Leaves of Grass Series IV: To A Locomotive In Winter
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

 

Pours opaque, jet black in color with 1/4 inch head. Taste is smoked malt and chocolate milk. Medium bodied, sweet and roasty, with moderate carbonation. Excellent roasted porter. Age smoothed this out. A joy to drink.

 

 

 

 

So I was just reviewing "Salut au Monde!" the other day and getting kinda bummed that I never found number 5 and that although I picked this up back in December, the last few got consumed at a party and I never got to review it. Then, lo and behold, I was looking through the singles at a small liquor store, and what do you know, they had three bottles of each of these!

Beautiful. Poured into a goblet, it has a dark brown body. Not totally opaque, as light penetrates up to an inch and a half through the liquid, revealing a dark coffee color. A finger of tan head leaves a wavy line of lacing around the glass, like little puffs of steam trailing behind the smokestack of a locomotive in winter.

Roasty aromas of smoked malt, lending hints of cacao, coffee and unburnt tobacco, but mostly just some really hearty, lightly-charred bread notes, reminiscent of pretzels.

The taste follows the nose perfectly. Smoke, pretzels and a hint of cacao. Very similar to La Cumbre's Malpais Stout, but lighter in both body and flavor.

The feel on this one is medium-light, with a smooth creamy middle and a slight dry charcoal finish. Excellent. If anything, it could use just a touch more body.

So glad I got to review this, and even more excited to try "Song of the Open Road" next. Cheers!

 

A cola brown turns black as the beer amasses in the glass. Dark indeed. Its head is light in weight, wasting no time collapsing back into the beer.

Dense, meaty smoke is reminiscent of caramelized, salty ham. Pork and burning wood give off the impression of peat and a real sense of coziness. A light coffee roast and faint suggestions of dark fruit are rimmed on the edges.

Sweet and savory. The bridge between the two is complimentary and seamless. The muscle-y, meaty, German smoke of the nose has been puffed out and rounded into a softer, more delicate version of itself and integrated into the bigger picture of the beer. Vanilla, oak, and dark chocolate quickly follow suit, leading into a soft, sticky finish with a pinch of roast.

Light, luscious, silky, and creamy. The feel is what ties the elements of meat and smoke with vanilla and chocolate. As dark and as heavy as these flavors are, it still is presented as beyond drinkable.

What an absolute treat. The aroma has me picturing an early 1900's boxer - thick moustache, tree trunks for biceps, and an intimidating stare, thanks to the healthy dose of smoked malt. The taste on the other hand is a neatly wrapped flat black paper package with smooth edges, and a pleasurable softness. I took my time to appreciate it and that exercise was well worth it.

slightly smoked flavor smooth / nice pour with good head / not a bad beer to drink . but bell's make alt betters beers to spend my money on

A: opaque; cola brown in color; 2 finger finely pored medium brown head that receded to a skim cap; nice lacing;

S: smoke, deeply roasted grain, and milk chocolate;

T: savory smoke - like smoked meat;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: no porter character in the flavor;

 

A 12oz bottle with a bottled on date of 11.13.19

L - Dark brown with 1 finger of tan head.

S - Smoked roasted malt

T - Roasted malts, chocolate, smoke

F - Creamy mouth feel, medium body

O - A good smoked porter

Pours a tan smaller fizzy head with lower to med retention, low legs and low lacing, very dark brown color

Nose brings nice smoke, little campfire smoke but mostly smooth woody smoke, roasted malts, little dark choc fudgey note,

Taste brings more smoke, smooth campfire smoke and smokey roasted malts, little sweet fruity apple or cherry wood like, dark chocolate, little fudgey, dark roast, creamy with a little lactose milk chocolate like, med bitterness, drier finish, med to higher bitterness and lingering mild smoke

Mouth is med to fuller bod, rich creamy with med creamy carb

Overall nice smokey porter, good malt characters, nice level of smoke where it's definitely there but not overbearing

This one pours a dark-ish black color, with a big white fluffy head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like roasted malt, a medium amount of smoke, pine, and dark chocolate.

I feel like I'm one of the very few people who actually liked smoked beers. This works pretty well, as the smoke is well balanced and integrated with a solidly chocolatey and roasty base. There's a touch of bready sweetness too, and a slightly herbal/piney bitterness on the back end.

This is medium bodied, and very creamy, with a good drinkability to it.

I haven't had any of the other entries in this series, but this is an impressive little porter. It had just the right amount of smoke to it.

Pours a dark brown with a foamy head that lasts quite a while. Smoky aroma of roasted malt. You can taste the smoky flavor but there is a bit of sweetness that turns bitter as it sits in the mouth.

Strong smokiness, but no other flavors are present. Sharp, fizzy carbonation. Structure feels a little weak.

Thanks to my neighbor Sam for this one. Let’s give er a pour. Very dark brown with a decent tan head I’m getting a smoky scent from the bottle upon pour. Behind that I get some chocolate. The smokiness comes through on the flavor too. Sort of an iffy flavor on the finish with some muddled mild bitterness. Decent amount of carbonation with a thicker feel. This is ok but I wouldn’t revisit. Maybe just not my style.