Not as rich and bold as Texas crude namesake. Dark-roasted chocolate malt creaming subsides over time and minor carbolic aridity interferes with ancillary coffee-burnt Blackstrap molasses, Baker’s chocolate and cocoa nibs subsidy as well as restrained pecan-walnut-hazelnut conflux.
Serviceable dark ale moderation lacks sufficient mocha richness, becoming a tad watery by the lactic milk chocolate finish. Powdered cocoa, Baker’s chocolate and black coffee tones counter vanilla-creamed brown chocolate sweetness as well as latent brownie-fudged dark toffee alacrity. Dark-roasted hop bittering deepens the back-end.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, 2014 limited edition blunt-styled porter emulates grocery-stored cherry cigar with its crisp tobacco-leafed moisture and soured maraschino cherry tartness. Dank dry-hopped char and oak-smoked pale wheat backup dark-roasted black chocolate malting. Ashen charcoal acridity provides smoky residue for tarry mocha finish.
Gimmicky peanut-buttered brown chocolate theme suffices, if not totally entices (recalling Reese’s peanut butter cup), before picking up astringently distracting hop-oiled bittering. Salty dark-roasted peanut buttering allows ancillary hazelnut, walnut, almond and cola illusions to deepen hard-shelled legume influence above rich vanilla-sweetened mocha malting. Sugary jellybean undertones contrast recessive espresso snip. A fine dessert alternative to nutty brownies.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, murkily defined porter loses any sweet almond-milked flouring after first sip. Instead, sharp dark-roasted hop graining, bitter vanilla beaning and nutty remnant combine forces to undermine its musty nature.
Richly robust mocha porter delivers dark-roasted malts to aggressive hop-charred bittering. Creamy black chocolate frontage enhances vanilla-beaned coffee bittering. Tar-like molasses gunk deepens ancillary dark cocoa, burnt walnut and piney citrus acridity.
Smoothly creamed mocha porter allows bittersweet black chocolate fudging to spread across dark-roasted oats char and cocoa-dried cola nuttiness. Light tarring embitters ground coffee ascension, sharp hop spicing and molasses-breaded walnut snip. Well-balanced and approachable dark ale will win over moderate thirsts.
Sooty cocoa-dried Baker’s chocolate entry and soily earthen graining inundate murky English-styled mocha porter. Bittersweet caramel-burnt dark chocolate chalkiness and burnt coffee astringency rough up the oily-hopped backend. Bruised cherry tinge and sugary maple snip lost in the muck.
Dingy English-styled porter lacks firm character in the bottle, but not on draught. Dry cocoa-powdered black chocolate roast loses luster as mildly embittered toasted hop coarsening disrupts tepid maple-sugared cola nuttiness. Ashen tobacco astringency overloads soy-milked mocha finish. On tap at Three Wise Monks, molasses-soaked peppering adds heat to coffee-roasted black chocolate frontage, sweet toffee malting and damp-wooded hop char.
Assertive Ecuadorian cocoa nibs influence provides luxurious dessert luster for mildly creamed chocolate porter. Dry Baker’s chocolate illusions settle beneath powdered cocoa theme alongside lesser gingerbread, sugared peanut, milked coffee and toffee undertones.
