Blue Collar Porter
Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at Calistoga Brewing on 7/16/09.

A - One shadw away from pure coal black with a smidgen of deep ruby - almost royal purple - around the bottom edges and one-finger creamy light tan head that settled into a patchy film, leaving a small amount of lacing around the glass.

S - Roasty malt with hints of coffee and chocolate, though the latter is more apparent. Tinge of earthy, leafy and herbal hops with slight traces of smoke.

T - This is primarily a roasty porter with some coffee bitterness and toasted nuts. Some sweet chocolate notes swoop in to counter the bitterness. Some earthy notes emerge in the backend with some leafy, herbal characteristics as well.

M - Medium body with a very robust mouthfeel. Moderate carbonation with some subtle bristle on the tongue. Really pleasant mouthfeel overall. Not too thin and watery, though not overly syrupy. Just nice and creamy. Finishes with subtle bitterness on the palate with minimal astringency.

D - Very good porter overall. It's on the roasty side of the spectrum, but there is enough sweet chocolate to balance the flavor. Nicely done.

Thanks to ricand for hooking me up with this bottle.

A - Pours very dark brown coming close to black. In the light, some ruby shows around the edges. The tan / mocha head tops out at just over half inch and shows good staying power. It fades to a hefty tan cap that tops the beer throughout the session. Looks good to me.

S - Aroma is light and clean. Hints of chocolate and roasted malt hit the nose first. Coffee is barely noticeable in the middle. The finish is a big dose of chocolate syrup. This one is pretty mild overall but still appealing.

T - Starts out with some typical dark malt flavors. You know the ones. Chocolate and coffee mixed with a little bit of smokiness. Dark fruit is present in the form of processed cherries. Could be some raisin in there as well. The fruit isn't bad but it just doesn't seem to go with this particular brew. Some chocolate flavors round out the taste.

M - On the plus side of medium bodied for the style. Carbonation is light and works pretty good in this beer. Finish is bittersweet and clean.

D - Drinkability is pretty good. Alcohol is barely perceptible in the flavor and it's possible to put some of this brew away in short order. Something amiss in the flavor is holding it back for my taste. A pretty decent brew overall that I'm glad I got the chance to try. The stronger presence of chocolate works well, especially in the aroma.

Note: As it warms closer to room temperature, the mouthfeel starts to near perfection. The dark fruit also starts to fade leaving a nice charcoal flavor. Serve this one warm.