Bald Brew Porter
Tooheys Brewing

Pours a dark, Dr. Pepper kind of colour, dark brown with a slight red tinge. Head is very thin, can't make out much bead. Not all that impressive, just dark.

Nose is quite intense, coffee with a hint of scotch, very intense really, with not much complexity. More like smelling metho than anything else.

Taste - wow, also intense. Very toasted, burnt coffee. "Burnt" is really the only word for this beer, very bitter and ashy. Starts with a mild espresso flavour but descends quickly into a powerful charcoal flavour. Very bitter and gritty with a reasonable mouthfeel that is a bit sinky nonetheless.

This makes an impression but I can't say it's all that pleasant, and too simple to be interesting.

This mysterious beer, found on tap at Debacle in Canberra, is of unknown provenance. This beer doesn't seem to exist on any BA forums, Google or any other beer sites, though I found a possible reference to it once on some forum somewhere. When I grilled the bartender for details, she said that her understanding was that this beer came from the Southern Highlands, and was probably released to a small handful of pubs to test the market reaction before a wider release. Since I don't know the brewery, I'll assume the project is that of a large NSW macro brewer. I selected Tooheys for these reasons. Also, I went through the list of Southern Highlands brewers and, having sampled from most of them, found that Bald Brew's flavour, style and the picture on the tap don't show any correlation with any of these. I believe this is a limited release, although if it is successful it might reappear. For the time being I know that it's available on tap only. If anyone can enlighten me about this beer, it would be appreciated. And please change the details if the true brewer of this beer is discovered!

Appearance: Black body which appears tan when held up to the light. Not much red to it. Thin beige head with sparse lacing. Adequate for ths style.

Smell: Unusual rusty hop aroma, backed up by a satisfying maltiness. Served a little bit too cold, but the aromas that can be detected are satisfying and true to the style. No adjuncts of course.

Taste: Satisfying, this delivers the way a porter should. Astringent on the palate, dark malt and rust flavours abound. Hoppiness is present, but not excessive and importantly, not too bitter.

Mouthfeel: A little bit oily, but I am most glad that it's not too creamy. Carbonation is evident, and appropriate.

Drinkability: The alcohol is deceptive, masked by the strong maltiness. After a few of these, the session could get rowdy! Still there is nothing cloying about it, and I'd gladly drink four or five of these in an evening. But if that situation occurred I'd be at a good pub where it might be better to spend my money on a variety of beers.