Porter
Spellbound Brewing

It first sits in a full clear pint glass, having been drawn from a tap. There's no head, but that's the Philly way of pouring draft beers. It seems decently carbonated. Almost black coffee brown, there's a pleasant mahogany tint at the fringes. The aroma of roasted barley malt is also pleasant. It tastes just like a standard porter should. The roasted malt is most of the flavor. Just straight forward, there really are any noticeable nuances to this. It has just a little hopping and the alcohol can't be isolated. Its body is light, but carries the taste nicely. There's no glass lacing, but that doesn’t reflect on the mouthfeel. It may not be among the most memorable in its category, but it's a very nice pint o' porter.

 

 

Very nice, rich porter. Almost rich & smooth to be a mild stout.

 

Wow is this a pleasant surprise! Picked up a a four pack for around $8.50 at the distributor while grabbing a case of Breckenridge Irish Nitro. I never heard of Spellbound but it’s one of my favorite styles and the can is cool.
Looks great poured in a German beer stein. You will get no analysis of foam from this reviewer but the opaque color is what I look for and it’s present here.
The thing that struck me is how much the smell reminds me of a very specific chocolate milk we could get at school on Friday when I was a kid. Beneath that (and it’s difficult to move past), I get good dark malt and something reminiscent of whiskey. That seems odd but my partner pointed out that the can claims this porter is aged on Palo Santo wood.
The taste follows the smell closely. This is a sweet porter. I think the stout vs porter conventional wisdom is almost exactly backwards. I find much of what is called porter to be hoppy and heavy on the coffee flavors (meaning from the malt, not someone actually putting coffee in beer, a lazy, almost criminal act) and stouts to be sweeter, smoother and more chocolate than coffee. That said, this porter is typical of what the style purportedly is. Smooth, sweet, chocolate… it’s all there with none of the nasty hop bitterness so many have convinced themselves they enjoy.
The only hint that there’s some punch to this one is the mouthfeel, which is so smooth with such low carbonation that one realizes there is a fair abv hiding.
Overall an excellent beer and emblematic of the actual porter.

On draft at the Liberty Bell Gastropub.

Formidable.. a little on the sweet side but could use more hops. Definitely a young porter feel.

Perfect ABV.

 

Yeah, most drinkers pour this from the can, but where I am outdoors, I drink straight from the can. So can't judge the head or color. Taste is great, much sweeter (chocolate) than some other porters and stouts, very smooth with no bitter aftertaste. Good beer at a reasonable price. And from New Jersey!?

 

Spellbound Porter pours a very dark brown, with an initial 1.5 inch head, which provides minimal lacing and does not linger about for very long. A roasty, malty nose previews a classic porter taste, which expands with a bit of chocolatey sweetness, and a faint hops note. It has a good, substantial mouthfeel, and overall feels like a fine, traditional porter. I do like Spellbound Porter, and will be adding it to my cellared arsenal of year-round beers.

Much better than I expected. lots of chocolate! just the right amount of bitterness, light body (seems to work well in this beer, though when I type it it seems wrong for the style). But definitely very drinkable, and the abv is surprising given the taste, which doesn't even have a hint of alcohol burn. Definitely sneaking up on me.

Was surprised how good this Porter is. Incredibly smooth and tasty without any tartness or slight metallic taste which is common with some porters. Has become my favorite porter and pairs well with a cigar.

 

 

 

12 oz can poured into a shaker.

Appearance
Deep mahogany / near black. Wispy tan head.

Nose
Cocoa, coffee, raisin, prune, and caramel.

Taste
Cocoa nib, medium roast coffee, and caramel. Raisin and prune. Touches of tobacco, char, and earth.

Mouthfeel
Light bodied, smooth, and clean with a touch of bitterness.

Overall
Smooth and balanced. A really solid Porter.

Would give higher marks were it not for the chalky aftertaste.

Healthy two finger head, passes from tan to brown, mostly even surfaced with a few scattered big pock marks, retention is very good, lacing tends to form one wide ring around wherever the top edge of the head was before the glass was tilted. Very dark brown liquid that just falls short of black, you can see a lot of heavy particulate suspended inside, steady stream of loosely aggregated bubbles swirling upwards. Very chocolaty with fresh milk notes, if there was a “milk porter” category this would be it, even the roast seems sweet, mild black licorice, scone bread, never seems to quite capture “coffee” but close, there appears to be some hops in the background which stiffen the feel more than present distinct aromas. Medium-bodied, drier here and faster paced, American roast coffee, cocoa powder, coconut flakes and pie crust. The carbonation is above average and adds to the forward momentum. Here too you get hops and quinine in the background, fuels the smokiness. Distinct lack of any fruit flavors. Very clear on the message it wants to relay and delivers on its promises, high drinkability.