Polka King Porter
Door County Brewing Co.

bbtkd from South Dakota

3.77/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Door County Polka King Porter, 5.3% ABV. Pours dark brown with a ring of white bubbles. Nose is malty, taste follows, slightly sweet, slightly bitter. Decent mouthfeel, overall very good. Wish I could say more than "inoffensive".

Jun 06, 2021

WoodBrew from Ohio

3.58/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I got a 6pck of this beer from a beer store in LaCrosse, WI. It poured an opaque dark with ecru head tbat is leaving some lace. The scent had subtle roast notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with roast presence and subtle chocolate hints. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a decent beer.

Jan 03, 2021

Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours a darker brown color. 3 finger tan head. Retention is good. Some lacing on the glass.
The nose is minimal. Really nothing to say about it. Nothing off putting, but nothing there.
Taste - There's a bit of malt here. Slightly sweet. There's also a bitter flavor going on. Slightly nutty tasting.
Decent body. Somewhat crisp feeling.
This porter has a bit of a nut brown ale feel, over all. It is a porter, and it works well. No real flaws, but not my favorite style.

Oct 25, 2020

AlexBrews from Missouri

4.17/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I'm not a huge fan of Porters, but this is one of my all time favorite Porters because to me it resembled and tasted more like an American Brown ale. And a very, very good one at that! I brought a 6 pack home with me to Missouri and everyone that tried it agreed- it's a fantastic Brown Ale!

May 10, 2018

FBarber from Illinois

3.69/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a amber tinged brown color. When held to the light the beer is mostly clear and thin in appearance. Thin tan frothy head

Smell has notes of chocolate, coffee, smoked malts, earthy hops, and some nutty aromas. The aroma is very pungent - you can smell it instantly when you crack the beer and it lingers.

Taste follows the nose with some notes of cocoa, chocolate, and coffee. The malt backbone has both roasted and a slight smoked characteristic. Strong hop presence give the beer an earthy nutty flavor with some strong bitterness. The hop presence is rather prominent - more what I'd expect from an American porter. There is also a slight citrusy flavor from the hops - don't love that in this.

Feel is thin, light and drinkable. Too thin for my tastes - I'd like a bit more heft to this beer. Medium carbonation provides a lively tingle. semi-dry finish.

Overall a nice porter. I'd drink it again if the opportunity presented itself. This would be great around a campfire.

Aug 06, 2017

hoptheology from South Dakota

4.08/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Dark chocolate brown pour forming into a nice, smooth black-brown color. 1/2 finger of head in the snifter.

Lots of aromas of rich hot chocolate, roasted barley, hop, and earth.

Flavors are very earthy and esoteric, but still balanced with the milky chocolate notes. Earth, cacao, roast barley, and lactose. It doesn't get too chocolatey (which wouldn't be a bad thing anyways) but the hop profile and the malts are just super impressive here.

Feel is well within porter territory, but hovers safely in the medium bodied area. Heavy biting carbonation. Nice milky dry finish.

Overall, a super impressive porter. It's so English it has an accent. It's not my style but I respect the heck outta this beer.

Dec 21, 2016

jzlyo from Iowa

3.73/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Aroma is coffee, chocolate, dark malts and slightly earthy. The flavor is dark malts, dark/brown bread, coffee/chocolate, toffee, mild sweetness and a mix of acidity and slight spiciness in the finish.

Jul 18, 2016

Stevedore from Oregon

3.48/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle. Served in a snifter glass.

Pours a dark toffee brown body, one finger thick, substantial offwhite head with good retention, not a lot of lacing. Smells of toasted malt, toffee, a minimal amount of roast and nuttiness. A bit of earth and grainy sweetness. Nothing too special. Flavour is similar; grainy sweetness, toffee, a bit of toasted malt, more nuttiness than in the nose. Mild bitter earthiness on the backend rounds things out. Nothing too special, more on the grainy, slightly raisiny sweet portion of the spectrum. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, a bit lower carbonation, solid drinking beer with nuttiness and a bit of bitter earth on the finish. Decent English porter, nothing to write home about.

Jan 07, 2016

jwc215 from Arizona

3.84/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours dark brown with a thin that settles to an island. Some lacing sticks.

The smell is of cocoa, coffee, light sour touch. Mild earthy notes.

The taste is of cocoa, coffee, hint of anise, earthy English hops. Somewhat sweet, slight sour, mild roast.

It's smooth.

A nice interpretation of an English porter. Fits the style well. Easy to drink.

Dec 15, 2015

Carb-Overlord from Wisconsin

2.69/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

So very underwhelming... This smells like the generic malty smell from a baseball stadium bathroom. It's not really a hoppy smell, or chocolate smell (like the bottle would suggest), but just that general malty smell from when you boil wort. There is almost no taste to this beer; is this an extract beer? The feel is that of carbonated water. I'm so glad I didn't pay for this beer, but my cousin did in a sampler pack. I really appreciate micro-breweries... and am glad that they tried.

Sep 08, 2015

martyl1000 from Wisconsin

3.59/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Wow, how disappointing, especially having enjoyed their Silurian Stout and Biere de Seigle so much.

What pleasing porter flavor exists here gets upended by a hint (might be more than a hint) of leather and Bandaid.

Feb 07, 2015

vishneda from Illinois

3.36/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is a nice balanced porter that is easy drinking enough to quaff on a summer evening but hearty enough to work on a winter night. I like the balanced taste that walks centerline through sweet, chocolate, caramel, bitter, and even slightly hoppy notes. It has a nice dark look, perhaps a little headless but that's not critical here, I do feel a porter should have a little more body. Give this a shot if you like solid porters.

Jul 23, 2014

REVZEB from Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Dark opaque brownish black body with a full beige head and lazy lacing. Smell and taste are the same: mild dark chocolate, lightly roasted malts and barley, caramel, and subtle earth but thinner complexion. Body gets a little thin on the back end but otherwise lightly roasted malt textures, almost chewy. Solid and good for time on the bay

Jul 05, 2014

KFBR392 from Illinois

3.73/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: Pours with a head of about two fingers of bubbly off-white head. Almost no active carbonation is surprising. Frothy lacing left behind from the remains of the head.

Smell: Medium bodied chocolate provides balanced notes of sweet and bitter on the front. Light roasted coffee and lingering chocolate sweetness carry into the body with accents of caramel. Notes of vanilla and molasses carry on the theme of a brighter porter overall.

Taste: Pale chocolate malts really shine on the front. A touch of roasted malts open up on the body with that earthy twang of english hops on the body. Robust rich chocolate picks up again on the back end. Earthy bitter finish is surprisingly easy on the palate.

Mouthfeel: Very drinkable. Nothing too much of note but goes down very easily. Carbonation is light which fits the brew overall.

Overall: Feels like a summer sessionable porter. Potent chocolate notes with a rich creamy drinkability. Not up to the elite levels of their saisons, but I continue to be impressed by what Door County Brewing is doing.

Jun 16, 2014

BeerFMAndy from Wisconsin

3.54/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a Nonic.

A - Clear through the pour this dark chocolate brown beer is crowned by a fleeting ivory head that leaves little lace on the glass.

S - Incredibly toasty, Polka King has a forward malty nose of chocolate notes, light roast coffee, and dry cocoa with toffee slivers and subtle English earthy hops in the background. Simple but welcome!

T - The roasted malts in this beer impart plenty of nice chocolate and coffee notes but also give the beer a dry metallic flavor on the finish that could use some sweetness for balance.

M - Medium-light bodied, Polka King isn't quite as intimidating as it's dark color, lingering with heavily roasted bitterness and dryness on the tongue, though the beer isn't as full bodied as it might appear or smell like.

O - Polka King drinks incredibly easy for it's color, meaning that you might expect something thick and heavy from it but, it's roasted malt is used in such a way that the body remains lighter while the flavor is there. The king could use a little more sweetness to balance the roast character though, as it finishes bitter and astringent.

Nov 27, 2013

Dave412 from Missouri

3.86/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Picked up some bottles while up in Wisconsin. Poured into a Guinness pint glass. Very dark brown, barely see-through with some lacing and a small head sticks around. Smell is terrific and similar to other great porters I've enjoyed in the past. To me, the mouthfeel is ideal for this style and taste is above-average. I went into this beer with no expectations, having never heard of it before, and was pleasantly surprised. Overall a great porter. Great job.

Aug 10, 2013

emerge077 from Illinois

3.73/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

On tap at the Peninsula Golf Club, in Ephraim, WI. 2-for-1 special from 2-6pm. Eagle Trail FTW.

Fun Fact: Ephraim, WI is the last dry town in Wisconsin, and only this year has the Peninsula Golf Club been granted a license to sell beer & wine.

Fun fact #2: This beer is named after Freddie Kodanko, a local character who drove a tractor to the bar and in parades, where he played polka music.

Two drafts served in a stadium cup, quick review from written notes.

Mahogany brown with spotty tan lace and a thin ring around the edges of the glass, initially a finger of foam on top.

Dry roasty aroma, molasses and cocoa in the periphery.

Light dry bitterness, toast and roast malt flavors, lending traces of unsweetened bakers chocolate and light coffee. Light bodied with a mild astringency. Dry and not sweet. The little bit of astringency keeps it from being great, though it was a good porter.

Jul 27, 2013