Culmination Chocolate Porter (Brush & Barrel Series)
Long Trail Brewing Co.

Culmination Chocolate Porter (Brush & Barrel Series)Culmination Chocolate Porter (Brush & Barrel Series)
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From:
Long Trail Brewing Co.
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
ABV:
9.3%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.02 | pDev: 9.45%
Reviews:
64
Ratings:
289
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 06, 2018
Added:
Nov 28, 2013
Wants:
  19
Gots:
  41
This dark chocolate Porter is a very rich, roasty beer with top notes of chocolate derived from freshly roasted cacao. Strong but relatively smooth on the palate, its malty sweetness is evenly balanced with bitterness, and a slight dryness from the alcoholic strength. Look for solid notes of coffee, licorice, mild chocolate and more subtle hints of fruit and spices.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by kbrokhoff:
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Reviewed by kbrokhoff from Illinois

3.79/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Note: I had drank about half of this 22 oz. bottle a few days ago (Friday night) and used a Wine Air-Vac to plug it up.

Personal Drunkenness: Approximately 20-25% (if that); this is my 4th beer today after a Hooker's Nor' Easter, Rochefort 8, and Brooklyn Blast!

No. of Tasting: This is my 2nd big boy overall of this porter

Coldness: Opened, poured and tasted within about 2 to 3 minutes out of the fridge

Pour: Medium with a bit towards hard near the end to gain some head

Glassware: 14.75 oz. Porter/Stout glass (similar to a Stella glass)

Filtering: Unfiltered; looks thick and cloudy, but hard to tell with its black chocolate darkness

Coloring: Black chocolatey I guess; a dark brownish black (for risk of being redundant)

Head: A few millimeters

Summary: This beer has a rich, chocolaty taste. I wouldn't call it sweet. It's a borderline heavy taste and a strong flavor with what seems to me a dry finish. I'm still trying to get this rating system down right, but in my own words I would say this is a very good chocolate porter, and maybe if I was a bit drunker I'd call it great. Especially considering that I had opened this bottle a few days ago, I am very impressed it has kept its full carbonation as no flatness is detected. This latter half of the bottle is more enjoyable than the first, for some reason. Long Trail has created a winner. Considering they don't do a lot of porters (do they have any others?), this one is even more remarkable.
Feb 02, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.04 by bluehende from Delaware

Feb 06, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

Dec 16, 2017
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Reviewed by daliandragon from Maryland

3.91/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
I wasn't going to drink tonight until I got a text from my brother as I was leaving work that the great Tom Petty had passed. It seemed like a good time to pull something from the cellar. Rest in peace, Tom. This one is for you.

Pours a gorgeous mahogany with a creamy tan head. Nose is licorice and chocolate and a fair bit of hoppy bitterness. The thin texture really highlights the bitterness and balance, but the finish is smooth and dry. Not much evidence of the nine percent, but I could go for a little more roasted and coffee, and a little less spice and medicinal hops. It's actually quite decent (that texture is sublime), but I guess I crave something a bit more traditional.
Oct 03, 2017
Photo of johnnnniee
Reviewed by johnnnniee from New Hampshire

3.8/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Had this on tap at New England Taphouse grille.
Dark brown with a good sized off white head that persists. Rich caramel and toffee maltiness with a bit of dark pitted fruits and a bit of alcohol especially as it warmed. This was an aged barrel put on tap and honestly I didn't realize it was a porter until I looked it up on here. Feels more like a strong English brown or an old ale than a porter. Still a pretty tasty beer that has a bit of alcohol warming that I assume was pretty harsh when fresh.
Feb 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.11 by OhioLimoncello from Ohio

Jan 24, 2017
 
Rated: 4.1 by Burkbom23 from Connecticut

Dec 12, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by JLK7299 from North Carolina

Dec 07, 2016
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Reviewed by PicklePants-01 from Massachusetts

4.46/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
L: dark brown/black, thin caramel head that dissipates pretty quickly
S: lots of light chocolate, some coffee
T: Chocolate, malt, a little bitter back end
F: Thin motor oil, like a good chocolate porter should be.
O: Impressed. Found this a few years ago as a shelf bomber, bought it because I had never seen it and forgot about in a climate controlled cellar. Wish I could find more.
Nov 25, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by KGilmour from Vermont

Oct 09, 2016
Photo of daudelin2000
Reviewed by daudelin2000 from Vermont

4.35/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This beer really surprised me. In a good way. Pours a very dark brown color with a tan head. Smells of roasted chocolate and dark fruits. Flavor is very complex. Definitely roasted chocolate like the aroma, but there's so much else going on. Decent amount of bitterness. Light, creamy mouthfeel. Very robust indeed.
Jul 17, 2016
Photo of Brutaltruth
Reviewed by Brutaltruth from Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From the 22 oz bomber in a snifter. This awesome ale pours a deep opaque with a touch of brown and a nice head of light tan foam that settles to a thick ring, light pool, and nice light lacing. Nose of coffee, brulee, dark chocolate, and booze. Flavors exceed the nose with licorice and coffee notes on the front and sides, dark sweet chocolate and brown sugars hit nicely on the middle of the palate, while the brulee and nutty roasted malts. Nice mouth feel, full, warming, and smooth.

A stout drinkers porter.

Excellent!

Cheers!
Jul 12, 2016
Photo of ScaryEd
Reviewed by ScaryEd from New Hampshire

3.58/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours dark cola-brown color with a 1-finger bubbly tan head. The head dissipates into a nice film and leaves a beautiful crown of lacing around the top of the glass.

The aroma is all burnt chocolate and roasted coffee beans. Perhaps the faintest hint of caramel sweetness. Pleasant, but not a whole lot going on.

The taste starts off with with some lightly tart and sweet dark fruits. Followed by bitter dark chocolate and coffee. Finishes lightly roasted and nutty.

The feel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Very smooth and creamy. Has a slight lingering bitterness and a light, syrupy coating around the mouth.

Overall, a pretty solid porter. It's decently balanced with good flavors of chocolate and coffee. Nothing special, just a decent all around beer.
Jun 17, 2016
 
Rated: 4.36 by Ryften from Pennsylvania

May 22, 2016
Photo of zshaft
Reviewed by zshaft from Connecticut

3.76/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
pours nice dark black with normal head dissipating quickly. taste follows the nose and is bitter chocholate with some nice roasty flavors throughout the palate. overall nothing special but a nice drink and worth a try. there are so many outstanding stouts out there it's hard to reccomend this one.
Apr 17, 2016
Photo of tone77
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.59/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a brown 22 oz. bottle. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of coffee, light chocolate. Taste is coffee, roasted malts, some hints of chocolate, alcohol is well hidden. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer.
Apr 13, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by CharlesK from Pennsylvania

Apr 12, 2016
Photo of BeerAndGasMasks
Reviewed by BeerAndGasMasks from Virginia

3.99/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From the bottle, it pours a very dark brown with a tan, fluffy, head. Lots of cocoa in the nose, with some bread. Dark roasted grains, malty sweetness and some bitterness. Enjoyable, but not a real quaffer - sip don't slurp!
Mar 31, 2016
Photo of DavoleBomb
Reviewed by DavoleBomb from Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a snifter.

4.0 A: Black color. Two fingers of creamy tan head. Retention is a touch below average and about a finger of irregular lacing is left.

4.0 S: Rich, deep chocolate with drying cocoa nibs. Roastiness, semi-sweet neutral maltiness. Lots of caramel and molasses with just a hint of coffee. The cocoa and chocolate are the focus.

3.75 T: Again lots of cocoa nibs and chocolate. Mild roastiness, on the sweeter side but not overly so, caramel, molasses. A bit tangy on finish.

3.5 M: Medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Just the slightest bit chewy with a mild creaminess.

3.75 D: Tasty beer. I love cocoa nibs.
Mar 30, 2016
 
Rated: 4.14 by FightinIrish88 from New Jersey

Mar 29, 2016
Culmination Chocolate Porter (Brush & Barrel Series) from Long Trail Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 289 ratings