Briefcase Porter
Exhibit 'A' Brewing Company

Easy drinking, fully flavored porter. Malt and dark chocolate on the aroma, and expectedly smooth dark chocolate and caramel on the taste. Light bitterness that makes this a perfectly balanced beer. 92/100.

 

Pours with a healthy, tan foam head that eventually recedes to a ring. Nose is dark chocolate, cocoa, very nice. Taste pretty much follows suit - cocoa/chocolate followed by a brief bitterness from the hops. Definitely not on the sweet side which I love. I thought the mouthfeel was quite nice, creamy and satisfying, I did not find it thin at all. This was canned on 1/16/2025 and still drinking fine as of 6/7/2025. Delicious and worthy of your coin.

Im sampling a cellar temp 16 oz can poured into my .5L dimple mug. Picked up at a shop in New Hampshire. No date stamp on the can.
the beer pours a rich cola brown with some lighter chestnut hues around the edges when I hold the glass up to the light.
A dense yet fluffy beige head foams up 3.5 cm after a slightly vigorous pour. This foam fades to a sturdy surface covering and leaves some scattered lattice on the sides of my mug.
Aroma is some dark chocolate, cocoa powder, roasted malts that edge into some charred notes, and maybe hints of an earthy or herbal hop note buried under the malts.
no hints of ABV on the aroma.
First sip reveals a medium body with very smooth texture and fine gentle, rolling carbonation. Physical traits make this an easy drinking beer!
Flavor is similar to the nose. A little more chocolate starts off on my lips and moves to the roasted notes and finishes with a little more roast and again borders on charred flavor. I do get a little bitterness here too, but I think it is charred malt bite and not really a hop character, but I could be mistaken. Its not ABV that is for sure.
A pretty solid take on a simple American porter. Glad to have tried this one, and would definitely buy again for a lower ABV malt forward experience.

 

 

 

From a 16 oz. can dated 01/05/21. Sampled many moons later on July 18, 2021.

The appearance is about what one expects in the style with a dark brown to near jet black appearance. Perhaps some red hues under the light. A short lasting mocha head.

Aroma of coffee, cocoa, roasted dark malts, ash, molasses, and an earthy hop character.

Light mouthfeel.

Easy to drink with its sweet and creamy start then moving toward coffee grinds and ending with a mild bitterness. A decent interpretation of the style.

It's a well-done porter, but it's just a porter. No 'wow' factor.

 

 

Aggressive pour yielded 2 inch foamy head, dark motor oil color
Aroma is roasted malt, chocolate
Taste is roasted coffee, chocolate
Mouthfeel is fairly thin medium carbonation light finish
Overall it’s a tasty porter a bit on the thin side

Can dated 9/29/20
Maybe the Valley Malt (from Hadley MA I believe) is a really good batch as this is an excellent American Porter and reminds me of the old Porter I still crave 20 years later from the defunct Back Bay Brewing on Boylston in Boston. (Did they find the old recipe?) Please brewers, we can only drink so much 8.3% ddh New England Hazy DoubleIPA. How about someone perfect Porter? Cudos to the brewers at Exhibit A for this excellent attempt.

 

L - poured black with a 1-finger tan head. Fair lacing.
S - coffee, chocolate and roast.
T - follows the nose. Roasty for sure.
F - medium mouthfeel with a nice porter bite to it. Fairly dry finish.
O - a good beer. Would have liked to see more lacing but overall, enjoyed this beer.

 

 

16 ouncer, canned 10/08/19, purchased at the source.

Pours quite dark, with a tiny bubble darker mocha cap and leaves more then adequate fine strands intricate webs of sticky lacing.

Milk chocolate and some nutty notes on the sniff.

Tasty and pleasing porter, milk chocolate all over this one...again nuttiness coming forward. Smooth and soft on the palate...nicely done here...I wish more breweries would brew a nice porter, at least once in a while.....

16 oz. can.
Canned 10/30/19.
Moderate pour yields a one inch tan head over a near black body with dark mahogany highlights and nice lacing. Nose of roasted malt, chocolate, and yes, cola. Taste follows nose with added flavor of nuts with a nice finish of slight hop bitterness. Smooth and balanced with a nice feel and overall, would have again and recommend to any Porter fan.
Cheers!