Bakers at Dawn
Twin Elephant Brewing Company

On-tap @ Twin Elephant Brewing Co. in Chatham, NJ.

Deep brown and opaque with a small head which dissipates quickly. Chocolate, nutty, and caramel aroma. Nice chocolatey and toasted malt flavor. Some light earthy hops to round things out. Medium-light body despite being slightly high in ABV for an English porter. Overall, it could have used a little more body but the flavor was enjoyable. Nice version of an under-appreciated style.

A: murky brown and deep ruby red color with a thin tan head

S: roasted malt, milk chocolate, sweet caramel, toffee, hazelnuts, and a hint of cola

T: big nutty flavor upfront with caramel and toasted malt. Light molasses, a mixture of dark and milk chocolate close it out with some sweetness

M: lighter side of medium with moderate carbonation

O: an interesting take on a Porter. It’s a Brown Porter, so it definitely has brown ale notes , combined with the roast you get in a porter

Look: The beer pours an opaque, dark brown color. Light brown head that struggles to form and maintain. This could be due to the growler. No visible carbonation. Overall, the dark brown color is attractive when held to the light, as the translucent edges give way to burnt sienna.

Smell: The aroma up front is defined by creamy and sweetened coffee. Followed by nuts, of the wal and hazel sorts.
Some sweet tobacco leaf. Dry, woody and crackery note.

Taste: Excellent flavor. Up front some sweeter caramel and toffee notes. But the beer dries out with some dark cracker, nutty and woody notes, along with hints of char and smoke that lends a hint of bitterness.

Feel: Medium level of carbonation. Smooth and dry.

Overall: I really enjoy this beer. A relatively low ABV beer at 5.7% with just a ton of flavor. Easily drinkable to pair with food, with stern enough to stand on its own. Sweet, dry, some bitterness. A satisfying drinking beer.

Pint on draught at the brewery. It pours a rich mahogany with cola hues. Surprisingly, the attractive mocha-colored head faded quickly leaving a thin veneer of lacing. I'd expect this with a much higher ABV but not with this beer. The smell is coffee-forward with earthy nuts and a whiff of tobacco. The taste redeems it. There is a nice blend of dark chocolate, freshly-brewed coffee, a hint of toffee, and earthy, nutty, char and smoke. It's a very nice balance of sweetness and bitterness. As the glass warms, the chocolate and toffee becomes more pronounced. It has a typical Porter mouthfeel: lite with moderate carbonation. The 5.7% ABV is appropriate for the style and allows for easy drinking. You can easily drink a couple of pints. Overall, Bakers at Dawn is a very nice rendition of a somewhat obscure style. It's the kind of beer you'd like to drink in a pub with friends and good conversation. And it would pair well with any pub fare. Local eateries ought to order kegs of this fine offering.