Red Brick Winter Brew
Atlanta Brewing Company

 

 

I was thrilled to death to get a bottle of this one. I had been looking forward to trying this big stout as I had heard the buzz around this one. Served chilled and poured into a pint glass, this one was consumed on 02/21/2009.

The pour was decent enough with a nearly black color coming through with no light shining at all. Nice head of light tan raised up around an inch before settling down into a nice veil across the top. The aroma was soo rich and full of chcolate I nearly got knocked back down in my seat. Rich milk chocolate and cocoa, nearly overpowering anything else. Rich roasted malts and full bodied feel gave this one a thick dessert like flavor. Very sweet, with just a touch of alcohol coming through at the end. Overall not bad at all and one of the better beer from ABC and a fine winter edition overall. I would have no issue with this one at all.

2007 bottle by way of thebeersommelier (or whatever moniker he's going by these days!)

pours medium to dark brown with brick-ish red hues and a small sandy white head. horizontal trails of lace show up on the glass.

surprisingly musty aroma (i'm finding this more with old/aged porters with coffee) and sourness lurk under fudgey chocolate, sour cream, stick-like woodiness and spice... odd but not off putting.

a pleasant sourness lies under flavors of chocolate, faint ashy char, caramel cheesecake with graham cracker crust, spent coffee and a dry mildly bitter finish with lots of spice. coffee sticks around for the aftertaste and is joined by some of that char. medium body. soft creamy carbonation makes the mouth feel silky and velvety.
7/3/7/4/16/3.7

Served on tap at The Brick Store in Decatur, GA into a clean, clear glass pint.

A Dark, no light body with one cm head. It was a bit difficult to see, however, at the Brick Store since the lights were low.

S Barley, malt but no hops.

T Big, chocolate and malty taste, very sweet and busy. Very little if any hops bitterness.

M Full for sure.

D Not great due to bigness of taste and ABV.

Notes. My first Atlanta Brewing Company beer and it is a good one. A really nice Winter Warmer.

Comes out of the tap a rich opaque sable with a decent tan head. Aroma is rich and smoky with a chocolate undertone and a hint of coffee. Flavor is thick and mouth-filling, smoky, chocolaty and coffee-ish, with a whisper of sweetness. Texture is smooth and lively, and aftertaste is delicious and like any good stout.

Thanks to Mhewes for this brew:
A - Pours an opaque black with a tall dense cream colored head that disipated slowly leaving a heavy lacing.
S - Smells of burnt coffee, mocha, and some roasted grains.
T - Very bitter coffee, some grains, and chocolate are present, but the coffee is definately at the forefront.
M - Smooth with a moderate carbonation. Oatmeal contributes more to the mouthfeel then the flavor.
D - Not bad, don't know if the bitter coffee is due to the age or if this was the original intent of the brewers. Worth a try though.

Very enjoyable though highly bitter chocolate porter. Think baking chocolate here. Bottle from recent Atlanta trip. Beautiful black with foaming brown mocha head. Really drinkable and smoothc ontrol of all the elements.Suitable carbonation. kick arse porter.

Pours black with ruby edges and a moderately lasting creamy tan head. Smell is light chocolate, roast malt and a touch of coffee. Mild nose, overall. Taste is roasty, some light chocolate and perhaps some ashy flavors. Light bitter roasty finish. Medium body and carbonation level. Decent, but not as good as I expected from the reviews.

Served on tap at ABC.

A - Nice, dark, but not totally black. Like a porter should be. Thin head, but not absent of foam.

S - Roasty, toasty and caramel notes. Slight chocolate as well. Slight, minty hop aroma.

T - Strong, but not over powering roast malt flavor along with caramel and some chocolate. Like a poter should be.

M - Creamy goodness!

D - Although not a huge beer like most winter beers are, this one is bigger then the average beer, so any more then two for me is a stretch. With that said, two of these makes for a fine two beer session.

I like porters and am happy to see that someone makes a winter seasonal porter. So many of the other brewers make stouts as their winter beer.

Had this on tap at the Taco Mac in Tucker, and I was surprised at how fresh and tasty this still was. Pours a very dark brown, approaching black, with a healthy head that fades to a thin cap but leaves some pretty good lacing. Smells slightly sweet, slightly grainy, and with some prune and plum. Pretty nice. The taste is also quite pleasant. Medium bodied but with a nice balance of malt and fruit, plus a little hop bitterness. Slight sweet chocolate flavors develop with a background of hoppiness that is delicious. Mouthfeel is quite creamy and balanced. Very drinkable. It's been awhile since I've had an Atlanta Brewing Company beer. If this beer is any indication, its improved a great deal.

Thanks to shp555 from Ratebeer for this beer as an extra. Poured from 12 oz bottle into Delirium tremens snifter. Poured a dark brown with a slight reddish tone as the liquid poured in mid air to the snifter. The head kicked up a light tan color that faded rather quickly. Smell is chocolate with a burnt coffee smell. Taste is again slightly burnt with bakers chocolate and a semi sweet coffee aftertaste. Mouthfeel is a full body but a little thin with a nice carbonation level. While a fan of stouts and Porters this one doesnt excite me that much its strong burnt coffee flavor makes its a little one sided for dinkability.

A_Pours a very dark brown with bits of ruby that can be seen when held to the light. A off white head starts out fluffy but fades rather quickly to a wisp. Lacing is decent.

S_Smells sweet at first with chocolate coming to the forefront. Beyond that there is a bit of cola like bitterness and some ripe red fruits. A twinge of alcohol can be detected as well.

T_Mildly sweet with a bit of chocolate up front. This is followed by a coffee like bitterness which is mild and not overwhelming.

M_Medium bodied which is perfect for a porter. Mild carbonation.

D_Solid, very drinkable porter. Thanks to Uncle Jedi for the taste.

enjoyed on tap at Trappeze Pub in athens, ga

dark brown color, poured into a pint glass. about a half inch tan head, however it stayed around for the whole glass.

aroma was of smoke. smoke, and roasted meat.

flavor was awesome. it was very smokey, with a very pronounced roast beef flavor. that might sound weird, but it was a good thing. there was also some honey, and caramel flavors that balanced the smoke and roasted character.

an outstanding porter, i was very impressed.

P: 12 oz. 2007 Longneck bottle courtesy of MSchae1017 in a trade...Thank You!

A: Pours a slightly thick Coca-Cola colored pour with a small tan cover that settles to a scant cover and foam ring with minimal lacing.

S: Roasted grains, chocolate, roasted coffee and dark sweet caramel.

T: Nice creamy, yet robust, taste of dark chocolate, slight coffee with a clean yet sweet finish for the palate and tongue. While I was expecting a Porter that is rather 'thin' this really has a nice body, this was a really great tasting!

M: Really well balanced from start to finish! I really enjoyed sipping this one and experiencing it as it warmed from the 55 F start to room temperature finish.

D: Not sure of the ABV but I highly recommend this one if you see it available, as it is a great mouth treat.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, near black body with a frothy, light tan head.

Smell: Predominately roasty, black malt aroma with lesser notes of bittersweet chocolate, oats, and spice.

Taste: Substantial black malt flavor and accompanying bitterness. Hints of scorced coffee and unsweetened chocolate. Spicy, herbal hop bitterness. Dry, roasty finish with a light astringency.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: A decent roast-forward porter from ABC. Definitely one of their stronger beers.

A - Poured a very dark brown with a tan head that leaves lacing

S - Roasted malt chocolate and coffee scents

T - Is good malt and chocolate stand out

M - This one is good creamy and smooth

D - ABC got their seasonal right this is the best beer from them that I've had this is a good winter warmer

I am sampling a cellar temp bottle poured into a tulip snifter glass.
The beer is courtesy of Ding through Secret Santa '07. Thanks!

The beer pours a rich deep cola brown with only splinters of light passing through the edges of the glass revealing the ruby highlights.
There is a fizzy beige head of .5 cm that fades to a clingy and creamy edge layer of finely packed foam.

Aroma is roasted malt and chocolate, some dark fruit like plums but also a bit of doughy yeast scent mixed in.

First sip reveals an average body with fine spacious carbonation. the bubbles are quite tingly on my palate.

Flavor is sweet chocolate and brown sugar up front, rolls to a gentle bitterness of roasted malt and coffee notes, finishes with some lingering bite but also grainy and drying notes.

The beer is very drinkable and the flavor is enjoyable, I dont detect any hints of the ABV anywhere on this brew. Quite a nice sample from down south.

A - Poured into a pint glass. Pour was black with a little bit of red highlights. A nice fluffy tan head that fell slowly leaving a bit of lace down the glass

S - A nice coffee and caramel smells along with a just a bit of hops in the end..kind of grassy smell

T/M - The taste started with a big roasted barley statement with a hint of bitter chocolate and coffee and then blossomed with a finish of grfassy hops

D - A very drinkable beer and very enjoyable

Bottle. Poured a blackish-brown color with a medium light-brown head. Nice lacing. Strong aroma of coffee and chocolate. Mouthfeel is good. Flavor was very chocolatey, with a coffee kick to the finish. I liked this beer, but it didn't set itself apart from other porters.