as a dash of coffee character, some roasted nuts, and some pronounced earthy fruit.

The taste is caramel sweetness, a splash of chocolate malts, and then a touch of dry roast. Once again, there is that pronounced fruitiness, with is actually coming off as a little dark at times. Balancing earthy hops stretch out across the profile and linger in the finish with some light nuttiness. The mouthfeel is surprisingly light in the mouth. There is a touch of crispness at times but this is very silky overall and is bordering on watery at times. This is probably one of the lightest bodies on a beer that I've felt in a while.

This was a decent stab at an English Porter, with a well balanced blend of malt, fruit, and hops giving this some complexity and flavor. The only drawback for me was the overly weak body on cask but even that wasn't a huge issue. This was quite accessible and drinkable and the sub 5% ABV was spot-on for keeping this sessionable.