Schell's Stag Series: German-Style Porter
August Schell Brewing Company

Not far off from a regular robust porter. Pretty roasty....roasted grains, black pepper, cocoa....very clean drinking and on the light side of medium bodied...just a light herbal, black tea like hop impression.

Interesting take on a porter.

Pours a clear dark brown with a thick tan cap that recedes fairly quickly but leaves great lacing. The aroma is dark roasted malt, coffee and a touch of cocoa. The flavor follows the nose with a whiff of smoke joining in. The feel is smooth but light and well carbonated. A fun beer from a nice local brewery.

 

 

The box says "brewed with cocoa nibs." So let's traditionalists proceed with caution. Look: opaque black with dark r ed d around the edges. Solid head, little lacing. Aroma: graham crackers, cream, dark chocolate, malted milk balls. Taste: more malted milk balls, more semi dark chocolate, lots of cream. Very sweet. Finish: long with more chocolate. Mouthfeel: medium bodied with ample carbonation. Comments: Too many beers these days are brewed with flavoring adjuncts. The cocoa in this beer is as well integrated as it can be, but I still feel the beer would be better without it. Traditional beer from a traditional brewery I say. Then again what's traditional about a German porter.

Into a willibecher from a single from the Peacock pack, pours a shade of brown slightly darker than a penny with a generous 2 to 3 finger head, decent retention and good lacing. Nose is primarily earthy coffee notes, some chewy nuttiness, and some faint leafy herbal hoppiness. The taste follows the nose, pretty much, though I get some chocolate (that is neither particularly bitter nor particularly sweet) that I didn't on the nose...finishes with some kind of earthy/leafy notes that are kind of interesting. This is an easy drinker, a little different from most good porters out there, but still pretty straightforward insofar as what you get at first is what you've got at the end. Not bad, but nothing to write home about.

This beer pours a dark black with a moderate head, The aroma features notes of rich chocolate, licorice, coffee, malted milk, and a hint of caramel. The flavor is pleasantly soft with notes of chocolate, malted milk, cream, vanilla, honey, and licorice. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and gentle, with thin carbonation. Overallt this is a very tasty beer - gentle in its presentation, but very fulfilling.

Soft dark grains with hints of chocolate and roast. A little aqueous. Smallish kinda' foamy near tan head. Very clear brown to black body with garnet in the light. Closer to a "clean" porter, if that is something that can be defined. Drinks like a lager but has porter qualities. The cocao nibs show in the flavor mid to end and some on the finish. Kinda' dry. Mild roast with a malty dryness on the finish (could also be the nibs) that lasts quite awhile - this is where it's not like a lager.
A little smaller than moderate in body and plenty of bubbles (too much for me).
Opens up some as warms, but the presentation is a bit generic, but not displeasing. Another nice easy drinker that doesn't demand or request too much thinking. Great when imbibing with others.

Bottle. Caramel brown color. Light beige head.

Roasted malts and nuttiness. Caramel and chocolate with cocoa. The special frozen hops are hard to find. A solid porter, but not sure what makes it German.

 

Moderate aroma of some coffee and chocolate, and slightly herbal. Clear ruby color (dark with front-lighting, clear ruby with back-lighting) with a tall, creamy-looking slightly tan head. The head is not as dark as expected for a porter, but, then, what exactly are the style guidelines for a "German-Style" porter! Stringy, sticky lacing drapes down the glass as the head fades. Thin feel. Initial taste is slightly sweet, but that quickly transitions to a bitter middle and dry finish. Taste is herbal with just a hint of chocolate. I enjoy a good porter, and this is an interesting experiment, but ultimately not for me.

 

 

Light brown color with a finger of head that settles to a thin cap. Aroma of cacao and herbal hops. For a porter this is pretty light on the dark malt flavor. I get mostly cacao but also some bready and grainy malt. The hops give a bit of herbaceous flavor. Light body but nicely carbonated.

 

Pours a dark, cola brown in color, topped with a medium tan head. Nice lacing, might be a slightly "sticky" beer?

Nose is a subtler blend of coffee, with broader notes of roasted-dark malts and cocoa. Should be good.

Sweet and malty on the first sip, with an herbal (licorice?) character up front, followed closely by the roundness of the cocoa. Tettnang hops provide ample bitterness, and an oily, herbaceous quality.

Breadier malt character emerges as the beer warms, and there's a lactose-like character as well. The hops continue to add an unctuous zing and a pleasing bitterness toward the end of the palate. Very nice!

This one is worth checking out and maybe trading for if you like a zany take on a non-existent bier style. : )