The Raven
Fat Orange Cat Brew Co.

The RavenThe Raven
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From:
Fat Orange Cat Brew Co.
 
Connecticut, United States
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
6%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.69 | pDev: 11.38%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
36
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 17, 2019
Added:
Dec 01, 2016
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  5
This porter is not at all sweet. Three dark malts are used in this brew, but the highest percentage is the chocolate malt giving it this distinct flavor.
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Ratings by meatyard:
Photo of meatyard
Rated by meatyard from Florida

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nov 02, 2018
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 2.16 by nmann08 from Virginia

Aug 17, 2019
Photo of Suds
Reviewed by Suds from Missouri

3.9/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thick, utterly black, dense, and intense. I haven't had a beer with this intense bitterness and dryness in a while. It is well done and very welcomed. The aroma is heavily roasted, and the taste is a bit astringent. Charcoal and smoke...espresso and burnt grain. Very intense.
Aug 01, 2019
Photo of hoptheology
Reviewed by hoptheology from California

3.81/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
16 oz can from SierraNevallagash dated 10/8/18 poured into Christmas Chalice.

Super thick, inky, slick black pour looking like the heaviest of imperial stouts filling the glass - seriously the darkest, meanest "porter" I've ever seen. The head is tall and off-brown with tons of lace destroying the glass.

Aroma is pure cigarettes and ash. Normally I'd be appalled but this is so brash in its character that I have to respect it. Very faint ashen orange, like a swisher sweets cigar. Very faint raspberry. At this point it's a respect thing. Damn forward.

Flavor is very ash-forward as well, but less intense than the nose. The ashy bitterness does continue through to the finish, so it is long lasting. Burnt paper totally. Some orange and raspberry can be tasted as well, much like those foil-wrapped chocolate fruits though twice as bitter. Any sweetness is simply semi-sweet, though to the highest degree. Bitter dark chocolate. More ash.

Feel is totally contradictory to the look; it's practically water, skirts the line of a nitro beer, and the carbonation is buried in fluff. Very watery feel. Lingering ash and roasty dryness.

Overall, it grows very bitter and harsh over the course of the drink but it pulls no punches, and I can easily say if ashen stouts are your thing, as well as sweet stouts, you will not find anything more up your alley. Cheers.
Apr 07, 2019
Photo of teromous
Reviewed by teromous from Virginia

4.04/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
It's hard to read the bottom of the can but I can make out "10/02/18" and "4201

Appearance: The beer has a black body and a very minimal head. There is only a slim khaki ring of foam.

Aroma: The beer smells of coffee and strongly of bakers chocolate. It has an aroma that makes the beer enticing. There is a bit of a burnt wood scent and a touch of pine at the tail end of the aroma.

Taste: It has a chocolate flavor mixed with some burnt caramel and some carbon. It feels close to a Baltic Porter but it has a lot of chocolate elements that are reminiscent of a Brown Porter. There are some fruity notes in the middle of the beer which bring out the flavors of dark cherry and prune. After a while it tastes a bit like a dark chocolate covered cherry.

Mouthfeel: The body of the beer is full with a light bitterness that seems to ride with the grain and chocolate. The bitterness is cut with a fruity tartness. The beer is carbonated perfectly. It is a very enjoyable beer to drink. It is really impressive to just sip the beer and let it work its magic.

Overall: The can says this is a "CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY PORTER" and while it didn't taste quite like raspberries to me, there was a definite fruitiness to the beer and it worked very well with that dark earthy chocolate flavor. This really isn't a decadent beer but it has an elevated quality to it that is very enjoyable. If you enjoy dark chocolate that can be a bit bitter and enjoy tart fruits then I would highly recommend this beer. I was really impressed by it and I would buy it again.
Apr 06, 2019
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Look: It pours black with a brown head. Head retention is excellent.

Smell: It has subtle aromas with chocolate and raspberry being the most noticeable. There are also very low levels of roast and very light nuts.

Taste; It has a combination of raspberry and chocolate in the taste. There are low levels of roast.

Feel: It has a medium body with is a bit creamy and has a moderately high carbonation.

Overall, the aroma could be stronger for my tastes, but it has a good balance between the chocolate and raspberries.
Feb 17, 2019
Photo of avalon07
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

3.61/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
L: Poured from a tallboy can to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and a thick, opaque consistency. There was a half inch of foamy, tan-colored, fairly long-lasting head. Not much lacing to speak of.

S: A decent, but not spectacular, aroma of malt, chocolate, dark fruit, and raspberries.

T: Tasted of a bit of dark chocolate (not quite enough), an earthy, chalky quality, a lot of malt (present throughout, a bit of dark fruit (raisins), and some raspberries. Definitely an off kilter flavor. None of the ingredients seem to be as well represented as they should be, and the chalky quality is fairly obnoxious.

F: A decent bit of carbonation with a super dry, earthy finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Kind of a misfire here. Could've been better.
Feb 09, 2019
 
Rated: 3.3 by JLK7299 from North Carolina

Jan 14, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by tdm168 from Pennsylvania

Dec 26, 2018
 
Rated: 3.91 by 22Blue from Kansas

Dec 20, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by Hellpop65 from Kansas

Dec 16, 2018
 
Rated: 3.77 by grahuba from Connecticut

Dec 09, 2018
 
Rated: 3.73 by cp45 from New Jersey

Dec 04, 2018
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a half finger high tan head that quickly settled down, leaving a thin layer of bubble covering the surface.
S: Moderate aromas of dark malts are present in the nose along with notes of cola and hints of licorice.
T: The taste follows the smell and has lots of flavors of dark malts with strong notes of licorice and roasted malts. The roastiness lingers into the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer feels a little stronger in body compared to other beers in the style and also has stronger flavors, particularly of the roasted malts.

Serving type: can
Dec 02, 2018
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.96/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into an English pint glass.
The appearance was a semi-thick black color with a small cap of a tan foamy head swiftly gliding off. Some slight concave lace.
The aroma had a ton of ash/char up front then coffee grounds and subtle notes of black raspberries and a dry earthiness rounding out the back end.
The flavor moderately yields to a sweet black raspberry character with a dry enriched ashy/char quality pummeling the sweetness of the berry as it warmed. Clean dry and ashy aftertaste, and a touch of dark chocolate, black raspberry and earthy sweetness.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a fair sessionability about it. Carbonation felt fine. ABV seemed on par. Ashy to char-like and dry finish, ever so subtle black raspberry.
Overall, pretty nice black raspberry porter I might be willing to come back to.
Dec 01, 2018
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 10/2/2018. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky tan head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair mount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big lightly tart/tangy black raspberries, fruit skin/seed, dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, nuts, and toasted dark bread; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of black/roast/bready malts, raspberries, and moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big lightly tart/tangy black raspberries, fruit skin/seed, dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, nuts, and toasted dark bread; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery hop; roast/char bitterness; and slight fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of black raspberries, fruit skin/seed, dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, nuts, toasted dark bread, licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of black/roast/bready malts, raspberries, and moderate earthy hop flavors; with a nice roast/hop bitter/sweet balance, and minimal acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and tart/tangy fruit. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, fairly sticky/resinous/chalky, and slightly acidic/tangy balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol for 6%. Overall this is a very nice fruited American porter. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of black/roast/bready malts, raspberries, and moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the moderately bitter/resinous/drying finish, not overly aggressive. Great balance of rich malts and earthy hops; nice raspberry presence, without being overly tart. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example. Just a little too bitter/drying than I'd prefer overall. Got smoother as it warmed up.
Nov 17, 2018
 
Rated: 3.44 by gobuccos from Ohio

Nov 16, 2018
 
Rated: 3.8 by Goosehunter75 from Missouri

Nov 14, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by toast9 from New Jersey

Nov 06, 2018
Photo of TheGent
Reviewed by TheGent from New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Super bitter chocolate and dry. I understand it’s supposed to be, but it’s a bit much for my enjoyment. Hint of the raspberry jelly candy throughout.
Nov 03, 2018
The Raven from Fat Orange Cat Brew Co.
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 36 ratings