Persephone Porter
Barbarian Brewing

nice to see these guys able to execute the classics at a high level, i intentionally went in here this week looking to try some of the more conventional ones after having nothing but wild stuff from them recently, and im glad i did. this is a solid porter, in some ways unremarkable, but especially in the context of all the other crazy beers they make. this is shiny near black and looks kind of big in a large pint glass, shirt caramel colored head. the nose is roasty with some coffee character, this is driven by dark grain but does have some sweetness to the middle too, light smoke and nuttiness also in the mix, nothing at all from the ferment. the flavor is cool, its deep and roasty but its never bitter from it like a lot of these get, partially because i think there is some specialty dark malt in here, not just the intense roasted barley, and also because it seems balanced by some richer middle malts, some light brown sugar character to the center pushing back against the darkest parts of this. it has a nice softness to it, not at all aggressive, minimally hopped, and super clean on the yeast side, even though there is a little pleasant residual sugar here. medium bodied but i found myself drinking this down pretty quickly, its well made and neatly nuanced with raisin, cola, and toasted bread notes, tasty and reliable.

On-tap at the source, Garden City ID. Darker brown, light showing at the edges, thin light-khaki head. Smells of faint coffee and light malty/nutty/caramel notes, same on the palate with a hint of char/smoke on the finish. Light body, approachable and enjoyable but overall just a little too light for me.

 

On tap at brewery. Mild appearance, dark brown pour with average head, but big sweet, dark roast grain aroma. Chocolate features in taste, very mild bitterness. Smooth, silky.

Draft at the taproom this afternoon with the geeks... Pours dark brown with a thick dark tan head, nice lacing.. Nice roastiness across the board with a subtle toffee essence that helps tie everything together.. Good chocolate note blooms with warmth... Balanced and surprisingly drinkable.. I normally don't care for porters, but this is tasty.

4/3.75/3.75/4/4