Lawn Dart
Griffin Claw Brewing Company

 

 

I picked up a bottled of Griffin Claw's Lawn Dart a couple weeks ago for $9.49 at The Lager Mill. I'm interested to see what Griffin Claw can with a honey Porter, so lets see how it goes. 2015 Vintage. Poured from a brown 22oz purple waxed bottle into a teku.

A- The label looks good, it's got a nice design to it and it's eye catching. It poured a nice black color that didn't really let any light come through and it had a little over a fingers worth of slightly creamy dark tan head that died down to a thick ring that eventually faded away and it didn't lave any lacing behind. This is a nice looking beer, it's looks fine, but I wish it had better lacing.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with the honey being the first to show up and it imparts a nice natural honey flavor and it goes into the yeast which imparts an English yeast like aroma that's a little dominant and it's followed by some dark fruits along with the malts which impart a lightly roasted and caramel malt like aroma. The aroma is nice, but it's a little too yeast heavy and I wish the roasted malts showed up more.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma and it starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with the honey still being the first to show up, but this time it's just a little lighter than it was in the aroma. Up next comes the yeast which imparts that same dominating english yeast flavor that it did in the aroma and it's followed by the dark fruits which are a little more toned down that they were in the aroma. On the finish there's a lighter amount of medium bitterness with a roasted, charred and coffee like bitterness with the malts showing up more in the aftertaste. This is a decent example of the style, but it's really lacking on the roasted malt flavors.

M- Fairly smooth, pretty crisp, a little fizzy, medium bodied with a higher amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is decent, but it's to carbonated.

Overall I thought this was a decent beer and I thought it was a pretty average example of the style, nothing about it really stood out as being that great and while it was pretty true to style it was really lacking when it came to the roasted malt flavors. This beer had ok drinkability, one glass is enough for me, I wouldn't want another one in a row. What I like the most about this beer is the aroma and appearance, those two are the highlights of this beer. What I like the least about this beer is the taste, drinkability and mouthfeel could all use some work. I wouldn't buy this beer again, but I don't think I would turn one down. I can't say i would recommend it, but it may be worth a try if you really like english porters. All in all I wasn't too impressed with this beer, and I don't see why they just couldn't of canned it instead. It's one of my least favorite Griffin Claw beers and it;s average at best for the style. Better luck next time guys, this one could use some work.

A waxed top to this offering.Pours deep walnut brown with a creamy thinner beige head atop.Somewhat muted aromas,some honey and caramel in the nose,if you have smelled honey than you know this smell.Buttery rum-like flavors with that honey always there is,a light drying earthiness in the finish,never much roast.Not bad it never gets overly sweet although it's a sweeter brew,a nice fuller feel as well.

 

 

22 ounce bottle into pint glass; no bottle dating, but is a recent release. Pours fairly clear nearly opaque dark brown color with a 1-2 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of milk chocolate, cocoa, molasses, honey, toffee, toast, brown bread, light plum/apple, light herbal, and roast/toast/yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, honey, yeast, and light earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of milk chocolate, cocoa, molasses, honey, toffee, toast, brown bread, light plum/apple, light herbal, and roast/toast/yeast earthiness. Light herbal/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, molasses, honey, toffee, toast, brown bread, light plum/apple, light herbal, and roast/toast/yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, balance, and robustness of dark/roast/bready malt, honey, yeast, and light earthy hop flavors; with a good malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth and creamy mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice English brown porter style. All around good robustness, complexity, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, honey, yeast, and light earthy hop flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. A very enjoyable offering.

Bottled as Lawn Dart Honey Porter.
Just needs a little more in all aspects. I think it(amy beer) needs to be a much bigger beer to handle honey. After having Barrel Aged Flying Buffalo a while back, hope were high, though obviously not the same type of beer.
For an $11 waxed top, a one and done.

I enjoyed this beer at Bagger Daves Birch Run, Mi. It could easily be my main beer to drink if it was more readily available. Very good.