CS9 - Brown Porter

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Permalink Reply by Tom C on June 16, 2013 at 10:34am

Appearance Dark brown/red with fine off-white head lasts to the bottom of the glass

 

Aroma Molasses, burnt toffee, dusty staleness - oxidation?*

 

Flavour Sweet malt, Raisins & dried fruit, Touch of coffee, Finishes sweet, Little aftertaste but musty impression

 

Mouthfeel Well-carbonated, Smooth & light bodied

 

Overall Lighter than expected, lacking 'grunt', muted flavours - probably staling/oxidation

* First thing I thought when I smelt this was that it was bottled from a keg using a tap rather than filler (correct me if I'm wrong) then I read your first line.  I have had exactly the same flavours in dark beers bottling this way and also picked it up in one of Dan's at the last WBC.  The resulting oxidised staleness seems to be much more noticeable in dark ales and stouts for some reason.  Purging the bottles with CO2 solved it for me.

Permalink Reply by mattd2 on June 16, 2013 at 1:20pm

Thanks Dash, yeah it was bottled from the keg just using a picnic tap and the piece of plastic tube from a bottling wand. I tried to get it to foam up at the end and "cap on the foam" but looks like it was not enough. Looks like they have been in the bottles for a while too, since end of April so that doesn't help. My apologies. Good to know to not depend on this method for long term storage. Cheers.

Permalink Reply by Stu H on June 18, 2013 at 9:25pm

When I first poured this it looked very thick, which must have been some kind of optical illusion because it actually quite a light-bodied beer. Very solid thick dark caramel head.

Aroma: Sweet chocolate syrup, almost like chocolate milk.

Flavour: Roasty, bitter chocolate. I find this beer leaves me with a funny astringent/bitterness thing going on for a long afterwards.

Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied, great level of carbonation.

Overall a nice stout… I wouldn’t have been surprised to see actual cocoa additions in the recipe it was so “chocolatey” on the nose. Only bummer for me was the astringency – maybe it has something to do with your bottling protocol? I got caught out with that this case swap too – tasted great in the keg, somehow stuffed up the bottling.

 

Permalink Reply by Luke Davey on June 25, 2013 at 7:20pm

I presume the bottle with 'D2 porter' on the cap is this one ?

Appearance: Dark red, with a fine white head that holds very well, zero sediment, very clear.

Nose: A slight smokey / burnt note with molasses.

Taste: A nice smooth malty flavour with faint fruitiness. After struggling to pick a faint note at the end, I see Dash 6 had picked coffee - that's it.

Mouthfeel: Velvety smooth, light carbonation and a light body.

Overall: I really enjoyed this beer. I thought there would have been a more complex body, but it was still a very enjoyable beer. Thanks Matt.

Permalink Reply by Tilt on June 29, 2013 at 8:01pm

Poured a deep brown burnt amber when held up to the light, with a fine tan head that lasts all the way to the last drop. The aroma is minimal, hints of dark choc and rum and raisin.  First taste is muted too, woody chocolate, burnt caramelised sugar  and a slight tang to finish.  This flavour has me thinking of Tooheys old - a fave dark ale of mine from way back. Not much lingers on my palate so its easy to take the next slurp.  The mouthfeel and flavours are at the lighter end of a Brown porter so a fine way to start a Saturday evening of movie vegging.  Agree with the notes above on oxidation, and if you were looking to beef it up Matt then I'd up the mash temp , give it a dash more roast (pale choc would be my choice) and try it with a lower attenuating English yeast.  Cheers

Permalink Reply by Dan on July 4, 2013 at 7:44am

Appearance Awesome clarity. Brown tinged with red colour. Nice head that lasted the distance.

 

Aroma Molasses, coffee, fruit.

 

Flavour Light burnt caramel. Choc. Raisins. Coffee.

 

Mouthfeel Good level of carbing. Balanced. Very smooth.

 

Overall This was a great beer on a cold night. I really enjoyed it and would be stoked if I had a keg of it in the fridge. It may have benefited from a darker crystal and more roast to boost the body - still a great beer mate. Cheers.

Permalink Reply by DP on July 14, 2013 at 8:32pm

Appearance
Pours clear and dark with a fine, lasting head

Aroma
Toffee, dark sugar. Slightly oxidised.

Mouthfeel
Lively carbonation. Light body.

Flavour
Slightly sweet. Bready malt with hints of toffee. Can taste the effects of oxidation too.

Overall
A little on the sweet side and unfortunately harmed by oxidation. That said, I think with very slight adjustments to the hop schedule and bottling procedure it would be a very drinkable beer. Cheers!