Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson re-designed 1850’s recipe for transitional English-styled porter. Besides the stylishly expected chocolate-roasted caramel malting and nutty dried fruiting, a peat-dried dewy earthiness and molasses-draped burgundy wining gain strength. In the recess, grape-leafed black cherry, fig and date fruiting gains spicy hop tingle and sugared cola nuttiness.
On tap at Doherty’s, interesting novelty combines light aji panca chili peppering with sweet potato and purple maize adjuncts, but curiosities get stifled by ashen black chocolate-malted cocoa powdering and sour coffee murk. Dry cola, walnut and Brazil nut illusions drift by. In canned version, dry cocoa-dried black chocolate malting gains strength against less obvious chili-peppered potato and maize influence.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, dark-roasted mocha malts dominate mildly creamed medium body. Black chocolate richness increases seared walnut souring, ashen wood acridity, ground coffee respite, mild molasses syruping and pureed black cherry wisp above dense charred hop bittering.
Robust dry porter brings roasted poblano and ancho chili peppering to dark chocolate-bound cocoa nibs center. But peppery roast loses steam as syrupy Blackstrap molasses sapping invades briny (oyster-shelled?) mocha creaminess.
On tap at Coalhouse Pizza, complex medium-bodied English porter sports oats-flaked chocolate sweetness, peat-smoked molasses whiskey malting and chewy toffee creaming over toasted pumpernickel base. In the backdrop, cola nuttiness endures beside floral anise spicing and dried-fruited black grape, black cherry and green raisin illusions. Busy full-flavored Londoner suits heartier thirsts.
On tap at Ambulance, initial black coffee bittering inundated by dark-roasted black chocolate influence and acrid black patent malting to sugared barley-oats base. Bittersweet molasses syruping slightly thickens rich mocha resonance.
Trademark Santa Fe offering renders dark chocolate roast, caramel coffee cache and sour-creamed lactose milking. Beneath, chocolate-caked cocoa, pecan, toffee and molasses illusions crowd earthen hop bottom.
On tap at Flying Saucer in St. Louis, smoothly off-dry English-styled porter contrasts dark cocoa-powdered black chocolate bittering, ashen walnut roast and acrid hop-charred astringency with sweet cookie dough malts. Latent coffee roast reinforces mocha bitterness.
The difference between waterier Guinness Dublin Porter and bolder West Indies Porter is almost negligible on the surface. West Indies ancient recipe offers a dryer mouthfeel, higher ABV (6%), bitterer coffee affluence and deeper charred hop tarring. Nutty black chocolate malting, reminiscent of Guinness Stout, drops off substantially as chalky cocoa astringency and ashen walnut sear back end bottled moderate-to-medium-bodied mediocity.
Mild, smooth and watered down, soapy 3.8% ABV bottled porter (from ancient recipe) lacks distinction as nutty dark-roasted black chocolate malting and charred hop bittering prove insufficient. Sedate coffee, pumpernickel, burnt caramel, raw molasses and black tea illusions receive earthen mineral-grained musk. Disappointing.
Sweet S’more-candied dessert treat retains creamy milk chocolate center, gingerbread-spiced Graham Cracker honeying and roasted marshmallow sugaring. Almond biscotti splurge, French vanilla custard niceties, flaked coconut hints and bitter cocoa snips run through sweet mocha foundation. Only its oily hop astringency goes awry.
Thin English-styled porter pleats black patent-malted chocolate bittering with sour-milked lactose acidity, molasses-burnt wood char and dried cocoa powdering, retaining peaty soy saucing for better or worse. Light wood char sears latent walnut and cola nuances.
