Magpie Baltic Porter
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance: Cola colored, no foam at all.

Smell: Chocolate, caramel, coffee.

Taste: Chocolate, caramel, coffee.

Mouthfeel: Thin to medium bodied.

The Verdict: It’s OK. At only 12 IBUs, it’s a bit bland to my taste buds. I expect more flavor from Fig Mtn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Girlfriend brought a growler after a trip to Santa Barbara.

A: Poured into a Fig Mountain shaker pint. Pours a dark reddish-brown with a nice chocolate-milk colored head that quickly reduced to almost nothing. It seems somehow thin.

S: This is a deep one. Chocolate, coffee and caramel are all present and blended in such a way that it makes it difficult to pick out the star of the show. There's some kind of earthy aroma behind it all that acts as a backdrop and keeps everything on the same page.

T: God I wish I had a good cigar to go with this. A smooth medley of smokey sweet bitterness with just a touch of alcohol burn makes this seem somehow refined. The first sip seemed watery, but the second and third re-stated the coffee and chocolate flavors with some kind of creaminess that I couldn't quite pick out.

M: The somewhat creamy mix of robust flavors make their statement, but don't cling heavily. When I used to drink Starbucks lattes I'd get an oily/syrupy feeling in my mouth all morning. I expected this beer to leave that same feel, but it didn't. If anything, it doesn't feel like the flavors stuck around long enough. I'd have liked a bit more carbonation to help give it some staying power.

O: A solid addition to the lineup. Nothing mind-blowing, but a damn fine beer if you're in the mood for something darker. With the holidays coming up, this is one I could see myself drinking while relaxing under a fleece blanket on the couch on a rainy day with bad Christmas movies on TV.

 

 

 

Pours a nearly opaque dark brown with red glints in the sunlight. The head was short, but only due to the care taken by the bar tender in the way it was poured. The head is root beer colored. The aroma consists of roasted coffee beans and milk chocolate. The mouthfeel is magnificent. So smooth and creamy with no menacing coffee acidity and very little carbonation burn. The flavor of coffee, chocolate, and dark ripe fruit are accentuated perfectly by the lactose. This is a superior porter in my opinion. Another home run by Figueroa Mountain.

On tap at King's Row Gastropub in Pasadena, CA.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, and caramel. Taste is much the same with a mild roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that that smells better than it tastes.