Pugnacious Porter
City Steam Brewery Café

 

 

 

 

 

City Steam Pugnacious Porter....on tap at the restaurant.

Appearance-served in a small 12 oz glass, came to me pitch black with a minimal tan head, not much else going on. Vibrant color.

Smell-roasted almost burnt character on the heavy malts, alcohol burn is strong, can't really get much else through this haze.

Taste/Mouthfeel-heavy mouthfeel, the burnt characteristic continues, caramel appears, a little sweetness and more fusel alcohol burn that is almost a little hard to take. Finishes with a final alcohol note and a little chocolate.

Overall-a little too rash, good beers find ways to hide the alcohol better amongst different flavors, I found this one just a little too heavy on the burn. There are much better versions of this style. Only order this if you are caught in the rain.

Had this on 9/8 at the brewpub with my homie JefftheCheff.

They served it in a straight glass with no head. Sitting still, black with barely a wisp of a tan ring around the edge of the glass.

Smells of roasted malts...and that's about it. This smelled so overly roasted. Just too much, without anything else to balance it. Some investigating resulted in notes of licorice and espresso and hints of chocolate, but not in enough quantities to salvage this one.

Like I said, far too roasted... lending too much bitterness to the taste after the initial sweetness subsides. Lacked complexity.

The mouthfeel actually isn't terrible, which is surprising since one would expect a lack of carbonation after the dismal appearance. Drinkability was good considering its ABV, but I wouldn't want to have another one considering what I'm actually drinking here.

Grabbed a glass of this on a visit to City Steam tonite. Beer is served cold in a glass. Unfortunately not much head present when beer arrives. A thin tan edge layer is all that is present. The beer is pitch black in color with no light passing through. Aroma is sweet malt, molasses, ripe dark fruit and some light coffee notes.
First sip reveals a creamy texture and thick syrupy body. Carbonation is light and gentle and leaves little evidence of its presence during the sampling.
Flavor is robust with large malt characteristics abounding. I get rich sweet molasses, some fruity twang similar to a raisin or ripe plum, and also a bit of coffee bitterness. I actually detect an anice-like flavor on the finish, which I dont like but only because I dont like black licorice. I am sure if you enjoy this flavor it enhances the beer. The brew is very smooth and easy to drink and I would recommend it to all who visit City Steam Brewery. Definitely worth a pint or two!

Almost black, very dark for a porter. Long-lasting tan head. Very earthy and roasty malt. It just somehow doesn’t smell all too clean which appears to be a pattern with the house yeast that I assume they use for all their beers. Aroma is quite creamy, pretty much like I’d expect from a sweet stout which unfortunately is not a style that brings me great loads of pleasure usually. Slight acid bite, honest roastiness. Lactic fruitiness closes to figs or dates yogurt. Aftertaste is long.

Dark brown fizzy liquid with no head. Looks like root beer. No aroma. Watery mouthfeel. No flavor upfront, it's all in the finish. Sweet burnt malt, with rich molasses, and raisin. Bitter coffee creeps in to the aftertaste. No lacing, but foam dots sprinkle down the sides of the glass.

The Pug Porter is one of City Steam's fine special brews that really stands out, billeted as a Baltic Imperial Stout. I haven't had a lot of Baltic Imperial Stouts but it was reminiscent of the Heavyweight Perkuno, but excellently fresh on draft. I was served this fine porter in a tall pilsener-like glass that let you see exactly how dark this brew was.
The Pug sits in the glass fresh poured very dark brown in color, with a bit of mahogany head that clings to the sides of the glass. What a nose on this one- strong coffee aroma, hint of alcoholic sharpness, with malt and oakey aromas to balance. Smooth, thick body makes for good sippin', the coffee flavor is eminent, surrounded by dark maltiness, and livened up with a bit of hoppy kickback. Leaves a nice toasty warmth in your mouth, with lingering hints of spice and only a slight hint of bitter. Reminds me a bit of a whiskey barrel stout. Packs a bit of a punch at around 20 degrees plato.

Draught: It took a few of their beers to find one that was truly outstanding. This beer was almost black in color, with a very dense tan head. There is a fairly rich, full aroma. The aroma is sweet, with heavy notes of roastiness, chocolate and coffee. The main taste is sweetness and chocolate. The beer is almost "thick". Very good!