Rough Draft Porter
Benson Brewery

 

 

After racing the USAT Age Group Nationals, I felt like more than one beer was in order so I chose this one since porters are one of my go-to styles. This beer is a beautiful opaque black color with mahogany edges that features a thin, creamy, khaki colored head that dissipates slowly to a thin lacing that is retained. Light carbonation is visible around the edges of the glass. 4/5 The aroma is very much to style with notes of chocolate, coffee, lactose, and brown sugar. It is quite sweet but also comes across as deep and roasted as well, as it should. The aroma is not overly complicated, but it does pack a punch in terms of strength. 4.25/5 The flavor is every bit like the aroma in that it is sweet and roasty at the same time. Brown sugar and caramel kicks things off before quickly transitioning to a dark roasted malt bread note. The chocolate and coffee come out in the middle with herbal hops backing those notes up. There is a moderate coffee bitterness that lingers slightly. 4/5 This porter is quite heavy with a light carbonation tickle but it features no drying and does not linger on the palate after swallowing. It wets and coats the entire mouth very nicely. 4/5 Overall a very good porter from Benson that is simple but very flavorful with the typical porter notes coming to the fore. It almost comes across as more of a stout but the carbonation is a bit higher than a typical stout which helps separate this beer from the stout category. 4/5