No. 5 Boxcar Porter
Arkose Brewery

 

On draft at Banks Alehouse. Poured an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace. It smelled of chocolate, toffee, malt and roasted coffee. It tasted of coffee, chocolate, some vanilla and roasted malt.

 

 

6 oz taster at the brewery

Deep auburn with a 1-finger off white head. Smell of roast malt, some nuttiness, faint chocolate, taste follows nose, medium body, solid example of the style

a rad brown porter packed with flavors and textures for how low alcohol it is, and something quite different in terms of its flavors, i liked this a lot. its a little lighter than many porter types, more brown than black and well frothy and lacy in the glass. the aroma here is curiously red wine forward. this is not aged in a barrel or brewed with any fruit from what i can tell, but there is a distinct red grape tannic property to this that really excites me, maybe unintentional, but i would doubt it for how successful it is. amazing with the dry chocolate malt in the nose. the flavor has some of that too, but its more of a mild acidity here, with a dried berry complexion in behind it. dark chocolate and roasted barley abound, and this is enormously complex as they go, with hints of raisin and fig, port wine, bakers chocolate, and even a flash of floral honey. its delicious and oddly easy drinking for how flavor packed it is. my first beer from these guys is a winner, this is a four season porter and a beer that really stands out from the crowd for me. thanks to my homie for bringing this one down from alaska for me!

This was poured into a mug. The appearance was a black color with a light brown/tan foamy head that dissipated at a decent pace. Sly messy lace. The aroma had some earthy to grainy sweet tones flowing over some dark roasty cocoa beans. The flavor blended the sweet graininess to the earthy hops and roasty cocoa beans. Gentle to crisp sweet sort of light chocolate aftertaste with a quick sly finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fair sessionability about it. Moderate carbonation. ABV felt appropriate as the brewer intended. Overall, nice porter for the most part.

 

 

 

my style. i like.

 

 

 

Such a great brew from Arkose. Slight smoke with hints of coffee(?) to give it a good balance. This isn't one of those in your face porters with too much coffee or chocolate hints. Everything is subtle and clean. Very nice!