Yo! Tamara
The North Brewery

 

 

Had this beer on tap at Feliz Wine and Tapas in Endicott

A: dark, black as night. Cannot remember much about the head or head retention.

S: Smells like a good porter or stout. Dry, malty, a little bit of sourness, but not much. It smells very much like their "Black Donald" porter

T: this beer tastes like a heavy porter, with quite bit of wine tartness and fruitiness at the end. Balanced, and smooth despite the tartness

M: fairly heavy and appropriate to style, in my opinion.

O: wow, this beer is dangerous. Coming in at 11% abv, it doesn't taste any stronger than their 6.5% porter, and to me, is a smoother, easier drinking, and a more complex beer. This one is a winner, pick some up for the winter months next time its on tap.

Described as a red wine porter.
Poured into 22oz snifter; thick, brown pour that's opaque black in the glass with a thick, tight mocha-colored head that leaves incredibly fine, dense lacing. I'm really pleased with how well this one held up during a day in the fridge and a 2 hour car ride.
Smell is dark roasted malt, with lighter hints of chocolate. I'm trying to detect the red wine in here; there is a slight dryness to it that I could ascribe to that.
Taste follows the nose; dark roasted bitter malt, dark bitter chocolate, slight sweetness here and there but not much. There is a semisweet...roundness, for lack of a better word, to it that could be from the red wine. Hops come through now and again as well. Finishes with a hint of clean sweetness, with a lingering bitter chocolate aftertaste. Alcohol is very well-hidden, you'd never know it was 11%.
Mouthfeel is huge and smooth, very thick for a porter.
Overall, a very good beer. An 11% porter with a mouthfeel like this is basically an imperial stout at this point, but either way it's awesome.