Export Porter Cacao
The Kernel Brewery

 

A 330ml bottle with a BB of Aug 2013. Picked up a while back from Trembling Madness in York. Described on the label as a porter on cacao nibs - yum.

Poured into a Delirium chalice. Bottle conditioned. A very dark brown that appears darker than a starless night in the glass. Yields a small head of frothy light-brown foam that lasts for a minute or two before subsiding to a thin surface layer. Aroma of rich roasted malt with hints of cocoa, burnt grain, mild coffee, molasses and earthy yeast. The earthiness is quite pronounced - almost like freshly turned soil. Delicious.

Tastes of intense roasted malt with a deeply bitter finish. Notes of dark malt, burnt grain, bitter cocoa, coffee, molasses, faint dried fruit and earthy yeast. No hops to speak of. Highly attenuated, with a powerful bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and tingly, with light carbonation and a pleasantly creamy body. Rather astringent, with an aftertaste of bitter roasted malt, cocoa and earthy yeast.

Fantastic. A modern twist on a classic beer style. It looks the part, while the aroma and flavour are bold and brash. Rich, roasty and bitter; the subtle cocoa character blends perfectly with the dark malt. Nice, velvety body - a tad more carbonation would have enhanced the texture but this is trivial. It's great to come across a beer that uses cocoa but doesn't have a cloying sweetness to accompany it. Superb - if you like your beer dark and flavourful then this is for you. Don't pass it up should you come across it.