Hunter Chocolate Chilli Porter
Potters Hotel & Brewery (Hunter Beer Co)

On-tap at the Local Taphouse's Great Australian Beer Spectapular.

Opaque, deep brown colour with minimal head. The body is quite clear at the edges, but lots of cloud in the center deepens the centre. Pretty average look.

Roasty nose giving off lovely characters of dark chocolate. Grain bag huskiness gives some rawness and depth. A little coffee deepens it even still. Yum.

Taste is similar on the front. Thin slightly watery chocolate and husky dark grain on the back. However, just when you think it's finished, the big chilli spice roars up and coats the back of your throat with burning spice. Jesus! This is one beer you need a beer after to wash it down with. You have to respect the feel at least; after such a mellow unassuming entry, the big spice is like the twist at the end of an Agatha Christie novel. That's something.

A truly unique experience. I love how much variety and extremity is on show when the Local puts on a Spectapular. Australia's brewers really stood proud and tall.

Pours a dark murky brown, a cloud of black through the middle. Head is a bit lacklustre, thin without retention, ochre in colour without much lace. I think chilli kills head so I won't hold it agin this beer, but still looks a bit unexciting.

Smells very chocolatey with a touch of the coffeeness, so ultimately a lot of mocha on there. Slight vanilla note, but yeah, largely espresso/chocolate mix and not a lot of chilli. Not bad though.

Woah! Taste hits you with that chilli, but yeah it's not really there in the flavour. Mild espresso notes with mild cocoa and more of that vanilla. Palate kind of trails off in the mid though as that massive chilli heat takes over in a big way. Mercifully though, it doesn't have that capsicaian/rotting vegetation flavour, the chilli's just there to be hot, and it IS. We're eating chilli fries while drinking this but this beer leaves the fries, and the chilli flakes, standing in the starting blocks. What a great sensation to have achieved without the unfortunate flavour that often goes with it. Let's be objective though, the palate is weak-ish otherwise. I do dig that chilli heat though.

A bit of body there, yeah, but mostly just that heat at the back. It's more of a mouthfeel thing so let's mark it up there.

Not an everyday beer, but enjoyable for a taste. Can imagine this being very polarising, but I'm a fan.

Pitch black colour with a small, light tan head.

Nice, rich chocolate aroma with some sweet and earthy malts.

Bang! This hits the palate with zesty, roasted chilli followed up by mild chocolate. The chilli keeps building through the glass.

Medium body with moderately-high carbonation.

A good chilli beer but not a greatly balanced beer. Interesting.