Big Wally Porter
Cavalry Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great easy to drink porter. Coffee notes in smell and taste without the overall thickness of a milk stout. Calvary is really doing a great job with the beers cant wait to see more around

A-Pours very dark. Only moderate light penetration. It isn't black, but it is damn close. Thin tan head dies off to only a film of minuscule bubbles. Tentative, loose lacing.

S-Roast and chocolate of course. Hershey's Syrup and light roast coffee. Maybe a hint of fig and some toffee. Pleasant but without many intricacies.

T-Well roasted and plenty of bittersweet chocolate. Burnt caramel. Also some burnt toast. Nutty. Good cola note. Again, pleasant.

M-Light-to-medium bodied. No boozy bite. A tad bitter. Soft carbonation. Quite sessionable.

O/D-Cavalry accomplished their goal in creating a light, sessionable Porter. I could see a six pack of this go super-fast. Nothing really memorable flavor-wise, but it is definitely a tasty little brew with little to complain about. Sometimes you just need a low ABV brew that still delivers in the taste department.

 

 

A: My sloppy pour yielded a rocky two finger head similar to that of a hefeweizen, but diminished to a fine tan color head. Body is a solid dark brown.

S: Roasted malts with hints of chocolate and coffee, just the way one would expect an English Porter to smell.

T: Starts somewhat sweet with a hint of vanilla and toffee, then moves in to the stronger flavors of bitter chocolate and coffee. Roasted malts and a hint of dark fruits are on the finish.

M: Medium amount of carbonation, almost too much, but on the high end of the spectrum for the style, somewhat masks the body.

O: Pretty good, a solid English Porter, nothing sets it apart from others like it, but still quite good. I've come to enjoy the offerings from this brewery.

A - pours with one finger of light tan foam on top of an opaque, black body. The head settles slowly and leaves nice, thick lace

S - some caramel, light chocolate, and a bit of smoke.

T - toasty malt and dry caramel up front. Some chocolate comes out in the middle along with a little nutty character. Finishes with more chocolate and nutty caramel as well as a hint of smoke.

M - a fairly thick, oily body, moderately low carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - this is a very nicely done porter, not overly complicated but drinkable and the roasty character is perfect.

A: Extremely dark brown, nearly black. Color is very flat. Light tan head.

S: Roasted malt, coffee and vanilla. You know, all the good stuff.

T: The vanilla is really the most dominant aspect of this beer. Comes through even stronger in the taste, especially through the finish into the aftertaste. Still a good amount of roastiness to boot. Quite a flavorful porter.

M: This one's got some substance. A little too much carbonation I think but a good overall feel.

This is probably Cavalry's best offering and one that I go to whenever I need a good porter.

Reddish mahogany colored with ruby highlight around the edges. A sizzling head of tightly bubbled foam noisily recedes away.

Aroma of cocoa and caramel, some noticeable English yeast nuances.

Rich flavor, good example of the style. Roasted malt, cocoa, smoke, leather, and woody notes. Hints of caramel and marshmallow, some butterscotch. Just the right amount of bitterness to offset the malt, very subtle hop flavors, as it should be.

Mouthfeel is a bit thin, but right for the style. Finishes with tingly carbonation, a bit powdery. Very good beer overall.

This beer poured a dark coca cola colored body with an offwhite head.

Nose has some chocolate, coffee, some roasted smells.

Taste is medium bodied and very carbonated. Sort of a dull roasted flavor. Burnt coffee beans, milky chalky dark chocolate, mild caramel. Has a very day old coffee sort of flavor. Bitternes is present and adds some balance, but not a lot hops flavoe(not that a porter needs it anyway). Ends with a lingering bitternes.

I bought a case of Cavalry beers when in CT and this was one of the more drinkable of their beers. Decent porter, but not something I'd seek out again.

Appearance: 1 inch head, black in color, opaque

Smell: roasted malt and some caramel

Taste: roasted malt, some caramel, coffee, and sweet chocolate

Mouthfeel: medium-high carbonation, light body, sweet with a bitter backbone

Overall: A very solid and sessionable English porter. The best from the brewery that I have had so far. This gets more complex as it warms. Not extreme, just a solid example of the style.

Im sampling a cellar temp bottle poured into a pint glass. Even with a gentle pour I get a rocky beige head to foam up several Cms, cant even fit the whole bottle in my pint due to head size.
Beer is deep mahogany hue with ruby highlights, light only passes through on edges of the glass.
Aroma is all roasted malt and a bit of bakers chocolate. Maybe a bit of grassy hops mixing in the background.
First sip reveals an average to light body and fine gentle rolling carbonation.
Flavor is roasted malt through and through, some baker's chocolate again and a bit of grassy hops on the finish that show up more on each burp. So some hop presence.
Beer is easy to drink and would be very sessionable and enjoyable. Nice robust flavor profile without a huge heavy body and big ABV.
Nice brew from CT's newest.

A : aggressive pour gives a huge tan head. Thick, sticky and soft looking enough to sleep upon. The color is jet black, motor oil looking. I've got to add, I really like cavalry labels. They look great and I love that this brewery is vet owned and operated! Thank you for your service!

S : sweet raisin scent with a hint of bittersweet dark chocolate. The beginning smells a little like rubbing alcohol.

T : A light tasting porter with a nice roasted front. It is followed by a subtle dried fruit (raisins and dates) along with a bit of dark chocolate. so light but so flavorful.

M : one of the most silky smooth beers I have had in quite a while. I would love it on cask, although the low carbonation is nearly perfect.

An outstanding UK style porter. Easy as hell to drink and flavorful through and through. A winner in my book, although the aroma is lacking the taste and mouthfeel are pretty impressive. A repeat buy coming soon

Served on-tap in a Cavalry pint glass at Cavalry Brewing Co. in Oxford, Conn.

A: Dark, near-black amber color with slight garnet highlights beneath a two-finger cap off sudsy white foam which left only a bit of lacing.

S: Deep roasted malts with a bit of coffee grounds and earthy, herbal hops thrown in the mix. Nice pale and black malt aroma with some spicy hop bitterness in the nose as well.

T: Semisweet and bitter roasted malt flavor up front with hints of chocolate, tobacco, coffee and wet soil. A dark, figgy and burnt sugar sweet, fruity malt profile rolls across the palate to a sweet, bitter and earthy hop finish. Beckons for more and damn flavorful given the modest ABV.

M: Medium-full bodied porter with moderate carbonation and enough balance to cut through off flavors or sticky sweetness.

D: As mentioned the ABV under 5% is a bonus & a testament to Mike's brewing that he can tease so much flavor while not producing all the booze inducing sugars. A nice brew for those mild, late winter nights and sustainable for any session in the English fashion.

I would not be able to predict how classic this English style porter is. My first reaction to it before drinking was "Here's just another microbrewery bastardizing the English Porter." But this "bevvy ain't bollocks," as it were, with its 4.8%.
At first whiff you notice the the chocolaty aromas. When you taste it, the flavors immediately hit you with a wallop--I instantly noticed the caramel, raisin, and chocolate. For a darker beer, this one is not only drinkable, but quaff-able.
I paired this low carbonation porter with a thinly-sliced steak, and the earthy undertones complimented the beef.
I normally do not drink porters out of a bottle, but due to limited means I had to make due. Despite this handicap, I enjoyed the beer and would probably take it as a reward on a hike/bike trek. There's a large payoff, without an overwhelming feeling of being buzzed henceforth.