Bone Roaster
Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company

16oz can purchased from the fridge as a single for $2.99. No canned on date; Neshaminy dates the four-pack holder and I didn't happen to record the date. I think that this was released in the late fall, so it's probably four to five months old.

Look: It pours a very dark brown, bordering on black color. I can see a bit of light coming through the bottom of the glass, where it has a mahogany brown color. There was a light brown colored head that dissipated to almost nothing pretty quickly.

Smell: Lots of charcoal on the nose. It kind of smells like coffee grounds after they have been brewed. Notes of slightly fruity dark chocolate also. Tons of roasted malt. I can detect some earthy hop notes after swirling the glass. After pouring the bottom of the can, I get a strong clove note and the beer seems to have taken on a creamier aroma.

Taste: Up front, it has coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt notes. The finish is charcoally and relatively dry due to the roasted malts and mild hop character, yet it also has a nice subtle sweetness that eventually comes through.

Feel: The mouthfeel is a bit thin, but then again that's common for porters. I would say that it's a bit under medium bodied. And the carbonation is appropriate, it just feels like the mouthfeel falls short for me. After pouring the bottom of the can, the body became a bit thicker but the flavors also became a bit more muddled.

Overall: It's a decent smoked porter. I just feel like it's missing something to make it great (probably more body and more complexity). I haven't had one of this style in a long time. Back in the day, I really used to enjoy Stone Smoked Porter and Alaskan Smoked Porter. O'Fallon Smoked Porter is a classic that I haven't had yet.

Note: Brewed in collaboration with Dock Street Brewery

Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. "Bone Roaster"
16 fl. oz. can without production codes or freshness dating
$13 / 4-pk of 16 oz. cans @ Dock Street Brewery & Cafe

Notes via stream of consciousness: So what is this beer? It's a smoked porter at 5.7% ABV but there's nothing else on the label. It's a very dark brown, almost black, with lots of chunky stuff in suspension beneath a two finger thick head of tan foam. It's definitely smoky in the nose with what seems like Beechwood over some sweetish and chocolatey malt. The flavor verifies that! It's not too smoky, not too phenolic, and it's really quite smooth as it blends in nicely with the chocolate malt that's similar to a combination of creamier and sweeter milk chocolate with a little bit of darker and somewhat roasty chocolate added in. A little bit of golden caramel rounds it out. I'm not really finding any hops although there is a suggestion of some leafy and black tea-like character. It's modestly bitter, and a little bit sweetish but balanced in the finish with a light bitterness, a suggestion of spiciness, some soft smokiness, and the aforementioned black tea-like character lingering. I find it quite quaffable but you should note that I am a fan of smoked beers. In the mouth it's medium bodied and gently crisp-then-smooth. The head didn't hold up, nor did it leave any lacing behind, both of which hurt it on appearance and I'm a little bit surprised as there's definitely some sugar left in it. Overall it's a great smoked porter that's hard to argue with.
Review #8,540

Bone Roaster from Neshaminy Creek Brewing. 16 oz can. Purchased from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA on 09/02/23 for $ 3.00 (Including tax) - $ 0.187/oz. In reefer at store, stored at 34 degrees at home. Reviewed 12/02/23 (Review 3038). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated Can. Served at 45.1 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 52.3 degrees.
Appearance – 3.5
First pour – Amber Brown (SRM 18), clear.
Body – Chocolate Brown (SRM 20), opaque. Under direct light, same, but a lot of precipitate is present. When rear lite, opaque with light penetration only at the edges (Citrine).
Head – Average (Maximum 1.4 cm, aggressive center pour), wheat, high density, quickly receding to a 0.1 cm bubble ring, and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3.75 – Slight smoky aroma. No hops, no malt, no yeast.
Flavor – 3.5 – Begins lightly smoky, harsh like burning rubber rather than wood. No malt, no hops, no yeast. No ethanol (5.7 % ABV as marked on label) aroma or taste. No gastric warming occurs. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Ends smoky and bitter.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, approaching creamy, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.5 (After deducting 0.25 point for undated container) Although this smooths out somewhat as it approaches the final temperature, it’s still harsh on both the nose and tongue. The chocolate brown body is obvious only under direct light which also highlights the lumps of precipitate coating the inside of the glass.

Poured out of a pint can, into a clear glass Imperial pint mug, it's just a shade browner than black coffee brown. Its head is tan, modest and enduring. The aroma is of roasted malt, with a hint of smoke. It tastes like roasted malt, opening just a little malty sweet. But, it doesn't take long until the roasted aspect begins to take the taste to a more bitter level. Then the smokiness kicks in. There's nothing here done to excess, so it is a pleasant experience for those that like this style. As this is a porter and not a marzen, it drinks a little lighter and less sweet. This one isn't as smokey as some, but there's enough there to satisfy those that like this sort of thing. There was no glass lacing and the once attractive head didn't last to the finish.