Leopold Bros. Porter
Leopold Bros. Brewery of Ann Arbor

On tap at their brewery/ distillery.

A- Came in a 16 oz. pint glass and a nice thick off-white head. The head stuck around for quite awhile. When held to a light, the liquid appeared to be a dark brown with a little red in it as well. Not too shabby.

S- Molasses. And lots of it. This is a very sweet smelling beer. Some roastiness and a little chocolate. Raisins.

T- Almost most of this is sweet molasses and raisins. Kind of strange, but some complexity. I can't get over how sweet this is. No detectable alcohol.

M- A little on the thin side. The sweetness kind of coats the mouth.

D- This took me quite awhile to drink. But it was not because of the alcohol, but because of the sweetness and the richness. I just don't know about this one.

Originally reviewed on January 18, 2006. Actually enjoyed this brew on tap at the brewpub. Pours dark brown, with a soapy thin head of coffee and cream. Aroma of roasted chesnuts and a fresh cup of coffee. Flavor is terse, but sharp and drinkable. Has more coffee flavors and good solid bite. Heavy body lends depth and flavor. Sugars persist across the tounge. FInish is oaky and coffee dry. Not bad.

I've heard great things about this particular porter from a few sources so thought I'd pick some up, and now I regret it.

On the initial pour the brew poured a slightly translucent dark brown, a little light for a porter, but decent looking nontheless. A thick 2 inch head formed immediatly at the end of the pour but very quickly dissapating into nothing.

The smell was alright, a little hoppy, fairly attractive at first, but you can detect a faint sourness...

Alas, once tasting this brew I was wholeheartedly let down. The mouthfeel was on the flat side, but still very porter-like. The taste though was atrocious, a bit "watery" and thin tasting with an awful sour end note and aftertaste. Overly bitter. I would not buy this again. I'm kind of afraid to try anything else from this brewer as a result. Someone needs to work on their quality control I think.

One of the better offerings, I think, from Leopold's. Perhaps a tad too light for a porter. It was pretty easy to see through. Medium bodied through and through, though, and a nice big brown head. Reasonably aromatic brew carries some light roasted aromas, ash, and chocolate. Really, really easy drinking brew. The flavors are a little light but meld together so, so well. Subdued grains and roasted bitterness that finishes with a smooth, crisp, simple bitter finish. Hard to imagine a more drinkable locally-brewed porter.