Batemans Salem Porter
George Bateman & Son / Batemans Brewery

L: Pitch black, with hints of darkish brown and red towards the bottom of the glass
S: Blackcurrant, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, fruit cordial
T: Dark fruits, hints of chocolate, toffee
F: Quite full-bodied, good and balanced carbonation

O: 4.5

 

 

 

Pint served into imperial pint glass by handpump at the Standing Order in Edinburgh

A- Rich dark ruby red body with a tan creamy 2 finger head with excellent retention and lacing. Excellent clarity.

S- Roasted malt goodness, dark fruits, light coffee and chocolate notes.

T- Sweetness of the malt in the beginning - raisin, prunes with the light coffee/chocolate notes balanced with the medium/low hop bitterness in the finish. Soft and rounded.

M- Low carbonation, medium body, almost creamy

D- A well balanced solid porter. Some can have a significant black malt bitterness but this is balanced so well with the sweet malt flavours and the roasted kind along with the delicious silky body. Superb

The other Friday, after a really crap week at work I stopped off on the way home to see what was on offer in The Cock Hotel (Wellington, Shropshire). To my delight I discovered this truely wonderful beer.

Poured via a handpull into a pint sleeve (I had two pints), it was a fantasticly deep, dark ruby red colour. It looked black when in shaddow, but held up to the light, its true colour could be appreciated. The head was a firm off white blanket of foam, it almost stayed until the end, but didn't quite make it.

The aroma was of smoked peat, liquorice, roasted and toasted plums, coffee and chocolate all in about equal ammounts.

The taste was as the smell, but with raisens added and some dark toffee.

Just about right in the mouthfeel, not too rich or creamy, but full bodied and wholesome.

Two pints was the perfect ammount, walked home a happier person. Three pints wouldn't have been a good idea, one pint not enough.

A malty, fruity aroma rises graciously from this dark, oily, shiny black beer. When I poured it, I thought crude oil. However, when I held it to the light, there were some dark purple and red hues that existed in the darkness of this porter.

This is a very heavy beer. The roasted, malted flavors dominate - almost overpower some of the subtle flavors in this beer. I picked up on some plum/prune flavors, as well as some flowery flavors (that seemed to hit my nose, rather than my tongue, while drinking).

The body is very slick - it almost rolls off of the tongue and down the very back of the throat. You think you may have missed tasting it as it slips by, but then its exaggerated aftertaste powers you into tasting submission.

This is a great porter - if it is the only beer you are drinking for the night, and if you are splitting it with someone else. This beer was a lot to handle - drinkability is marked appropriately.

Licorice, raisns and mollasses are the main aromas and flavours i get out of this. A bit fruitcakey with some toffee. extremely smooth, perhaps a touch too smooth. The start is quite sweet and it only dries out a touch towards the end, some nice subtle roast on the finish (Cask- ChelmsfordBF 03')