Knockmealdown Porter
Eight Degrees Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle at Saint Soul Food, Dublin, Ireland

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a short tan head that died down and left a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of chocolate and roasted malts are present in the nose.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has flavors of dark and roasted malts along with a slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I found this porter to be very flavorful for a beer that is nice and easy to drink.

 

330ml bottle - cute play on, um, 'words' in the name, referencing a local Irish mountain range, and crossing out a few specific letters, insomuch as to imply a 'knock ya over' sort of offering. At any rate, more Irish craft brew, please - I've made my way through the whiskey, a few times over.

This beer pours a clear (I think), very dark russet brown hue, with subtle cola highlights, and two fingers of puffy, rocky, and tightly foamy beige head, which leaves a bit of sparse island group lace around the glass as it slowly sinks away.

It smells of pungent cocoa powder, semi-sweet caramel malt, softly astringent black coffee notes, mild brown sugar, a grainy nuttiness, an ethereal black fruitiness, and earthy, somewhat leafy hops. The taste kicks off with a more gritty, grainy, and dry bready caramel maltiness, bittersweet chocolate, day-old coffee, a slight lactic sourness, wet ash, reduced brown sugar syrup, and leafy, earthy, and kind of weedy hops.

The bubbles are a bit testy, but eventually settle to a dull, reverberating hum, the body an adequate medium weight, and really quite smooth, with a touch of creaminess. It finishes well off-dry, the chocolate, coffee, and emerging milkiness holding it over any meekly lingering hoppiness.

While the ingredient list does specify wheat, I sure as hell would expect to see oats on that mash bill, after tasting this porter. Perhaps that's the 'knockmedown' part of this offering - make a pleasant London (hsss!) Porter, but render it silky and sexy at the same time. If so, then mission accomplished, boyos.

 

 

 

Beer bottle (33 cl.) purchased from Le Souffleur de Bières, and tasted in 2014.

Appearance : black brown color with tan foamy head.
Smell : roasted malt aromas.
Taste & mouthfeel : dark roasted malty flavors, with bitter finish.
Overall : a good beer in the English style Porter.
Explain about 8 ° : "why the name ? Ireland is located at the Eight Degrees west longitude which as it happens is also the perfect serving temperature for our beer".

Served from the tap.

The beer was a clear, dark brown colour.

It smelled malty and chocolaty with a hint of bitterness. Very rich.

It tasted like chocolate, bitter hops, and light malts with a slight lingering bitterness. Very smooth and very drinkable.

Would I buy it again? Yes.

 

A-dark brown black color with a smallish tan head and decent lacing

S-cocoa, dark malt, coffee, hint of molasses

T-dark roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee, light molasses, moderate bitter finish

F-medium body with moderate carbonation, smooth and creamy

O-solid porter, good flavor and feel

 

A - Dark brown with ruby edges as it's held up to light. Thick ring of a head floating on the surface but thin in the center.

S - Cocoa beans, mellow hops and coffee, very palatable.

T - Tastes very much of mocha, chocolate ice cream, dark syrup and brown sugar which are all nicely leveled out with exactly the right amount of hop bitterness and a lovely relaxed floral flavor.

MF - Medium with low carbonation.

O - Had this on-tap a year ago and wasn't too impressed, but something seems to have changed since then, (perhaps my taste-buds?!). A delicious chocolatey and well-balanced porter.