Pirate's Porter
Parker's Hilltop Brewery

32 ounce crowler into pint glass, filled on 3/3/2019. Pours clear nearly opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crusts; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, light-moderate earthy hops, and light fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crusts; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light pine, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery hops; and roast/charred bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crusts, light molasses/dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, light-moderate earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 5.4%. Overall this is an incredible American porter. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, light-moderate earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; extremely smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/charred/drying finish. Very silky/rich body for the ABV. Amazingly clean, rich, and well rounded malt complexity; with nice earthy hop balance against sweetness, and mild yeast fruitiness. A highly enjoyable offering, and top tier style example for the ABV.