Dark Star Art of Darkness

Brewery: Dark Star

Beer: The Art of Darkness

Style: Porter

ABV: 3.5%

Date: 9th April 2013

Venue: The Tap, York (Pint)

 

Comes across to me more like a mild than a porter due to the low ABV but everywhere seems to categorise it as a porter so I’ll bow to superior knowledge elsewhere. Almost black in colour with an off-white foamy head. Burnt chocolate and coffee on the nose and, perhaps a little too predictably, in the mouth as well. Not a bad effort but a bit thin and a bit uninspiring. Worth a shot if you fancy a dark beer lacking in strength.

 

Rating: 3 (Worth a shot)

Glastonbury Thriller

 

Brewery: Glastonbury

Beer: Thriller

Style: Porter

ABV: 5.0%

Date: 4^th March 2013

Venue: The Tap, York (Pint)

 

Cappucino porter. Dark brown, nearly back with a foamy finger depth white head. Looks great. Strong coffee aroma with slight hints of burnt caramel. The body is a little too thin but still pretty nice. Not the thrilling beer its name builds it up to be but nonetheless appealing.

 

Rating: 3.5 (Give it a try)

 

 

Redwillow Smokeless

Brewery: Redwillow

Beer: Smokeless

Style: Porter

ABV: 5.7%

Date: 20^th February 2013

Venue: Trembling Madness, York (Pint)

 

Another smoked porter here, but not as good as the Thornbridge attempt. There’s a lovely burnt note on the nose and a pleasant dark auburn colour that almost matches the very nice badge design. Very malty but overall a little too thin which means that the smokiness doesn’t really have the same impact on the taste buds as one would like.

 

Rating: 3.5 (Give it a try)

 

Redemption Fellowship

Brewery: Redemption

Beer: Fellowship

Style: Porter

ABV: 5.2%

Date: 20^th February 2013

Venue: Pivni, York (Pint)

 

A decent attempt at matching the genius of Fuller’s London Porter, but it is nowhere near as good. Dark ruby appearance and a pleasing note of burnt liquorice on the nose. The taste has a good chocolate and burnt malt body but then the finish comes along and it all fades away far too quickly, which is a real shame as otherwise it could have been a really good porter. Still worth a go but it isn’t all that it should be.

 

Rating: 3.5 (Give it a try)

Thornbridge Beadeca’s Well

Brewery: Thornbridge

Beer: Beadeca’s Well

Style: Porter

ABV: 5.3%

Date: 18^th February 2013

Venue: The Tap, York (Pint)

 

A smoked porter you say? Lead on, dear sir. Thornbridge are a brewery I have a sometimes thorny relationship with (no pun intended) as I veer between thinking their beer is either exceptionally average or really good with little in between. Thankfully this fits in the latter category. Beadeca’s Well is an exceptional beer. Really wonderful smokiness in the aroma and in the mouth. Almost black in appearance with a finger depth tan head. Almost smells like crackling pulled off a lovely bit of roast pork and there are slight hints of chocolate and caramel in the taste. Really, really brilliant. Make sure you try some if you see it anywhere.

 

Rating: 4.5 (Highly Recommended)

Brass Castle Bad Kitty

Brewery: Brass Castle

Beer: Bad Kitty

Style: Porter

ABV: 5.5%

Date: 14^th February 2013

Venue: Home (Bottle, purchased from Trembling Madness in York)

Dark chocolate appearance with slight hints of chocolate and vanilla on the nose. This is billed as a ‘vanilla porter’ and doesn’t disappoint on that front. There is perhaps just a smidgen too much of the sweet vanilla, but it is balanced out quite nicely by some berry fruitiness. The overall effect is a pleasant one. It’s lighter and more refreshing than the average porter, but perhaps with slightly less depth of flavour. Certainly worth a punt.

Rating: 3.5 (Give it a try)

Great Yorkshire Brewery Chocolate Orange

Brewery: Great Yorkshire

Beer: Chocolate Orange

Style: Porter

ABV: 6.0%

Date: 7^th February 2013

Venue: Pivni, York (Pint)

How could one resist a beer called ‘Chocolate Orange’? This is an experimental brew by Great Yorkshire, but it seems like a no-brainer of an idea to me. It really does taste a hell of a lot like the Terry’s confectionary creation, if anything a little too much. You get a subtle, but fairly intense, orange undercurrent in the aroma, whilst it even carries a vaguely orange appearance. For a porter it seems quite light on the palate, perhaps being more refreshing than one would expect. A little more depth could possibly benefit the overall impact. Either way though this is still a great effort and one that I hope Great Yorkshire make a regular.

Rating: 4 (Recommended)