Colossal Seven
Port City Brewing

 

 

A brace of draught 8oz snifters at the Brass Tap here in Baltimore this week.

 

Appearance: Pours a clear tea color with a one finger ecru head; good retention and spotty lace

Smell: Fig, BIng cherry, caramel and toasted brown bread

Taste: Brown sugar, caramel, fig and Bing cherry tones forward with a hint of brown bread underneath; the sweetness is maintained from start to finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: I am having a hard time picking up any peat here; a lot of sweetness but lacking in complexity

Poured into a snifter. A murky, rusty-brown color with a modest tan head. The foam shrank quickly but left a persistent cap. A slightly sweet, malty aroma as expected. Some caramel and a bit of stone fruit. There was a nice, slightly smoky/peaty aspect to the malty taste, serving as a nice counterpoint to the sweet caramel. Not overstated but just enough to keep it interesting. Medium bodied and remarkably easy to drink. Well done.

 

 

 

 

Bottle 2/2018:
Pours a lightly murky rusty brown, not too much head, and a thin ring that doesn't provide much lacing (though it wasn't an aggressive pour).

A malt-driven nose, with amber ale malts and a very light peat note that speaks more of a normal-weighted Scottish Ale. I like the malt nose, personally - though it seems to indicate the beer won't be too meaty.

The beer is not heavy, but does have a full flavor to it. It's not ravishing your palate, which is on par with what I'd expect from Port City. It does hit all the notes well though, malty with an amber ale slightly caramel note along with a little tangy raisin and perhaps a speck of citrus zest. Then there's an earthiness, not quite peaty, but edging towards it. This also keeps the beer from being too sweet. A little tingle of spice with a light carbonation add to the experience.

Overall, this came together as a well put together beer. Flavors are on point and in moderation, making this easy to drink for its 8% ABV.

Looks dark brown and hazy. Smells interesting with some fruity aroma. Taste is mostly sweet, malty, with some dark fruit and spice. (Reminds me a little of some Belgians.) Drinkable with moderate carbonation and a little warming feel to it. Overall, great but rated it lower because of the price ($19.99/6 pack at Trader Joe's). It's great, and I liked it a lot but not living up to $3/bottle expectations.

From a bottle, pours as a very dark brown (not opaque) with a frothy beige head. Aromas are all malty. Taste is initially sweet roasted malt with later dark fruit and caramel. The apparent lack of hops (and effervescence) is well in keeping with a Scotch Ale, but this combined with a 'watery' feel, leaves an unsatisfying impression.

The beer pours a nice creamy head that dissipates quickly. The beer itself is a delicious looking dark caramel brown that has a nice thick texture to it.

The smell is good. It has a delicious sweet caramel smell from the malt note. There is also a tiny and slight roasted bitterness and a tiny floral hop bitterness that keeps it from being overly sweet.

The taste is pretty good and strongly resembles the smell. It has a good sweet caramel malt note to it with a slight roast note. There is a tiny dark fruit note to it but the caramel is the strongest note while the other ones give it a good variety to it.

The feel is good. It's a heavy bodied beer but still drinkable. The beer has a light carbonation note that gives away to a smooth, heavy silk feel to it.

Overall, this is a fairly good beer and pretty delicious for a good cold weather beer.