James Squire Rum Rebellion Porter
Malt Shovel Brewery

 

Mahogany, almost black in colour. Poured with an off -white, firm head that left lacing on the glass.

Aroma of plums and raisin. I wasn't impressed with the aroma as it reminded me of Cooper's Draught homebrew that had been brewed at 30 deg C and stored too long.

Tastes better then it smells. Distinctive taste of plums and raisins but hardly any rum at all. Quite light-bodied for this style of beer.

One bottle of this brew is more than enough for me. If I get the urge for a porter I would rather opt for the excellent James Squire Porter instead.

This is a review of a bottle from the same batch as my previous review, 08-12-2006. Wanting to see what 6 month's age will do to the beer.

A: Dark honey, with mahogany/red. Beige head, which is supported by some good bubbling.

S: Wholemeal bread crust. Roasted grain. Oyster sauce. Faint rust

T: Creamy, some subtle candy hints, but a noticable roasted/burnt toast aftertaste. Slight remnant of the rum barrel; not as much as earlier tasting. Some bitterness. Late aftertaste of blackcurrant.

M: Medium body, full palate length. Touch dusty, but also a very, very faint tang. Perhaps a touch of acido/lacto from the barrels ??

That last point piques my curiosity... to see if there is any future potential for some ongoing souring.... probably not as it's not aging in barrels.... but I'll hold some back and see.

D: Still quite enjoyable. Probably handle mussels or oysters. Or a good steak.

Pouring dark with a ruby edge , it laced and headed quite well
Initially there was a huge chocolate hit on the nose , which faded reasonably quickly , when the slight rum and roasted malts came through.
It is smooth and malty and the gives the finish a decent alcoholic kick As the glass warmed a little the first sensations were quite sweet
A little too much spirits quality for my liking , but I guess you have to expect it.
This would be a good night cap ale on a wet cold day , and if Melbourne ever has another of those I will try it again

Recived from BA trade.

P - Standard JS bottle with blurb and info about beer. "vanilla with rum lengthening the palate" it says. Brown 330ml bottle. Best before date aparently on bottle, I couldnt find it.

A - very very dark brown to black, hints of brown or red on the edges, Tan headm litte small, some lacing.

S - Rum and roasted malt are an absolute perfect match in this beer, Quite se beautifull balance, both are wonderfully complementry neither distracts, rum really smooths out the whole mix. Honey like also there, with some coffee-like tones. Malt profile seems to overpower the hops a little but some floral hops are there. Great smelling, could afford to be stronger.

T - Sweet malty profile up front for sure with a nice smooth rum and vanilla hit, coffee and roasted malts take over to supply the palate with some bitterness, unfortunatley thats all you get. The hops seem to take a back burner on this beer but it kinda works. More flavours add complexity to this beer, honey / molasas / earthen yeast tones all do their part in wonderfull balance and timing. The aftertaste is fantasticly sweet and smooth tasting like sweet toffee with just a hit of some hop bitterness. Rum and oak are hanging around the whole time and after your finished.

Mouthfeel - Thickish and wonderfully smooth, good carbonation. such a wonderfull palate of malts and so very smooth.

Drinkability - So so easy to drink and I love my malts so this is a very enjoyable brew for me. A clever and well conceved way of using the rum and oak flavours to their advantage. Could bump the IBU's just a bit and perhaps a little sweet but otherwise it is really a very good beer. I would say one of the best Squires. Uterly complex and very well balanced.

I drank this whilst on holiday in Tasmania - I know it's not Tasmanian, but they really seem to be into these honey-flavoured porters down there, so it somehow seemed appropriate to try this too. It pours a dark mahogany with a slight light brown head. The rum is apparent in both smell and taste - a kind of sweet rum-and-raisin-ice-cream type rumminess rather than any premium spirit. I think the combination of the rum with the porter works really well: the rum complements the roasted malt flavours of the porter and adds an interesting dimension. The porter flavours go into the background somewhat though, so it ends up a bit of a novelty rather than a beer to contemplate. Nonetheless, this certainly works a hell of a lot better than this Tasmanian idea of sticking honey in porter. Overall, I rather enjoyed it.

James Squire Rum Rebellion Porter

A = Poured dark brown with a thin foam head that quickly dissapates to form a light lace on the surface.

S = Slight roasted coffee smell. Very little smell at all.

T = Inital roasted coffee flavour that gives way to a soft buttery finish. Slight rum flavour that is very dissapointing considering that it called rum rebellion.

M = Good Mouthfeel. Moderately carbonated and the beer leaves the mouth with a slight buttery coating that is quite pleasant.

D = Drinkable. But not my cup of tea.

standard JS bottle and label. i do like the font they chose for the main text. the neck label says something about decanting and blending the beer, might have to shoot them an e-mail for details.
5.5%abv. best before 07/07. might go back for one to age depending on how this goes...

pours a decent dark-but-not-quite-black with plenty of red highlights around the edges. light tan head forms about an inch thick and slowly settled to a thin even covering. little lacing on the glass. carbonation is low. so low i could probably count the bubbles as they rise.

nice mix of sweet malt and flowery hops in the aroma. just a touch of that porter tartness (? for lack of a better word). good, but hard for me to say this is any better smelling than their regular porter.

similair to the nose. i havent had rum since hawaii back in '97 (or thereabouts) when i thought i'd be cool and drink mai tais instead of cheap beer i could drink back home so i've got no idea what it would taste like in beer. this is tasty though. quite tasty as it warms. nice sweetness that may have a rum-like quality. very smooth.

this goes down quickly and with some substance to keep the taste buds happy.
nice going by the gang at JS. a high quality brew they can be proud of.

This beer looks great - a perfectly clear dark brown with ruby highlights, a cream-coloured head and good lacing around the glass. Smells of malt and chocolate, with a slight oak aroma. Tastes of chocolate, malt, nuts, slight caramel. A tad astrigent, but not in an unpleasant way. Lingering aftertaste of oak and rum. The rum really hangs around. Very drinkable, due to a relatively light body and lowish alcohol. This porter could have benefitted from a bit more to the malt bill, but overall a very nice limited release from JS.