Black Butte Porter
Deschutes Brewery

3.18/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
by alexvhrk from Wisconsin

noted from journal (2015-2016): brown head, black body, smells like chocolate, roasted flavor with a hoppy finish, thick almost a pilsner finish

**Definite try again candidate after 7-8 years

May 10, 2022

4.2/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5
by MarkovBeer from California

Solid dark beer that is memorable. Definitely my favorite choice outside of the trendy IPAs. Guinness does not compare!

Apr 12, 2022

4.27/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by jadpsu from Georgia

Brighton, Co:
LOOK: Pours an opaque darkest of brown to black color with an easy to pour 3b finger tan or light brown head that slowly fades but has overall good retention as well as lacing.
AROMA: Same roasted malts, bakers chocolate and cocoa.
TASTE: Again you get the roasted malts, bitter sweetness. Has a little smoky aftertaste.
Creamy and easy drinking.

Apr 12, 2022

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by Mindcrime1000 from South Dakota

For some reason I thought I had rated this one years ago. Apparently not.

Pours extremely dark brown, nearly black, with a nice fluffy cola head. Good lacing.

Aromas of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, licorice, and some yeast.

The flavors follow the nose and that's just fine. Dark and semi-sweet chocolate, dark coffee, vanilla, licorice, buttermilk and dark fruit (cherry) sourness, astringent roastiness at the finish.

Medium bodied. Incredibly drinkable for such a dark brew, owing to plenty of carbonation and a fairly drying finish.

Are there better American Porters? Sure. But at this price point and availability level? Nope. Wanna show someone the difference between a stout and a porter? This might be the perfect brew.

Mar 06, 2022

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by Chocolatefreak from Tennessee

Good American porter! Flavors: coffee, chocolate, slightly sweet. Would drink again.

Feb 26, 2022

4.02/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by jbolger from Connecticut

2/11/22 Pitch black with a nice tan head. Roasted / burnt malt carries the day here. Some light coffee bitterness. Low ABV. Well balanced. Will add to the rotation.

Feb 05, 2022

3.86/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by JZH1000 from Colorado

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my spiegelau stout glass.

It looks like Guinness (co2) on the pour which I'd say is a good thing. Those big beers usually seem to be pretty good looking. 1.5 finger head that fades to a decent covering of head. Almost pitch black but at the bottom of the glass you can see it's a dark brow color where some light can get through.

Smell is full and quite strong with some rosty malts shining through, but there is quite a bit of fermentation character here, mostly just the smell of ale yeast bit it is quite strong. Not a lot more going on here but it's very malt forward and seems quite strong.

On my first sip it's quite dry and decently bitter. Once again some of those roasty malts are hanging in the back. Quite a lot of that ale character is up front. Slight tartness coming from fermentation as well it seems. Not a british flavor here, but despite the american yeast, hops arent all that present here. Maybe some for bittering cause it has a higher ibu than a porter or stout from the UK, but it seems to be a very malt forward american porter. Good but could be a bit more balanced. As I drink the bitterness becomes less pronounced and the malts shine more and more.

Feel is quite smooth and creamy, not a lot of carbonation bit but it's there. Easy to put down but still rich like chocolate. Could be dangerous if it was less pricey but I like it.

Overall a decent day porter. I wish there was a bit more sweetness from the malt but that's just taste. It does seem a bit dry for a porter but the roasty dark malts shine nicely here.

Jan 31, 2022

4.47/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
by MrOH from Malta

Black, tan head, good retention and lace
Intense dark chocolate aroma
Dark chocolate, dried dark fruit, and some char flavors
Medium bodied and appropriately carbonated
This is a dang good porter. Wish it was available in MD.

Jan 25, 2022

4.12/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by -steve- from Canada (ON)

L: Inky black with brown head that dissipates quickly.
S: Roasted malts, licorice and chocolate.
T: Tasty roasted malts, licorice with dry, hop finish.
F: Sweet and dry.
O: A very nice winter warmer.

Jan 06, 2022

4.34/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
by rudiecantfail from Pennsylvania

12 ounce bottle poured into a tulip glass. Bottled 11/4/21, so plenty fresh.

L---Darkest black/brown. Fluffy khaki head faded quickly to a few islands and left nice lacing.

S---Roasted/burnt malts. Dark chocolate and maltiness.

T---Chocolate and a deep, rich maltiness. Dried dark fruit.

F---Medium bodied, a bit creamy. Mild carbonation.

O---A really nice one

Dec 22, 2021

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by minstrelwb from Indiana

Enjoyable, better than average taste, etc., in it's category. Good with food, too.

Dec 21, 2021

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
by HorseheadsHophead from Colorado

Pours pretty much pitch black with some dark brown at the very edges. Off white head. Good lacing.

Huge chocolate, malted milk balls, cacao nibs, and vanilla on the nose.

Malted milk balls, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, dried cherry, toast, and vanilla on the palate. Linger with some slight coffee bitterness.

Medium feel, moderately carbonated, clean.

A good porter!

Nov 15, 2021

4.69/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
by ATL6245 from Georgia

Appearance: Black with mousse-like khaki colored head, good retention.

Aroma: Dark roasted malt aromas, bread, dark fruit notes.

Flavor & Aftertaste: Roasted malt, coffee, light chocolate note. Mild bitterness.

Mouth-feel: Medium bodied, low carbonation. Moderate length finish.

Overall: Super tasty, very drinkable American style Porter. Good balance between the dark malt flavors, sweetness and bitterness. Roasted malt flavors are apparent, but do not overwhelm the experience. Classic American craft brew.

Oct 27, 2021

4.05/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
by SWOhio-aquifer from Ohio

Solid, widely available for a craft porter.
Have a hard time finding anything with low abv so this is on the radar.
Thick, full bodied high calorie low abv porter that is well brewed.
Enjoy!

Oct 17, 2021

2.88/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75
by ZeroHero

Look: Jet black, but unable to comment on the head and lacing as I drank it from the bottle.

Smell: Roasted malt, dark fruit, and a hint of smoke.

Taste: Charred malt, slight smoke, and a bitter bite with a finish to match. Also had a generic "beer" taste that was a little too prevalent for me.

Feel: Relatively smooth, medium carbonation.

Overall: Something I appreciated experiencing but can't see myself getting again. The bitterness and generic "beer" taste turned me off to it.

Oct 11, 2021

4.7/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
by md3kcn from North Carolina

Purchased as a single bottle for $1.69 at Kroger. Poured into a nonic pint glass.

L - Clear motor oil black with a sticky dark khaki head measuring two fingers. Excellent lacing, but rather poor head retention.
S - Funny enough, bubblegum is present and fairly upfront. Turbinado sugar and molasses follow closely, with hints of dark wheat and cacao.
T - Bauernbrot and slight bubblegum fade into a deep baker's chocolate and creamy ristretto espresso. Bittersweet and well-balanced. The finish is a bright molasses and French-roast coffee with chicory.
F - Creamy and easy-to-drink. Filling. Full-bodied with very light carbonation.
O - A great campfire beer! A complex (but not too complex) entry-level porter that's easy on the wallet. This is now one of my favorite brews. I highly recommend this, and will purchase a six-pack if I can find it.

Aug 31, 2021

2.57/5  rDev -38.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
by TheOccasionalBeer from Wisconsin

One of those days where one (very sub-par) beer wasn't enough. No real head formed as it went into the glass. The weak (or maybe my sense of smell is going today) scent was of root beer, Bazooka bubble gum (do they still make that anymore) with a touch of citrus. It was definitely dark, though more molasses than black and almost as opaque. A buttery feel in the mouth followed by some carbonation as it slid down my throat. In between, a slightly smoky, cherry coffee? I guess... that's my story and I'm sticking to it. The aftertaste is a bit like bitter coffee dregs with a little too much sweet'n'low. 0 for 2 tonight and I'm out of beer and it is past beer's bedtime in the stores.

Aug 07, 2021

3.98/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
by HoppingMadMonk from New Jersey

Solid black appearance. Slightly thin body with about average carbonation.
Aroma is molasses, malt,dark fruit,dark chocolate with just a bit of coffee.
Taste has a very mild sweetness but theres also some bitter dark chocolate as well. Dark fruit,molasses, malt as well as roasted malt.
Overall my description isn't doing this beer justice. Its a really well done beer that I would look for again.

Jul 30, 2021

3.85/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by Act25 from New Jersey

I prefer Carton and Ballast Point over this porter which feels thin to me.
If you're gonna add to your beers, you need to fine-tune the recipe so all play well together, such is my experience with Ballast Point, San Diego, and Carton, Atlantic Highlands, as this Marlin is outstanding every day sweet chocolate porter.
a) less head, retention and lace than a solid porter or stout.
s) Malt, toast, char, and hops.
t) Follows the aroma, a bit of cold-brew coffee up front, a touch of vanilla and some hop bite on the exit. Flavor is best part.
f) Silky, but thin.
o) Deserves a blind taste test in a batch of mid-weight porters and stouts.

Jun 07, 2021

4.42/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
by BrendanStoehr96 from Wisconsin

A perfect porter. Robust. Tasty. Not so over the top or sweet. Just right.

Jun 04, 2021