Round The Bend
Suarez Family Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

Canned late 2020. Drink by 3/23/21 (oops!) Fully opaque, dark, dark brown bordering on black. A finger + of dense coffee ice cream colored head with good retention and very nice lacing. Overall, an attractive beer.

Very light roast on the nose, but overall the aroma is best described as muted. Some faint malts, but not getting much of the way of chocolate or heavy malts.

Taste is a little heavy on the roast. It's tasty, but lacks a little bit of complexity / depth. Lightly bitter, and a nice dry finish. Body is a little thin.

Overall I'm enjoying this, but it doesn't stand out the way most Suarez beers to me. That said, I may need to revisit a fresh version to see if this is due to age.

Can from the brewery in Livingston, NJ. Pours a very dark amber/brown with a finger of fluffy light tan head that slowly dissipates, nice lacing, smell is roasted dark malts, dark brown bread crust, chocolate, hints of coffee and tree bark, taste is roasted dark malts, dark malt husks, dark chocolate, coffee, grassy finish, feel is light, mild carbonation, sweet. A roasty, chocolatey, grassy delight.

 

Thanks to Roy_Hobbs for this one, from a recent ninja box. 16oz can (dated 12/22/20, I think, the numbers are kinda blurry) poured into 14oz teku. Poured a solid black color, with a touch of translucence, and an inch of tan head that had very good retention and light lacing.

Coffee dominates the front of the nose, with some base malts behind.

Same on the tongue, with the coffee being even stronger, and leaving a slight burnt note on the finish.

The body was a touch thin for the style, smooth, and had a dry finish.

Drinkability suffered due to the strong roast/coffee aspect.

Overall, a solid enough brew, especially if you like strong roast.

16oz. can into a Brooklyn Brewery snifter.

Nose is roasted malt, dark chocolate, fudge, coffee, and liquorice. Spot on for the style. Beer opens liquorice, iced coffee, roasted malt, and dark chocolate. More roasted malt in the middle with a slight tartness. Coffee at the end with the same aftertaste. Body is light with moderate to ample carbonation. Prickly and light on the palate and roasty going down. Lingering finish.

A classic porter that is a spot on take on the style.

Modest head production; very good retention and excellent lacing.

Very classic and straight forward porter nose: lots of toast, a touch of red grape, toffee, some coffee, fairly neutral hops with notes of leather and bark, cream.

Cream-forward on the palate, with more yeast expression than I expected; slightly on the sweeter side, but balanced by a solid amount of bitter char from the malts. Extremely flavorful for the very modest ABV. Burnt toast, red grape, cream, prune, caramel, toffee, biscuit. Moderate bitterness, on the higher end for a porter, seemingly due both to neutral, grassy hops - with just a touch of citrus peel on the finish - and the roasted malt.

Very solid body for the ABV, on the higher end of medium, but still very crisp.

As with most things Suarez, this is a no-frills take on a classic style, executed to near perfection. There is nothing off, nothing added, nothing crazy; just an extremely flavorful beer, and an excellent take on the style. In terms of execution, it reminds me of King Titus or Founders Porter more than Everett, but like all of those three, it's a great example of how flavorful a "simple" porter can be when done well.

 

slightly bitter roasty quality, some dark chocolate with an earthyness to it, becoming sweeter as it warms oatmeal with a hint of creamyness to it, mellow nutty flavors, and hints of brown sugar and caramel sweetness. some hoppy character and an overall cohesiveness that makes it a true pleasure to drink. overall its mind numbing how this one is so light and smooth, but has an immense depth of flavors.

Delicious shades of tiramisu, fudgsicles, and chocolate truffles. Rich milk chocolate, firm coffee acidity, blonde roast, dark brown sugar. It's sweet and dessert like, but with a low viscosity. Head looks like coffee--sweet and light--and the body is a chicory black.

 

 

 

On-tap at Suarez Family Brewery

Pours black with a fluffy (a word becoming appropriate for just about all Suarez beers at this point) 2 fingers of tan head; great retention and tones of soapy lacing clinging to the walls of the glass.

Aromas of cocoa dust and chocolate malt, faint milky cream, and a robust, earthy roast to round things out.

Tastes of roasty, semi-bitter chocolate and deep earthy malts, with the relatively smooth roastiness tempered nicely with a distant but vaguely impactful earthy sweetness; the lingering finish of hot cocoa is fleeting, but truly special.

Mouthfeel shows a creamy, medium-light body and balanced carbonation; smooth throughout, with tons of excellent nuance and balance coming through the roasty qualities.

Absolutely sessionable porter, with great balance between roasty and sweet notes, and a fleeting wisp of truly deep flavor appearing at spots in between; both approachable and true to its stylistic roots, this is simply a great porter.

 

On tap at the brewery. Black with a fluffy khaki head. Smells roasty and chocolatey. A hint of a metallic aroma. Tastes of milk chocolate and bitter coffee roasted malt. Shades of the metallic aroma persist. Robust for a Suarez beer, though it's still a very drinkable beer. Medium body. Tastes big and flavorful without actually being big.