King Titus
Maine Beer Company

 

From a bottle, poured into a beer glass.
Dark caramelized malt, rich with flavor, molasses, is a dominant flavor. Hints of caramel toffee and a little dark chocolate make it enjoyable. I do pick up in the tobacco notes, they make it somewhat interesting and a little more complex.
A very tasty porter!

Black color. Big, beige head. Dark chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt in the aroma. Balanced malty taste with pleasant roasted bitterness. Simple for a stout, but still good.

16.9oz bottle purchased from the fridge for $7.99, if I recall correctly. Bottled on 30JAN24, so this is 10 months and two days old.

Look: Very dark brown, almost black. There was a thin tan colored head that reduced to a thin ring around the rim of the glass. It looks like it has soft, steady, somewhat lively carbonation.

Smell: It's very roasty on the nose, also gives way to a bit of hoppiness. Notes of coffee, toffee, and tobacco are prominent. Vanilla as well. Up front, it has the roasty and malty notes along with the dark caramel, toffee, coffee, and vanilla notes. Then the finish has the tobacco notes and earthy bitterness from the hops. It smells interesting and complex, inviting. Secondary notes of dried fruit including figs, raisins, and black cherries. Overall, the combination of the elements in the aromas remind me of a dry cola. The experience is growing on me and it smells really nice.

Taste: It's tasty. This beer is all about roasted malts. Up front, there's a bit of the dark caramel and toffee notes along with some creamy vanilla and of course the dark roasted maltiness. The finish has tons of bitter dark chocolate, coffee grounds, and tobacco character, it's very dry and ashy. The finish is long and smooth. As my palate is adjusting to the flavor profile, I am also picking up more dark fruit notes on the finish including prune, fig, black cherry, and raisin. On the palate, it is not as hoppy as I was expecting from the nose and from what I have been accustomed to from Maine Beer Company. Only towards the end of the bottle am I picking up on the black licorice note.

Feel: It is a bit on the thinner side, but I would say that it is probably in line with expectations for a 7.5% ABV robust porter. It has a very smooth almost silky mouthfeel. There is a bit of chewiness, which is nice. Appropriately carbonated.

Overall: I think that this is an excellent beer and it seems to be very representative of the style. For me, I think that I prefer a bit more sweetness with my higher ABV dark beers. The tobacco note is really cool though. As usual, Maine Beer Company makes beers that are in-line with style guidelines and are always made really well. It's also important to note that it seems that this beer is bottle conditioned (not surprising from Maine Beer Company) and there was some sediment at the bottom of the bottle that was swirled and added to the last pour of a few ounces. It seemed to enhance the mouthfeel and perhaps mellow out the flavors somewhat.

From the website
Flavor profile: Aromas of woody tobacco and walnut, followed by burnt coffee, toffee, and chocolate.
Hops: Centennial, Columbus
Malt: American 2-Row, Caramel 40L, Chocolate, Munich 10L, Midnight Wheat, Caramel 80L, Flaked Oats

Poured from a bottle into a snifter
Appearance – The beer pours a very dark brown color with a tiny head of light brown colored foam. The head fades very fast, leaving just a touch of lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is rather strong of a rich roasted and toasted brown bread smell mixed with a big showing of chocolate and coffee. Along with these aromas comes other sweet smells of caramel and molasses as well as notes of tobacco and vanilla.
Taste- The taste starts out with a sweet chocolate and caramel flavor paired with a nice roasted and toasted malt and some bitter coffee. At the same time there is a bit of char and toasted brown bread, both of which grow a bit stronger as the taste advances. At the same time the sweet falls out a touch, lightening in the caramel and molasses. At eh same time however, some vanilla and oak develop, and with notes of tobacco and a touch of smoke, one is left with a nice dark and roasty, moderately sweet taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is medium in thickness with a carbonation level that is lower. For the big dark and rich flavors of the brew the feel is good, making for a rather easy sipper even at 7.5 %.
Overall – A good porter overall. Not overly sweet or bitter, but rather well balanced. While not worth the $7.99 price tag, it was fun to try.

Poured from a brown 16.9 oz. bottle. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of roasted malts, some chocolate. Taste follows the aroma, hops are present. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent beer.

5/4/24 Chicago (Home)

Bottle Notes: Purchased 2/22/24 at Beer on the Wall Park Ridge at store temperature, refrigerated upon bringing home. $8.00 with tax, 16.9 oz bottled 1/30/24 at 10:08:38. 7.5% ABV. Porter. Drink this beer fresh within 120 days of the stamped born on date. Freeport, Maine.

Titus, a bold silverback gorilla who led with his heart, was observed by The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (DFGF) throughout his 35 year life. Their conservation approach involves research, education, and community outreach, which has allowed DFGF to protect these magnificent animals on the VIrunga volcano mountain range in Rwanda. Learn more at GorillaFund.org.

Appearance: Poured about 3/4 of the bottle into a shaker pint glass. Dark chestnut brown base, creamy rich darker tan head lingers a few minutes before leaving barley a trace in lacing and a creamy thin cover over the base. Can't see the carbonation beyond the fine bubble traces marked in the creamy cover. Looks solid. 4.25

Aroma: A bitter roast malt dominates the strong aroma, getting hints of milk chocolate, caramel, toffee in the back. 4.0

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, though the dark roast malt is sweeter than anticipated based on the aroma. Plenty of hops bitterness to keep this in proper balance. Getting chocolate milk and caramel backing as this warms, which improves from the initial colder sips. Getting some dark roast coffee further in. Like this more as I reach the half way point than my initial take. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Faint gentle carbonation adds a touch more depth than the thin to medium body conveys. Drinks light and easy especially in comparison to ABV. The hops bitterness and sweet flavors work to form a nice balanced porter.4.25

Overall: This is a solid hoppy porter which presents strong aroma and taste sensations. Not sure if the hops faded as I approached the recommended 120 best by, but this beer, though didn't anticipate much fade and refrigerated this for most of the life of the bottle. Overall, if you like a hoppy somewhat bitter porter, this is a solid choice as is most Maine Beer Company offerings. 4.25

Pours a dark red brown highlights when held to the light, smaller tan head not much lace, just spotty.

Aroma is roasted malts, light bakers chocolate, coffee hints, hints of earthy herbal notes.

Taste is nice soft smooth roasted notes, bakers chocolate, coffee hints, toffee and earthy herbal notes mingled. Smooth and easy drinking.

Mouthfeel is medium with medium carbonation.

Overall a solid porter, maybe a touch over rated but solid.

 

 

 

Look - Nice dark brown wtih a than tan head
Smell and Taste - roasted malts with a slight coffee
Feel - pretty smooth and creamy with a medium body
Overall - really nice porter

Pours super dark, more like a stout. Head was tan in color. Decent lacing left. Nose was cola like. Taste was sweet and slightly cocoa. Also slight bitterness left on the backend. Superb Porter!

Poured deep, deep brown with reddish tints around the edges and was crowned with a 2 cm light brown head.
The aroma was lost on my Covid damaged nose
The taste was an amazing assortment of mild coffees and dark chocolates with some plums and figs and a touch of floral hops towards the end.
The feel was almost as smooth as the flavor, I think I could have consumed a six pack of this without thinking about it.
OA, I really wish they distributed to Michigan; I'd have this on hand on a regular basis.

 

Look: Very, very dark ruby (nearly black), but just slightly translucent. Creates a brilliant red if light is applied. Good lacing and small tan head that dissipates quickly.

Smell: Deceptively simple. Offers mostly nutty and toasted notes with a little bit of coffee.

Taste: As noted before, the smell does not impart the complexity of this beer. It starts with traditional porter notes; light toast, dark chocolate, coffee. But the finishing flavors are anything but typical; extremely floral and dry, I wondered if it actually contained any herbs for flavoring, but it's all coming from the hops. Along with that, noticeable hop bitterness as well. Bright and refreshing, not at all what I expect from a Porter but a wonderful surprise.

Feel: Initial porter heaviness is there, but finishes so dry that it actually achieves a sort dry effervescence that is boosted by the hops. Maybe the only Porter I would recommend for summer. Alcohol heat is just barely present and adds an almost spicy element that compliments the herbal notes.

Final thoughts: a unique but fantastic take on the American Porter. Exemplary of its style, proving that American styles don't always need to be excessively bitter.

 

L - Black with mahogany highlights with a light tan head that leaves a thin cap and slight lacing
S - Roasted dark malt, coffee, dark chocolate, and some caramel
T - Roasted dark malt up front and throughout intermixed well with roasted coffee, dark chocolate, and hints of caramel - slight hints of hops on the backend
F - medium leaning on full bodied with moderate carbonation. Creamy, smooth
O - A perfect example of an American porter. Like every Maine Beer Company brew, nothing fancy, but spot on for the style

(16.9 oz bottle, 045 31JAN23; purchased cold from the brewery yesterday... poured into my Trillium fat tulip)

L: opaque dark brown liquid; tight, tan, creamy foam... messy collar and quite a few broad streaks of lace

S: dark chocolate, espresso, hint of mint; classic American porter aromas, yum!... once the head settles, burnt caramel nutty toffee notes... woodsy note most dominant, surely accented by roasted grain aromatics; Black IPA-like, oh yes... accents galore, but hollow in depth

T: nutty nutty nutty yes!... dark cocoa; latent alco cleaving cut in the aftertaste... second big sip, more herbal, earthy-floral hop activity... wonderfully dry; subtle (deep-toasted) sugary edges, but altogether beautifully balanced with the roasted grain and hop bitterness; no one element overdominant... chocolate syrup and very subtle dark red wine notes later emerge; bit of a band-aid phenolic whisper too, but not near distracting... the further I get into it, the more it's coming across like a dry Black IPA

F: too dry?, pungently uplifting, alcohol at its perfect measure of airing out and accelerating sensations... definitely longing for more roundness to its body, stickiness and tang in its finish... hard to knock a robust yet aloof-ly dry interaction

O: pretty sure I've never had this but, if I'd had, it's gotta be only my second turn on it... darn good; understated excellence; rather dry, like some of their other brews, which is cool, but this one leaves me wanting more depth, dank, and dinginess... will be picking up some bottles to share with my malt mates (2118)