Porter
Moonwake Beer Co.

a lovely and well refined old world style porter, served on cask, which is just a treat for this style, super well done, maybe my favorite of the moonwake beers we had on our trip, but these guys are doing some nice work. deep dark brown with reddish edges in the light, frothy cream tan headed with nice lace, not particularly viscous, a good looking pint. the nose is really roasty but stops short of bitter or astringent, dark cocoa, ground but not yet brewed coffee beans, a hint of wood to it, old timey, bready middle malts, low on sweetness, an appreciable fermentation character, very good. the taste is a lot like the nose, chocolate and chocolate malt, english type ale yeast pulling more toasty and bready notes from the grain, a distinctive minerality but not sharp at all, smooth and long with late onset bitterness, nice flow to it, warms up well, is food versatile, and i think is beautifully proportioned, massively drinkable, and very technically well done. nuances of licorice and roasted chestnut, birch, and root beer. freshness is apparent, and the cask conditioning is awesome, this is fluffy and easy yet also as substantial as it should be, great aftertaste too. outstanding take on the style, basic in a way the just lets the ingredients and the technique do the talking, perhaps as it should be. very strong effort.