Powerhouse Porter
Sambrook's Brewery

 

March 2013: On tap (keg) at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Opaque very dark brown to black colour, large beige head. Fruity and roasty aroma, notes of roasted malts, coffee and dark chocolate. Smooth and pleasant flavour, moderately roasty with notes of dark chocolate, also some dark fruits in the background, not too sweet. A nice and very drinkable porter.

#1704 - Quite expensive but the novelty of having a local London (Wandsworth) beer was worth a go... I haven't read the lable or any reviews below yet, just the brewery+name/style/ABV%. Part blind then, and more interesting trying to figure it out myself first.
L- Deep chestnut brown; looks far more like a deep 'real ale' type brew than a porter! Pours clear with a 1Cm fine-bubble pale tan head. ps. 10mins later => Holds very well and forms lacing on the way down
S- Slightly toasty plus grain, and I believe a mild hint of charring too.
T- Taste follows smell, toast, charring into a twist of rather acrid smoke, some bright trad-style hops coming in and then a malty reconciliation into the finish. [Note: that was my 1st sip of beer today on a clean palate, so everything is accentuated]. By sip-3 my registering any smoke drops off completely, it's now like a quite toasty, pretty malty and deep ale. I'm really curious what makes this ale-like beer in fact a porter!
F- As said, in some ways more like a toasty ESB-style ale, but the hops are a bit more prominent here. The CO2 in the glass and mouth IS certainly more porter-like.
O- I like it, and I'm glad I gave it a go. I don't know enough about the porter style to understand why this is one... 'What, porter's don't have to jet black?'. It's an accomplished beer, there is nothing out of scale or place. It's a quite modest 4.9% but it really packs a lot of Taste+Feel into that.
Bought from Nicolas (wines), Holland Park Avenue, London W11; (hence > £3.50). 440ml can BBE: 11/2021.

Cask. Clear dark chestnut. Thick dense head.
Coffee and roasted malt aroma.
A smoky flavour. Rather sweet. Fruity towards the end.
Lacks body. Moderate carbonation.
Good in parts.

500ml bottle into 350ml beer glass. Poured a dark, reddish brown with a big rocky off-white head, retention is good. Lots of lacing. Looks great.

Lots of chocolate on the nose, with coffee and toffee coming through. Very nice

Big malt flavour - lots of chocolate although coffee coming through stronger now. Faint port/vermouth note - very nice. Not too much burnt malt flavour and bitterness is low.

Mouth is a tad thin.

Overall a very good porter. Good balance and flavour.

Highly recommended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

500ml bottle. Nice to try another traditional porter from London proper.

This beer pours a clear, dark, bright ruby amber hue, with two fingers of foamy, bubbly, somewhat rocky beige head, which leaves a few upshots of land bridge lace around the glass as it evenly subsides. One attractive customer, this.

It smells of musty, roasted dark chocolate malt, a bit of morning toast breadiness, some indistinct black fruitiness, a very slight lactic sourness, and earthy, somewhat dank hops. The taste is charred caramel malt, a slightly savoury meatiness, some bittersweet baker's cocoa, waning, somewhat sour black fruit notes, and earthy, mashed leaf hops.

The carbonation is present, but quite on the down low, the body a sturdy medium weight, and generally smooth. It finishes just on the sweet side, the singed caramel malt, chalky chocolate (oh yeah), lingering just past the date milkiness, and earthy, weedy hops closing things out.

An agreeable enough English porter, the tropes all there and accounted for, and drinkable for the very same encapsulated reasons. Too bad about the local distribution hegemony that renders this available at a single out-of-the-way locale.

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a Fullers dimpled pint mug.

Pours a very dark ruby, verging on black, colour. Tan head that lasts not very long.

Smells of roasted malts.

Tastes of dark, burnt malts, giving it a dry and crisp mouthfeel. Sizeable hop bitterness as well as an odd lingering tang on the palate, perhaps it could do with being a tad sweeter?

Overall a good attempt, very drinkable but just not quite right.

A clear dark ruby brown beer, a tan head with little lacing and curtains.

Toast and coffee, some forest fruits - smellwise.

Tasting burned bread crust, dried dark fruits, brown sugar and dark grounded coffee.

Little carbonation, a fresh texture, rather small body but a dry finish.

Well balanced, possibly a bit on the sweet side.

 

Handpump halfpint at the Old Red Cow.

A: Clear garnet body topped by some pillowy tan foam. Very solid retention, light lace. Nice.

S: Nice balance of dark fruits (raisins and plums) and roasted malts (dark chocolate and char). Maybe a touch of vanilla. Solid.

T: Opens with a wave of smoke and bitter dark chocolate, which is quickly trumped by some rich vanilla, caramel malt, and fruitiness. Smooth, slightly hoppy, bitter finish. Very tasty.

M: Creamy, lively, smooth medium body. Great.

O: Excellent Porter. Great balance of roastiness and sweetness.

Cheers!