Pot Kettle Black
Yeastie Boys

 

 

 

 

I popped the can and from 20Cm away got a waft of Citra-like hops... unexpected for a porter!
L- Extremely dark, no light gets through the glass (held up to a halogen lamp). Pours with 3mm pale tan head.
S- I get the Citra-like waft again! With some toasty cinders following. I'm intrigued what this will taste like.
T- The Taste follows^. But the brief intial Citra-like flourish is fast over-taken and dominated by a smokey toastiness.
F- It packs a punch of Feel for 6.0%, don't plan on tasting any more subtle brews after one of these. It somehow combines punchy/gutsy (ideal in winter) with a bright and mildly citrus edge (refreshing in summer).
O- Unusual, combines a punchy trad porter with a twist of contemporary hopping. Might especially appeal to younger fans of black beers. I like it, it's clearly something different, though am not quite enough of a fan of black beers to pay it's price on a repeat buy.
Bought from Wholefoods London W8. £2.89/330ml can. BBE: 12/2020

Seem more like a porter. Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass. Very dark brown with nice beige head and beautiful curtain lacing. Rich dark chocolate smell and taste. A bit smokey with a smooth feel. Pleasant beer!

 

If anyone were to suggest it, I'd vote for this being cast into the porter style; preferably an English porter as American renditions tend to have more hops.

Pot Kettle Black Looks the part of a good porter, nice foam and lace. Smells are blander, just dark malt making subdued aromas. Tastes are perfectly balanced, mostly malt and just enough tang. Sits in my mouth very softly. Good recipe and well-crafted. I also just had this after loading my wife's luggage at Paddington, so the entire experience fits. Thanks.

I somehow did not try Yeastie Boys during my ten days in NZ. But I am glad to find them in London; cooperating with a contract brewer in Berkshire. The Boys website was difficult to get on and was not too informative. But with a brew this good, their beer probably speaks for itself. Good job, lads.

 

 

Batch 37.

Pours dark brown, aboot an inch of off white foam with a vigorous pour. Does well with the lacing.

Milk chocolate, cocoa, hoppy nose. Deep whiffs reveal more sweet notes than bitter.

The taste is cocoa, less sweetness than what I gathered from the smell with a roasted malt injection and some dark chocolate and hop bitterness. Pleasing the way the flavours seem to evolve after almost every sip.

High end of medium bodied adequate carbonation.

Feels stronger than 6% abv but nonetheless, enjoyable.

330ml bottle from Home Bargains (£0.89):
This one was a beer that definitely started well, pouring with quite a nice body & head before the nose came through with some subtle hops, pine & even some light tropical notes towards the end; there was a few darker malts & earthy touches at this point to though. Come the taste the beer decided to go in a different direction with cocoa & chocolate flavours dominating alongside some coffee & a few hints of sweetness nearer the end.

Bottle. Very dark auburn. Dense tan head.
Cocoa, hops and a bit of smoke on the nose.
A vibrant flavour of coffee and hops. Light bitter finish.
Quite soft carbonation. The malt and hops balance out quite nicely.
A refreshing porter.

A 330ml bottle with a BB of Dec 2017. Given to me a while back as a gift. Contract-brewed in the UK by Brewdog. The label doesn't give much away, but I'm going to presume that this is a porter brewed with NZ hop varieties.

A: Poured into a Duvel tulip. A very dark brown hue that appears pitch black in the glass. Good carbonation can be seen when held to the light. Yields a large head of creamy tan foam that lasts for a minute or so before reducing to a patchy surface layer. Slight lacing.

S: Aroma of resinous hops with hints of pine, weed, citrus peel, roasted malt, coffee, bitter chocolate, a touch of molasses and earthy yeast. Rather nice.

T: Tastes of bitter aromatic hops with notes of pine resin, dank weed, citrus peel, subtle grapefruit, roasted malt, burnt grain, coffee, cocoa, mild molasses and earthy yeast. A strident, hop-driven bitterness upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with spritzy carbonation and a somewhat insubstantial body for the strength. Could be a shade thicker. Hop oils tickle the palate. Aftertaste of bitter aromatic hops, pine, roasted malt, coffee and earthy yeast.

O: Pretty good - a black IPA in all but name. Looks great, while the aroma and flavour deliver a hefty dose of resinous hops and dark malt. Decent body but could be a tad thicker given the ABV. Also wouldn't hurt to have a slightly sweeter malt bill to round it out, but this is splitting hairs. A solid brew - if you like dark hoppy things then give it a whirl.

 

 

 

330 ml bottle, M and S, Bristol - Pours jet black with a medium tanned head. Nice lacing. Medium carbonation. Aroma - coffee, lactose, caramel/toffee notes, nutty overtones. Taste - Sweetish at the front, coffee notes, roasted malty layers, caramel, dry bitter finish. Very well balanced porter.

 

 

 

 

CAN
Ruby black with ivory legs. 4
Kronik!!! 4.5
Thread of carob + licorice, crazy weed, tar, caramelized onion, hints of fig, and clean end. 4.25
Medium, chewy, sticky. 4

Pacifica, Nelson Sauvin, Styrian Goldings

(Note: contract brewed in the UK by Brewdog.)

Dank tank! BIPA, not “South Pacific porter,” with mad resin at the end. More, please. 4.25

Honestly some pretty great chocolate/char/bitter grapefruit+pine hop presence here. Mouthfeel is an issue though, seems really heavy for only 6% and between the big carbonation, bitterness and heft it gets a bit tiresome. Definitely a black IPA-worthy amount of hops here but has the body and drinkability of an imperial stout.

 

 

 

Black colour, medium off white head, great lacing. Aroma of milk chocolate, licorice, coffee. Medium body, creamy palate.Medium carbonation. Taste of licorice, coffee, chocolate. OK.

Bottled
Jet Black body with decent enough tan head
Smells like opening a bag of midget gems where the black ones are liquorice
Coffee burnt toast melon cinder toffee
Nicely balanced alrounder

 

 

 

 

Pours a clear, black color. 1/5 inch head of an off-tan color. Slight retention and good lacing. Smells of english hops, euro yeast, alcohol, strong sweet malt, slight roasted malt, syrup, and hops. Fits the style of an American Porter. Mouth feel is smooth and clean, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of english hops, euro yeast, alcohol, strong sweet malt, slight roasted malt, syrup, and hops. Overall, decent appearance, good aroma, feel, body, and blend.

 

33cl bottle. Jet black pour with a bit of beige head that gives way to a sticky lacing. Smells of roasted malts, caramel and cherries. More sweet that I expected, with notes of artificial flavouring, vanilla and dark cherries. Watery.