Aphotic Imperial Porter | High Water Brewing
Brewed by:
High Water Brewing
California, United States
highwaterbrewing.com
Style: Baltic Porter
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 9.30%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
Aphotic [ā-fō’-tic] Greek: without light.
Formally defined as the depths in water beyond which less than one percent of sunlight penetrates. Aphotic is a beer with a very dark side. Just one sip and you will understand the true depths of its darkness as the deep, luxurious layers of malt rich-ness tantalize and tease your taste buds.
Added by dcmchew on 03-02-2015
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers
Ratings: 39 | Reviews: 13
3.78/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Nearly opaque, dark brown body; thin yet lasting head; dense and foamy. Sweet, dark malt aroma; sweet chocolate; cocoa powder. Some milk chocolate flavor at the start; some alcohol notes; a bit phenolic and a tad bitter. Heavy body; smooth and velvety; luscious sweetness overall.
A nice imperial porter, perhaps a tad too boozy yet still delivering some rich dark grain and chocolate-like character.
401 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Nearly opaque, dark brown body; thin yet lasting head; dense and foamy. Sweet, dark malt aroma; sweet chocolate; cocoa powder. Some milk chocolate flavor at the start; some alcohol notes; a bit phenolic and a tad bitter. Heavy body; smooth and velvety; luscious sweetness overall.
A nice imperial porter, perhaps a tad too boozy yet still delivering some rich dark grain and chocolate-like character.
401 characters
4/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip
L: Inky black pour with 2 fingers of foamy tannish head. Great retention and outstanding lacing.
S: Rich and chocolatey. Roasted grains and burned sugars. Mild espresso.
T/F: Follows the nose. Rich roast... strong presence of cocoa... coffee underneath. Bitter roast mixing with sweet sugars. Vanilla notes. Medium to thick bodied. Creamy carbonation. The flavor gets more complex as it warms.
O: An outstanding Imperial Porter... great flavors and feel.... spot on for the style. I bet this would be badass after some time in a barrel.
600 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip
L: Inky black pour with 2 fingers of foamy tannish head. Great retention and outstanding lacing.
S: Rich and chocolatey. Roasted grains and burned sugars. Mild espresso.
T/F: Follows the nose. Rich roast... strong presence of cocoa... coffee underneath. Bitter roast mixing with sweet sugars. Vanilla notes. Medium to thick bodied. Creamy carbonation. The flavor gets more complex as it warms.
O: An outstanding Imperial Porter... great flavors and feel.... spot on for the style. I bet this would be badass after some time in a barrel.
600 characters
4.18/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.02/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.21/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Dark colored with a receeding light chocolate head. Smells like an ice coffee from Wawa with some sweetness. I almost detect some cherries on the edge. Taste brings up the coffee with some bitter dark chocolate and roasted malts. Slight bitterness extends well through the finish. This brew hides the 9.3% pretty well. Somewhat less carbonation and a medium/thin feel. I'd call this one pretty decent !
405 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Dark colored with a receeding light chocolate head. Smells like an ice coffee from Wawa with some sweetness. I almost detect some cherries on the edge. Taste brings up the coffee with some bitter dark chocolate and roasted malts. Slight bitterness extends well through the finish. This brew hides the 9.3% pretty well. Somewhat less carbonation and a medium/thin feel. I'd call this one pretty decent !
405 characters
3.81/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.17/5 rDev -19.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Clear, very dark brew, with a ruby glint. Modest foam in the tall Maredsous goblet. Tastes of alcohol and blackened grapes, burnt blackberry pie. Not much aroma. Just a little funk and cedar.
Winey taste with a more acidic sensation than typical big dark brews. Not very rich for such a big beer. Deeply dark and a little charred in the malt department. Rather bitter with an astringent finsh. Quite sippable but on the harsh side. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Safeway.
476 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Clear, very dark brew, with a ruby glint. Modest foam in the tall Maredsous goblet. Tastes of alcohol and blackened grapes, burnt blackberry pie. Not much aroma. Just a little funk and cedar.
Winey taste with a more acidic sensation than typical big dark brews. Not very rich for such a big beer. Deeply dark and a little charred in the malt department. Rather bitter with an astringent finsh. Quite sippable but on the harsh side. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Safeway.
476 characters
4.25/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dark brown color, when poured you can see the haziness of the porter, not quite black, but dark chocolate brown with tan colored head. Roasted malt, cocoa, dark berries, and some light smoke on the nose; follows onto the palate. Full bodied. Finishes with more cocoa and roast, a light smoky note lingers.
313 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dark brown color, when poured you can see the haziness of the porter, not quite black, but dark chocolate brown with tan colored head. Roasted malt, cocoa, dark berries, and some light smoke on the nose; follows onto the palate. Full bodied. Finishes with more cocoa and roast, a light smoky note lingers.
313 characters
3.81/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.84/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A 22oz bomber, batch 2472, I believe bottled early in 2017. This is their new colorful Peter-Max-fish design. (See their site: http://www.highwaterbrewing.com/aphotic-imperial-porter/) A careful pour yields no head really at all. Black, not even a cola brown along the edges here in this light. Aroma is slight malt, a little chocolate. Not very strong.
Taste is much more present; bitter chocolate, roast, molasses. Slight black currant sneaking in (as another notes, that's interesting). A bit boozy and creamy and burnt stick in the finish. Bitter seems much higher than the 38 IBU they advertise. While it has the relative thinness of a porter, and that "soda" texture, the taste is quite big, a cross between an American Stout and dark ale. Wow. So Baltic, it's almost Russian?
It's a little aggressive but nothing's taking the whole thing hostage. 9.3% is not an issue. Very well hidden, it's not hot at all. They're telling me "Aphotic" means the part of the sea that doesn't get sunlight. Yes this is dark. Similar to Flying Dog's Gonzo Imperial Porter, with the roast that won't quit, but a little less nuanced. Very much a sipper.
1,142 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A 22oz bomber, batch 2472, I believe bottled early in 2017. This is their new colorful Peter-Max-fish design. (See their site: http://www.highwaterbrewing.com/aphotic-imperial-porter/) A careful pour yields no head really at all. Black, not even a cola brown along the edges here in this light. Aroma is slight malt, a little chocolate. Not very strong.
Taste is much more present; bitter chocolate, roast, molasses. Slight black currant sneaking in (as another notes, that's interesting). A bit boozy and creamy and burnt stick in the finish. Bitter seems much higher than the 38 IBU they advertise. While it has the relative thinness of a porter, and that "soda" texture, the taste is quite big, a cross between an American Stout and dark ale. Wow. So Baltic, it's almost Russian?
It's a little aggressive but nothing's taking the whole thing hostage. 9.3% is not an issue. Very well hidden, it's not hot at all. They're telling me "Aphotic" means the part of the sea that doesn't get sunlight. Yes this is dark. Similar to Flying Dog's Gonzo Imperial Porter, with the roast that won't quit, but a little less nuanced. Very much a sipper.
1,142 characters
4.46/5 rDev +12.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle at home. Very dark caramel-brown pour with a tall tan head with decent retention. Notes of roasted malts, lactose, caramelised sugar, smoke, dark cherries and dark chocolate. Some pine hops also present in the aroma and subtly in the taste. Medium body, high carbonation and a roasty bitter-sweet finish.
311 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle at home. Very dark caramel-brown pour with a tall tan head with decent retention. Notes of roasted malts, lactose, caramelised sugar, smoke, dark cherries and dark chocolate. Some pine hops also present in the aroma and subtly in the taste. Medium body, high carbonation and a roasty bitter-sweet finish.
311 characters
3.93/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Got this one in Buffalo
From a bomber into a snifter
APPEARANCE: Clear dark brown pour yields a 2 finger, medium looking, creamy light tan head with very good retention. Head fades to a full wisp and clings to the sides of the glass as it recedes. Black body with no real carbonation evident. A splotchy wisp remains until the end leaving lots of lacing down the glass as it empties.
SMELL: Black malts with tobacco, dark chocolate, licorice notes and light creamy aromas. Pretty nice stuff.
TASTE: Roasted and burnt malts with tobacco notes up front. Some chocolate and licorice at the swallow, moving into a bolder and lingering finish of tobacco, burnt malts, light chocolate, sweet cream and a touch of alcohol as well. Enjoyable.
PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Creamy on the palate, goes down fine and finishes a bit mouth coating. Creamy enough and enough weight as well.
OVERALL: Good stuff. This has a lot of the elements I really enjoy in a strong porter, including a creamy and heavier feel for the style. The two High Water brews we checked out were both of high quality, so I’ll definitely pick up more the next time I’m in Buffalo. Give this one a shot if you see it. Recommended.
1,232 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Got this one in Buffalo
From a bomber into a snifter
APPEARANCE: Clear dark brown pour yields a 2 finger, medium looking, creamy light tan head with very good retention. Head fades to a full wisp and clings to the sides of the glass as it recedes. Black body with no real carbonation evident. A splotchy wisp remains until the end leaving lots of lacing down the glass as it empties.
SMELL: Black malts with tobacco, dark chocolate, licorice notes and light creamy aromas. Pretty nice stuff.
TASTE: Roasted and burnt malts with tobacco notes up front. Some chocolate and licorice at the swallow, moving into a bolder and lingering finish of tobacco, burnt malts, light chocolate, sweet cream and a touch of alcohol as well. Enjoyable.
PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Creamy on the palate, goes down fine and finishes a bit mouth coating. Creamy enough and enough weight as well.
OVERALL: Good stuff. This has a lot of the elements I really enjoy in a strong porter, including a creamy and heavier feel for the style. The two High Water brews we checked out were both of high quality, so I’ll definitely pick up more the next time I’m in Buffalo. Give this one a shot if you see it. Recommended.
1,232 characters
4.14/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Aphotic Imperial Porter from High Water Brewing
Beer rating:
3.96 out of
5 with
39 ratings
0 characters. We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters.
Explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately tried the beer. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.