Harviestoun Ola Dubh 16 Year

Been a while since we ventured to Scotland for anything non-Brewdog.

Harviestoun however have put together a range to date that belies their small stature, beers of strong flavour and character throughout. This is a stout based on the excellent Old Engine Oil (apparently the name even translates to 'black oil') aged in 16 year old whiskey barrels from an award winning local distillery. There's a whole range of these at varying ages .. would be very interesting to do a vertical tasting on the range one day.

As it is this is indeed oily but at the same time very approachable. It's got a balanced mocha sort of nose with dark chocolate and coffee competing at equal measure, plus that hazy undefinable barrel complexity you get from extended exposure to the wooden residuals. Very flat delivery is on target for the style and allows you to really enjoy the slick alcohol back notes. It's smooth this and feels like it has lost some of the biting bitterness that Old Engine Oil leaves you with.

A mellow, settled and reassuring beer deep with complexity but also restrained in terms of booze and spirit notes. Very good indeed. 8.5

Lobethal Bierhaus Red Truck Porter

Fresh (well, May 2012) bottle of the local SA porter. Well, the non-Coopers one.

This is a dark amber pour rather than black when you look at it in the light, reasonable head hangs on though a little loose. Nose is of chocolate first, fair bit of hops, little bit of metallics there too.

The mouthfeel is a bit too fizzy here, always a shame with a porter, ends in buzzing metalic alcohol but up until then, has a pretty decent choc porter character. It's not bad overall, just a bit nondescript - I've had far better porters, but far worse too. 6.0

Mornington Porter

This one pretty much rounds out the set from Mornington (I think?) who have performed really well across all disciplines. On results so far, if there was a decathlon of Aussie brewers, they would be right up there contesting for the podium.

Big nose here is better than expected, chocolate and oaty grainy smell, porridge. Nice.

It's interesting then that the taste immediately calls to mind ashen flavours, nearly to the point of tobacco style notes. That ashen note is a bit different to most but actually works well to make this both balanced, and compelling. Once you have a pull of this you end with a sort of sour  taste almost, but it makes you want more.

The smoky full development gives this a great complexity above and beyond the chocolate backdrop. There's all sorts going on here, not sure I get the liquorice as such but it's luscious and a pleasure to drink at an on-target 6.0% abv.

Much respect, very good work indeed. 8.0

The Monk Bounty Coconut Stout

Aha, another twisted stout from this Fremantle crew.

And.. to be honest it looks a lot like the last one (better head though). So to avoid boredom have a go at the awesome paella they were putting on instead:

Nice work. To the beer though - this one generates a bit of lace and feels better carbonated from the beginning. The nose is enormous coconut, and for once the naming does the job beautifully when it comes to describing this beer: it really is a lot like drinking a liquid bounty bar. There's coconut milk, juice and flesh elements there and it's all pretty good stuff.

Not sure how portery this is on the whole - it really is a coconut festival - but it's good stuff, for one glass at least. I feel like there must be coconut fiends out there who would just camp on this stuff, putting it on their cereal and bathing with it .. for me, it's just good fun. Nice! 7.0

The Monk Sweet Potato Porter

Nothing if not an idiot, I was pretty keen to try my first sweet potato porter.

Hmm.. individual small bubbles in the head soon turn flat, not a great looking start, slight grey character to the brown edged body. Turns up far too cold off the taps to generate any flavour, mouthfeel pretty fizzy as well, bit artificial. Not the right sort of glass, and bloody big for a middie too.. so not great presentation overall.

The spices (allspice, nutmeg etc) don't turn up until the beer has warmed considerably and when they arrive, give a little sort of pepsi-like kick to things which isn't entirely astray. Apart from that .. it's just a bit hard going really, vague porter notes drowned out by vegetable tastes - obviously that's the point, but it just hasn't melded particularly well in this instance. A shame, because I like the idea.

Overall - I wanted this to be great, I really did. Good invention, middling execution, kind of disappointing presentation. 4.0

Rogue Double Mocha Porter

A special bottle, this one, presented in inimitable Rogue-like fashion. So, what does the blue potion do?

Well, it pours a svelte, attractive looking opaque black body with a sticky tan head for a start. Looks fantastic, and gives off a nose that tends more toward imperial raisins, dark fruits and heavy malts than coffee as such at first, despite the mocha badging.

For a porter at 8.2% this delivers a relatively light mouthfeel, but is nevertheless full of lipsmacking levels of flavour. Dark chocolate is definitely a component here as is coffee, which lingers beautifully after you swallow. Very nice stuff. It's relatively simple compared to a lot of big 'imperial' dark beers, but does what it's trying to do well.

Looking at the bottle you can see they've used their own micro hops and malts in this, along with 'pacman' yeast.. all of which sounds very pleasing. "Free range coastal water" on the other hand .. well, while I have to say I'm relieved the water wasn't forcibly bound in a cage without room to scratch, feed or dustbathe, this could be interpreted as, let us say, total wank.

Regardless - fine, highly enjoyable beer likely to appeal to all sorts of people. 8.5

Southern Bay Metal Head Robust Porter

Yet another local microbrewery in Victoria, this time located near Geelong I'm told.

First up, their robust porting clocking in at 6%. It's a good solid body for the relatively modest abv, but the head is a little evasive. Aroma is of roast and coffee notes primarily, pretty mild I found across the spectrum.

Taste - well my first thought was of Guiness Foreign Extra Stout style burnt toffee notes, but mixed in with a more traditional roast dark choc / coffee flavour. There's a bitter edge here that seems a little dominant compared to the malt backing. It's not bad - but hard to really like.

So, a midtable debut. Certainly safe from relegation, but not challenging for silverware just yet. 5.0

Renaissance Craftsman Chocolate Porter

Another porter from the NZ crew at Renaissance - after surprising with their first one, could they deliver another cocoa winner?

This time around the brew is explicitly a chocolate oatmeal porter and so starts life with some quite clearly defined targets at which to aim. But while it hits the mark with the basic chocolate vanilla roast characteristics of the aroma and flavour, there's a disappointing lack of real smooth velvet body that keeps it from hitting greatness. I also felt it was perhaps a little green in the middle .. but upon checking it was approaching the end of its 'best before', not the start (and yes, it was a best before rather than a best after).

So, a recommendation? To me it depends on price. If you see this for cheap, it will not let you down. But if you've access to Mildura Brewery's Choc Hops for example you'll save some dosh and procure a better beer in the process. 7.0

Moon Dog Black Lung Porter

Time for a big smoked porter from the generally insane crew at Moon Dog.

The pour is black true to form, but generated next to no head at all regardless of how much it was encouraged to do so. I'd read reports of overcarbonation from this line elsewhere, perhaps it is a bottle problem as if anything it was slightly the opposite here.

The nose on this really took me back to xeRRex, although the peat character did mellow somewhat by the second day. There's a little choc roast note that strengthens over time in return.

Taste-wise, the peat is there alright but it's nowhere near the pungency or oiliness of that previous entrant. In this formation it combines with the roast, the tobacco throat curl, and the chocolate nature to deliver a more balanced experience. I can't say the palate was too impressive though, it was kind of heavy going throughout and never a really compelling brew. Not much bourbon evident either despite the barrelling technique employed.

An experience beer, of a sort - but I think there are better efforts in both the sane and insane smoked porter brackets. 5.0

Moylans Chelsea Moylan's Porter

Tipping the scales at a flat five percent, it's clear from the pour that this is very much on the lighter side of the dark world, a flimsy villain at best.

Indeed it pours quite watery, and the fizzy light aerated head is shortlived and bubbly. It just manages a dark amber colour in the light. Vanilla and choc come through on the nose.. a little artificial compared to some in this bracket.

Taste ... yes it's one of those sorts of porters alright, nice lingering coffee grounds notes though.

Looking into this it seems it was brewed for his daughter which explains the philosophy behind this one quite nicely. I guess when making a porter named after your daughter .. hang on this is really rhyming pretty well.

Ahem:

There once was a man with a porter
He thought he would name aft' his daughter
He threw in vanilla
Thought flavour'd kill her
And lost some of his key supporter

6.5

Haandbryggeriet Costa Rica Coffee Porter

Straight into a rather more refined (ie sane) effort from the Norwegian rogues at Haandbryggeriet.

Coffee porters can turn out a little bit watery in my experience but this is a good solid effort that delivers on flavour. The coffee is of course evident from the aroma with a pleasant roasty character coming through. In fact the aroma puts me in mind a bit of a discarded coffee filter, and the first taste gives a bit of that husky character too.

The mouthfeel is excellent - velvety and smooth, which brings a nice drinkability to the beer. The taste itself is not overly complex, just slightly sweet coffee and roast porter notes, but that's probably all you want from this particular beer, and it's all well executed. There's something about the Scandinavian nations (Scandinations? Scandinations.) that really seems to lend itself to great dark beer production and this is another fine example.

It's a slight shame about the flat head delivery and appearance but this is a top beer that's well worth considering if you're in the market for an espresso. 8.0

Thoughts on The Monk

Quick stop at The Monk in Freo for a tasting paddle, introducing a friend to the wonderful world of beer.

The mild first up is a success in a non-standout sort of way. It's a crisp lager with the main character developed from a light malty backbone. The execution is good and as such it's fine for what it is - but I personally prefer mild beers to sport a bit more character.

Kolsch - quite interesting this compared to others, bit of fruit character, almost verging on light caramel notes, quite refreshing on the whole and a bit more flavoursome than other takes on this genre.

Wheat beer was a bit underwhelming: clearly of the belgian witbier family but lacking the deeper sugary hit required for this style to really zing I felt. Drinkable at 6% abv however.

Pale ale is certainly of the Australian persuasion - must be a close relative of Coopers in fact. Same pros and cons as that drop. Having got to this level would be nice to see something radical added.

Rauch beer - I'm no expert on the style but this is a good easy drinking example, roasty ham flavours coupled with a mid oily mouthfeel. Would like to have a go at this with some smoked cheddar or similar.

The Chief - the standout of the group by a distance, this sports a great nose of pine / grapefruit and backs it up really nicely. Citra and Cascade hops produce a stinging fruity bite, and love the ongoing bitter kick this gives at a solid 75 IBU. Highly drinkable, fresh and flavoursome.

Sadly the Porter lets them down with a fairly watery performance, weak aroma and dead spots throughout the taste.. vaguely chocolatey.. but pretty disappointing.

The Monk .. shows promise - though sadly there was no seasonal so we were presented with some sort of 'beer cocktail' instead. Argh. Good food though!

Renaissance Elemental Porter

After Renaissance's less than impressive debut I can't say I was amped about this one - but then it's a porter so it's likely doing something right.

Fluffy milk head certainly aids the 'chocolate stout' act along nicely also, though it does dissipate flakily over time. Slight choc, slight coffee notes on the nose, both indistinct and quite light.

Flavour wise it's rather standard without hitting any high notes. There's a pleasing lack of wateriness about it (though it should not be confused for deep or complex), and a lasting slightly bitter aftertaste too. It's not as sweet as expected, and that is a good thing.

I think this could be a bit stickier in terms of mouthfeel but it strikes me as a reasonable beginner chocolate stout and certainly a far more accomplished effort than their ill-fated IPA. 7.5

KJD Brewing Chocolate Cherry Porter

Another NZ brewer - would KJD be joining the ranks of the exalted with 8 Wired and Epic, or the bargain basement slop shop crew of Monteiths, Kaimai?

For a choc cherry porter to be served at room temp, this pours and tastes watery and thin.. so you lose a bit of motivation there. Then you have a whiff and there goes the rest of it to be replaced with trepidation. It's pretty much sourness and alcohol sadly.

Taste wise I can sort of see what they were going for. It's very much 'real' cherry, ie pretty sour, no real sweetness, and I can definitely respect that. But for it to work it needs a richer, fuller, more rounded end to it with malt and backing chocolate. They seem to have forgotten this bit completely though, as with the label the 'cherry' bit is the biggest part .. but then Chocolate and Porter don't even exist.

So, a bit of a shame really. Nice idea, poor execution. 2.0

Holgate Temptress Porter

People had recommended this one - and the one previous encounter (though fleeting) with a Holgate DIPA had turned out positively too.

Still: wow. Looks attractive. Smells attractive. And my word does it taste attractive.

This is brewed with cocoa and vanilla beans and it shows - very sweet milk chocolate flavours, vanilla edge in clear sight throughout and no real bitterness at all, but above and beyond that the beer has a lovely milky flavour and mouthfeel too that really improves it beyond the norm. It's funny that people find black beers so bewildering because this has to be the best beer for kids I have yet encountered.

If I had to find a downside it's that there's not too much character beyond these sweet notes - but then, there doesn't need to be. If you're in the mood for a coffee / roasty / hoppy / imperial porter, drink one of those. If you just want a sweet chocolate variety, you could go a lot worse than this fine effort.

The only puzzling thing is it suggesting it be enjoyed with either choc desserts (fully agree) or .. meat pies. Huh? 9.0

Browar Amber Grand Imperial Porter

The very first Polish beer on the tracker. And a quite attractive looking one at that.

Wasn't sure what to expect from this fine land, particularly in the way of heavy stouts. But it pours with a nice sedate character, bit of alc on the nose, but also amber style malts.

Nice mouthfeel, tastes a bit like Stoke Dark but a higher quality drop, deeper coffee. Bit of vanilla aniseed here also, which perhaps helps hide that 8% ABV rather well indeed. It's a fine drop this and one I wouldn't be averse to picking up again at the price - recommended. 8.0

Bridge Road Robust Porter

Post number 100 for the blog!

In all honesty it's a shame it wasn't something more momentous. This is the first dark beer tried from Bridge, tipping the scale at 5.2%.

Crack the top and there's a definite 'bang', then head flowing out of the bottle. Why is this? This was stored upright for at least a week in good cold conditions. No excuse? A mate's bottle did the same damn thing too. Sigh. No-one likes a fizzy porter.

Reasonable aroma, in a chocolate malt central sort of way. Once the head settles it's pleasant enough too except a bit of an empty spot there in the middle. The aftertaste and mouthfeel could improve too. So all in all it's vaguely unpleasant, a shame. 5.0

Double Espresso Premio Caffe Birra

Seems this is brewed by some mob in Scotland called Traditional Scottish Ales.

Beautiful nose if you're into coffee - doesn't hold anything back. No real head to speak of though (possibly a result of the coffee injection itself?).

The taste falls just short of backing this up, it's a little bit more watery than you'd like. Tastes of chicory, or like those Kopiko lollies. Bloody good way to back up a chocolate dessert though. 7.0

Mikkeller Texas Ranger

Well now this is different, even for Mikkeller. Nah scratch that it's just another stroke of genius (?) from the Dane.

This is absolutely beautiful to look at. Solid, pitch black, attractive mocha head, soupy and velvet. Smells delicious too, real quality presentation to this stout reflects the quality of brewer, and the quality of content.

Mouthfeel's brilliant too, the taste develops like a king stout throughout, top quality. But then you think, why is the back of my throat burning? And look it up on your phone. And realise it's filled with Chipotle peppers. The effect is pretty interesting. It's really quite spicy this, tastes of roasty jerky bbq, and it gathers down your throat rather than front of mouth. The beer itself is a bit like chili chocolate - two things I like, and together they're interesting, but actually flawed because they are not complimentary flavours.

It's hard to know what to give this. It's brilliant beer but just not my favourite thing. It seems there are two barrel aged versions of this also .. wow. The concept alone is mindblowing. 8.0

McCashin Family Brewery Stoke Dark

I wasn't looking forward to this for some reason.

I think mostly because I couldn't tell in the bottle-o whether this was supposed to be a porter or a dark ale of some description, and I'm still a little lost now.

It's closer to the porter overall in terms of taste characteristics but there's a big caramel, heavy amber ale sort of quality there too. The way it sits there cola coloured in the glass is a bit sweet heavy and malevolent too particularly given it's just the 4.5%. Apparently it's tank conditioned for a few weeks to give it a honey like quality. That explains things a bit?

I quite like this on the whole, it's a bit different. It's not a raging success but I'd still recommend to try once. 7.0