Scratch Beer 2 - 2007 (Porter)
Tröegs Brewing Company

Reviewing a 12 oz bottle poured into a snifter at cellar temperature.
The beer opens with a pop! and pours a very fluffy tan head that almost overflows and causes me to finish the last 1/3 bottle long after the first pour. The head fades slowly and is very clingy on the sides of my glass ad does create some windowpane lattice.
Aroma is a little chocolate malt and some roasted notes and maybe a little oxidized too.
First sip reveals a thinner body than anticipated and very fine spacious carbonation.
Flavor is some milk chocolate and roast malt. Very mild flavor and almost gone before I finish each sip. I do get a little dryness on the finish, but this is a little past its prime. Glad I opened it now and didnt wait any longer as it is still drinkable but is definitely a shadow of its former self.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing this tick, Bobby.

A: The pour is incredibly light for a porter. Seems like a dark amber color with a big khaki head and a lot of carbonation.

S: Very fruity, almost like cherries. I get a strange woody note out of the nose. Still some roasted malt there, which is one of the few indications of this being a porter. Also seems to be a bit of cough syrup.

T: The cherries and cough syrup are picked up right away on the palate. That woodiness is there again, which I can't quite figure out. Maybe some grapes, too, and a mild roasted malt character.

M: Medium in body with a moderate to high level of carbonation.

D: Eh, sort of what you would expect from a 3-4 year old porter. Hopefully not too many people are really holding on to these anymore.

Massive Mega Scratch Beer Tasting @ the Meat Meet, 8.21.2010. Thanks Unclejedi!

Scores reflect how the beer is drinking NOW, and not when released.

Massive carbonation, huge 2 finger head, clear chestnut brown. Lots of lace. Somewhat weird nose, punchy and nutty. Highly carbonated brew with some nice sweet black bread malt and nuts, dry, possibly something weird going on here... okay, clearly old, pleasant finish with lingering sweetness and roasty malt. Still palatable, interesting.

This is explosively carbonated; a reasonable pour yields me five-fingers of lightly browned, dark tan colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. The beer is a dark brown / concentrated amber color that shows a brilliantly clear, deep red-plum color when held up to the light. The aroma smells a touch musty, with the beginnings of a phenolic, almost Brettanomyces like influence. Touches of acetone, and an light note of artificial fruitiness are also found here in the nose. A touch of fruity, vegetal roast grain notes as well as some nutty toasted malt aromas and a smooth browned malt character. The fruitiness also reminds me of tart berries and perhaps even some pomegranate like notes. Definitely an interesting nose on this beer, I am not quite sure what to think of it.

Up front this beer is lightly sweet tasting with a touch of roastiness to balance things out. Browned bread crust flavors and a nice toasted grain character are also found before some fake fruitiness and acetone notes kick in. The finish has a bit of bitter, burnt vegetal notes as well as a hop bitterness. There is also a touch of lightly roasted coffee character in the finish. The "off" flavors are not nearly as noticeable in the flavor as they were in the nose, but still do influence the character of this brew. The body is light, though not quite watery, and has likely been reduced by the infection that has taken hold (the excess carbonation had to come from somewhere), but is still retains a nice quaffable quality.

This has definitely turned south and clearly some low grade infection has taken hold here. The beer is not undrinkable yet, but I would definitely recommend drinking all you have on hand at this point. If this had not been infected it would have easily been able to stand up to the two years of bottle age. I am ranking this one at the average, as it is clearly past its best by date, but if rated as is I would put it at a 2.9 (3/2.5/3/3/3)

Big Thanks to mikesgroove for this one.

A: Pours a nice nutty brown hue with a nice tall creamy mocha colored head. Great retention and tons of lace. Lovely in the glass.

S: Lots of roast character up front. Hints of bitter bakers chocolate, coffee, and hazelnuts.

T: Rosty goodness in the bottle. Lower ABV with age usually results in a mess. This one is still tasty as hell. Tons of roasted malt up front. Burnt toast with coffee, mmm what a breakfast. Nice dark chocolate makes an appearence in the middle with a touch of dark fruit. The finish is hopped nicely. Hints of citrus and green grass mix with a touch of smokey malt to round things out.

M: Medium in body, smooth, perfect carbonation.

D: I really enjoyed this one. Another scratch offering by Troegs another great beer!

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into my shaker glass. Appears a clear copper brown color with a healthy two fingers of fluffy ecru head. Nice lace left on the inside of the glass with each sip. Smells of roasted and toasted grains, sweet toffee. Tastes of rich caramel malt, with a hint of cocoa powder. Moderate carbonation. A really nice porter.

Another one from Hophead101, cheers Greg! Review based on notes:

Pours a brown tinged chestnut with 2 fingers of fluffy tan head. Good head retention & lacing

S: Coffee grounds, a bit of cocoa, & some tobacco-like hops

T: Toasty malt & caramel up front, plus much coffee & dryness. Toffee, cocoa, & more coffee as this warms. Finishes dry with leafy hops & more coffee

MF: Light bodied with slightly prickly carbonation

Drinks alright, a bit one dimensional as porters go. I guess they can't all be gems from Troegs...

12 oz. bottle. Pours chestnut brown, with some ruby highlights. Tan head holds together for a few minutes. Some nice patches of lace.

Soft milk chocolate aroma, with a bit of caramel. Perhaps a bit of floral hops in the background. Fairly simple.

Lots of milk chocolate, with a hint of roasty malt. Pretty well balanced.

A bit thin in the mouth. Pretty simple. Not bad, but could use more body.

A deep russet color. Much read present. Small only slightly off white had fades into a drowsy lace and ring. No depth and light easily penetrates.

Nice roasty aromas with dark chocolate and hints of caramel. A bit of smoke in the back very light in character. Very malty and unmalted barley even.

Like the 3 would represent this is just an average porter (which 98% are as it seems to almost be a dying breed). Light roast, chocolate malt, barley, drying on the finish. Hints of black tea and a hint of raisin.

Mouth is very dry and slightly acrid. Not a beer I'd really drink many of however this beer was bottled in '07.

Pours a solid brown with beautiful ruby highlights when held to the light. Large creamy/bubbly off-white head made this difficult to pour. This beer is over carbonated. Smells of citrus hops, some chocolate and some roast. Taste follows the smell. Nice subtle malty roasty taste with some hops mixed in and a lingering chocolate in the aftertaste. Medium body, thin mouthfeel. This isn't a bad brew, and were it not over carbonated it would have been a tasty almost sessionable brew. I suppose I should have tried this one fresher too.

Bottle from risser09 in trade. Thanks man! Pours dark reddish brown with a medium lived tan head that leaves lacing. Smell is fresh and piney and hoppy actually rather than roasty, but nice and a slight hint of coffee beans. Taste is like a hoppy pale ale with a slight hint of coffee perhaps. Interesting take on porter, and not what I expected, but still pretty decent. More like a rich pale ale than a porter.

Pours a clear dark reddish brown color with 3 fingers of big billowing khaki tan head, good retention and nice lacing. Smells of citrus, toasted malt, caramel, a touch of nuts, and floral hops. Tastes of lemon, grapes, and honey up front with caramel and roasted malt in the backbone along with a hint of milk chocolate. Finish is very crisp with floral hops. Medium in body with lots of carbonation, good feel with lots of sweetness and a good bitter finish. A little weak for a porter, but still good to drink and another tasty brew from Troegs.

Bottle courtesy of warriorsoul, thanks again!

Pours a bright brown color with a huge fluffy off white head. Looks good! Color seems a little light to me for a porter, looks more like a brown ale.

Aroma is mellow, but pleasant. Some breads, biscuits, nuts, and a bit of pine like hops.

Taste is quite dry. Some nutty and spicy flavors from the roasted malts. And a clean crisp bitterness on the finish that is somewhat mineral like.

Mouthfeel is ok, a bit prickly up front, but the finish is a little lean feeling.

Drinkability is pretty good. A solid but unspectacular porter. But the dry quality seems to detract a little from the drinkability.