6 Grain Porter
Partizan Brewery

 

 

 

 

Purchased from the brewery recently, coming in a 330ml slim brown bottle, bottle-conditioned; bottled on 26/09/2013, served cool in a Gulden Draak’s branded short-stemmed tulip-shaped sniffer.

A: pours an opaque, deep dark brown colour, coming with a very thin dark beige head and reasonably light carbonation.
S: wonderfully aromatic on the malt bill, featuring smoked malts, gristy nuts, a light dose of chocolate syrup, black cherries, and mild hop aroma along the line of Fuggles/Styrian Goldings, etc. A good swirl brings up an almost red grape-like fruit acidity and musky aroma, almost stale-ish as well, while the mixed maltiness comes rich in aroma but somehow moderate in terms of body.
T: deliciously fruity and malty with a surprisingly light body, with mixed nutty, roasted and smoked maltiness lifted by pronounced but not sharp acidic fruit and faintly raisin-ish undertones, towards a nicely spicy, licorice-like, and mildly chewy hop bitter finish, where more undertones of roast malts, random acidity and harsh bitterness linger.
M&O: medium-minus bodied considering the alc. strength, softly carbonated, coming with faint alc. warmth at the long end of each sip. All in all, this is a beer tasting a bit like it needs more maturation or the balance needs to be adjusted, with a bouquet more beautiful than its flavour on a slightly lighter-than-ideal body, but very drinkable all the same.