Porter
Lost Falls Brewing Company

Lost Falls’ porter is distinctive for its strong emphasis on black patent malts. Elements of chocolate or caramel are subsumed in favor of a sharp, almost charred confluence of dark roasted grains. A port-like sweetness also pokes through though the dominant orientation of this beer (if this makes any sense) is the taste of opacity. Likewise, the color is entirely black and carbonation is minimal. Mouthfeel was compromised by a gritty sediment that appeared near the bottom of the pint.

I received this beer from my wife's boss, oddly enough. He's the local county clerk, and was presented with it as a gift by the clerk from whatever the hell county Colville is in (I'd look, but I'm lazy). He's a wine guy, so he saved it for me, and handed it over at the clerk's office summer part.

Appearance: Everything is perfect, except for the complete and total lack of carbonation. Whoever bottled this apparently forgot to prime it. It is a deep, lovely, rich black, almost completely opaque.

Smell: Mmmmm...roasty. I love the smell of this beer.

Taste: Aside from the complete lack of carbonation giving the beer a flat quality, this is very, very nice. The malts up front are not cloyingly sweet, there is very little hop character (which I prefer), and all of this is followed up by a very pleasant roasty finish.

Mouthfeel: Sorry guys, but I'm going to have to hammer you on this one. The lack of carbonation makes this feel way too thin.

Drinkability: I can tell just how good this beer would be if it had been bottled correctly, and can say with absolute confidence that I would love to have me a session or thirty with this bad boy.

As an aside: there used to be another brewery in Colville called Monkeybrau that brewed the single greatest Imperial Stout I've ever had in my life. If this brewery is at all associated with that long-lamented brewery, I beg you: PLEASE BRING BACK THE IMPERIAL STOUT!!!