Plough Horse
Lost Towns Brewing

Pours jet black with a three-finger tan head that lingers for some time.

Aromas of chocolate, cocoa, roast grains, fresh black bread, and some grassy hops.

Straight off the pour, this porter comes out swinging with bitterness: super dark roast coffee, toasted black bread, and roast grains, transitioning to grassy and earthy hop bitterness along with ash and char on the finish. Letting it warm slightly brings out some chocolate at the front of the sip. Letting it warm further gets it into a better spot, with chocolate and molasses coming through and the bitterness coming down and settling in nicely as roast coffee, grassy hops, and slight char.

Medium to medium-light bodied with moderate and fine carb, this starts off dancing on the tongue and then shifts over to a somewhat silky feel as the carb dissipates. A little thin for my taste; some more body would go well with that big roast bitterness profile. Finishes dry.

Overall, if you are impatient and pour straight from fridge temp, this is a decent but overly bitter American Porter. If you are smarter than I am and let it warm properly, it moves into quite good territory. It could use more body and a bit more depth of flavor, but what is there is really good. A nice, roasty and hoppy take on the style.

I reviewed this blind. Had my roommate choose something at random and pour it for me and take a picture which I viewed after. Reviewed while blindfolded and without information.

16 oz can acclimated to 57°F and poured into a nonic.

Pours a brown that appears black with tan to dark brown highlights and a 4 finger khaki head, the color of the foam when you float vanilla ice cream in root beer. Leaves healthy lacing.

Initial aroma is some alcohol, coffee, and maybe bitter chocolate notes.maybe some medium to dark green olive or brownish green hoppiness. Guessing this is an imperial stout. After agitating I get a big whiff of grass and clear alcohol.

Initial taste before swallowing is slightly sweet, maaaaybe chocolate, light bitterness. After swallowing a dry and grassy bitterness makes itself known clearly, lasting into the aftertaste and becoming intensely dry and slightly astringent. Also present is a malty sweetness. There's a faint underlying richness, and a note of coffee, and a note of bitter cacao. After tasting a few times I'd guess it's a non imperial stout/porter. Getting further in I start to get notes of cherry in the inhale and first swallow.

Feel is actually a little watery, it flows around nice enough but I would expect what I'm now entirely sure is a stout/porter to be a little thicker. Not bad, just a little less than I would imagine, although as I drink more I realize it's very creamy.

Overall it's got a fairly rich taste, the maltiness is a little hard to pin down but it leads to being dry and bitter, which isn't a negative.

I may buy again. I'll definitely keep it in mind for a dry and bitter porter that fills the creamy criteria. I enjoyed it, a solid basic style done well.