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Stranger Than Fiction
Collective Arts Brewing
- From:
- Collective Arts Brewing
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- English Porter
Ranked #14 - ABV:
- 5.5%
- Score:
- 89
Ranked #11,068 - Avg:
- 3.99 | pDev: 8.02%
- Reviews:
- 110
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Mar 06, 2024
- Added:
- Jul 01, 2015
- Wants:
- 10
- Gots:
- 73
Stranger Than Fiction is a full-bodied porter with plenty of roast flavour with hints of molasses. Ridiculous amounts of chocolate and pale ale malts make this porter a smooth and creamy brew.
25 IBU
25 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Hat_Fulla_Beer:
Reviewed by Hat_Fulla_Beer from Canada (AB)
3.93/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.93/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
473ml can poured into Sam Adams pint glass.
Pours black with faint brown edges and half a finger of brown head that leaves sheets of splotchy lace as it recedes.
Smells of semi-sweet chocolate, dark toasted bread, coffee grounds, fireplace ash, black licorice and mild leafy hops.
Tastes of more baker's chocolate and burnt bread, cold creamy coffee, mildly sweet black licorice and more simple green hops.
Feels creamy and solid. Medium bodied with frothy carbonation. Finishes mildly dry.
Verdict: Recommended. Best I've seen for the price.
Jun 02, 2016Pours black with faint brown edges and half a finger of brown head that leaves sheets of splotchy lace as it recedes.
Smells of semi-sweet chocolate, dark toasted bread, coffee grounds, fireplace ash, black licorice and mild leafy hops.
Tastes of more baker's chocolate and burnt bread, cold creamy coffee, mildly sweet black licorice and more simple green hops.
Feels creamy and solid. Medium bodied with frothy carbonation. Finishes mildly dry.
Verdict: Recommended. Best I've seen for the price.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by mintzmeet from Washington
4.35/5 rDev +9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev +9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Wonderful coffee aroma. Nice head, dissipates quickly. Weirdly alcohol forward for being only 5.5%. Delicious malt, nutty, roasted caramel. Very solid English porter.
Mar 06, 2024Reviewed by waudozer from Canada (BC)
4.09/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.09/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours very reddish dark
Heavy chocolate/mocha smell on the nose
Taste reminiscent of 70% dark chocolate, just the right amount of sweet, roasted malt, hint of dark roasted coffee bean
Quite light in body but also smooth
Overall excellent!, goes great with dessert, sweet cheese like brie and pastries
Feb 19, 2024Heavy chocolate/mocha smell on the nose
Taste reminiscent of 70% dark chocolate, just the right amount of sweet, roasted malt, hint of dark roasted coffee bean
Quite light in body but also smooth
Overall excellent!, goes great with dessert, sweet cheese like brie and pastries
Reviewed by Braunmeister_1943 from Pennsylvania
4.2/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.2/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a dark amber with a foamy light tan head. Beautiful dark roasted malt aroma. Coffee, dark chocolate flavors with just the right subtle hoppiness. Moderate mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Overall, a fantastic straight up Porter! Well done Collective Arts!
Jan 13, 2024Reviewed by Lucular from Maryland
4.06/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
16 oz can split with my wife, poured into a snifter. This is a fantastic no-frills porter - earthy, roasty, coffee, bittersweet chocolate, dark malts, and molasses. Complex, flavorful, creamy, and not light-bodied despite the low abv. Solid.
Sep 05, 2023Reviewed by AnyBeerULike from Canada (ON)
3.69/5 rDev -7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.69/5 rDev -7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a black color. Caramel colored head formation with little retention. Faint hop aroma. Hoppy taste with coffee finish. Light mouthfeel. Overall a pleasant porter.
Apr 23, 2023Rated by spanny from Canada (ON)
4.41/5 rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.41/5 rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Great porter from Hamilton.
Apr 15, 2023Reviewed by barnzy78 from Illinois
4.06/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
16oz can
appears to have been brewed in Wisconsin for Collective Arts…they must have a brewery there too (I will investigate)
L: rocky tan head holds good retention atop a cola colored ale
S: dark malt, molasses, dark chocolate, roast, caramel
T: burnt caramel, molasses, chocolate, roasted barley, black tea leaf, cola, raisin, smoke, cherry, earthy hops with some background citrus/pine
F: medium body, ample carbonation, balanced finish with roast lingering
O: this is good - lots of flavor going on
Dec 22, 2022appears to have been brewed in Wisconsin for Collective Arts…they must have a brewery there too (I will investigate)
L: rocky tan head holds good retention atop a cola colored ale
S: dark malt, molasses, dark chocolate, roast, caramel
T: burnt caramel, molasses, chocolate, roasted barley, black tea leaf, cola, raisin, smoke, cherry, earthy hops with some background citrus/pine
F: medium body, ample carbonation, balanced finish with roast lingering
O: this is good - lots of flavor going on
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina
4.09/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.09/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Look: It pours dark brown with a light brown head. Head retention is excellent.
Smell: It has roast aromas with chocolate , cherries, and plums.
Taste: There are plenty of roast flavors with chocolate. There is very low molasses. It also as very low cherry and plums notes.
Feel: It has a creamy texture and medium bitterness. There is a small amount of sweetness in the finish.
Overall, plenty of roast, but not overdone. The other element blend well.
May 09, 2022Smell: It has roast aromas with chocolate , cherries, and plums.
Taste: There are plenty of roast flavors with chocolate. There is very low molasses. It also as very low cherry and plums notes.
Feel: It has a creamy texture and medium bitterness. There is a small amount of sweetness in the finish.
Overall, plenty of roast, but not overdone. The other element blend well.
Reviewed by izraelc from New York
3.54/5 rDev -11.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.54/5 rDev -11.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Pours dark. Tan foam. Malty aroma. Rich cocoa body. Slightly bitter. A little smokey. Kind of bland for a porter. Flavors should be more pronounced. Average at best.
Apr 17, 2022Reviewed by AlexandraDen from Canada (ON)
3.93/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.93/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a deep, dark ruby hued brown that looks almost black in the glass. Slightly off white head of about half a finger appears before dissipating into a spider-web like cap and white ring around the glass.
Certainly pleasant aromas from this beer. Coffee, and roasted, toasty, slightly burnt smell of the caramelized malt. Slight nuttiness to the dark chocolate smells in the background.
Delicious nutty, chewy almonds and roasted caramel malt on the first sip, that has a pleasantly long finish that is toasty, a little biscuity, and ever so slightly bitter. Slight dark chocolate from the nose appears here, as does some grassy, wooden notes. Earthy impression in the middle.
Medium bodied beer, nice small bubbles and decent carbonation creates a prickliness on the palate and a creamy sip. Semi-dry finish of an earthy woodsiness and roasted malt. Porters vs Stouts is a whole debate, for the purposes of my reviews I find stouts to be heavier on average and porters lighter. So with that in mind, this beer is definitely more full bodied than most with a slight heaviness/oiliness to the body.
Great stuff considering a lot of English and Irish porters can have very thin, almost watery tastes. Not so here. Nothing mind blowing, but a particularly excellent, straight up delicious example of the style. Great stuff from a brewery that does mostly IPAs.
Apr 07, 2022Certainly pleasant aromas from this beer. Coffee, and roasted, toasty, slightly burnt smell of the caramelized malt. Slight nuttiness to the dark chocolate smells in the background.
Delicious nutty, chewy almonds and roasted caramel malt on the first sip, that has a pleasantly long finish that is toasty, a little biscuity, and ever so slightly bitter. Slight dark chocolate from the nose appears here, as does some grassy, wooden notes. Earthy impression in the middle.
Medium bodied beer, nice small bubbles and decent carbonation creates a prickliness on the palate and a creamy sip. Semi-dry finish of an earthy woodsiness and roasted malt. Porters vs Stouts is a whole debate, for the purposes of my reviews I find stouts to be heavier on average and porters lighter. So with that in mind, this beer is definitely more full bodied than most with a slight heaviness/oiliness to the body.
Great stuff considering a lot of English and Irish porters can have very thin, almost watery tastes. Not so here. Nothing mind blowing, but a particularly excellent, straight up delicious example of the style. Great stuff from a brewery that does mostly IPAs.
Stranger Than Fiction from Collective Arts Brewing
Beer rating:
89 out of
100 with
362 ratings
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