Marlinspike
New Republic Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 oz. can poured into pint glass
(born-on date on 6-pack ring that isn't with me at the moment — must fill in; can says 5.8% ABV, 35 IBUs)

L: dark brown with dark orange highlights, looks clear as it pours out of the can (also a lighter garnet); pushes up tall thick head of tan foam that's sticky; keeps a soapy, loosely formed collar of beige foam and a decent cover of skin; no lacing; over time the skin disappears but the collar stays; no lacing; it is clear

S: roasted oak, peat, dark coffee; sweet peat ... oysters, brine ... and something sweet from the malt; sweat peat dominates and it's seriously sweet ... at times comes off like a quadruple espresso mocha

T: roasty sweet coffee, chocolate, lightly smoked wood, a pinch of that peat from the nose and an earthy flavor that blankets everything in the aftertaste without smothering; the wood flavor and earthy aftertaste start mingling and, like everything else, are understated but tasty

F: after an aggressive pour, still plenty of carbonation to give the otherwise light, slippery-feeling ale some body; made for drinking more of

O: love it ... Marlinspike is simple in a way (that earthy layer of aftertaste starts to take over) yet complex and interesting enough to find some understated but tasty notes in both the nose and flavor; I meant to try this last batch, missed it, glad I got some this time around ... and I'll be getting more; at 5.8% it's a bit strong to make a huge session out of, but three or four of these would do you right

 

 

Head of about 1 finger, pours dark as a Porter should. Nice malt flavor but not overly so with good mouth feel; not heavy but definitely a porter. Drank on the deck after mowing at 95 degrees, and while perhaps a hefe might have been a better choice, this is definitely a beer I would select again.

Slight chocolate roast on th nose. Taste follows suit with a chocolate , roasted malt flavor. Delicious. Nice crisp mouthfeel. Good beer.

 

 

Nice black color poured into a pint glass from draft. Not much of a head and ok lacing. The taste was malty and rich and earthy. This beer also had a crispness to it that made it good.

 

I disagree with the description that you could enjoy this during a Texas summer...but anyways, it looks like a porter,smells and tastes like a porter. It hits style points, but it doesn't go above that like say Founders Porter does.