Brawny
MadTree Brewing

 

Poured from my growler into a Founders snifter. The pour is very dark, but not opaque. When held to the light, one sees ruby and mahogany light seeping through. A rushed pour produced a perfect 2-finger head with good retention. The nose is full of roast. I get good levels of coffee, roasted malt, slightly overdone cookies, and maple syrup. Not much hop aroma intruding on all that marvelous roast.

Medium body and a little thin for my liking, but good solid roastiness up front and moderate hop notes at mid-palate. Flavors include coffee, unsweetened chocolate, toasted nuts, and a hint of black tea. The finish is rather dry and lingers nicely.

A solid porter, but not one that I would consider top-shelf. For my own palate, it would definitely benefit from some additional malt sweetness and added body and I hope the brewer continues to tweak this beer. Nevertheless, this beer has a lot of flavor and definitely treated my porter withdrawal. I'm very glad this brewery is close to me. They're turning out some quality beers and (hopefully) are just getting started.