Dark Lord
"Mr. George's is identical to the beer sold in England known as Batemans Dark Lord, but re-named for the U.S. market due to a trademark conflict." --beernews.org Dark pecan brown that becomes dusky scarlet with fiery orange edges when sunshine is allowed entry. A tidy crown of khaki colored foam rests on top, has a creamy-bubbly texture, and is starting to leave some good looking lace. The nose is dark brown malty, dark fruity and has a whiff of roasted coffee beans. It's as much brown ale as porter given the way beer is brewed these days. Then again, perhaps this is how the classic English porters smelled. Dark Lord... er... Mr. George's is a little weak in the knees; again, given current brewing standards (in the U.S. at least) and the proliferation of bigger beer. It has quite a bit of character, though, and is reasonably tasty. Two parts porter to one part brown ale. Specifics include chocolate wafer cookies, a wee splash of black coffee, sugared nuts and an ale yeast fruitiness that is perhaps the beer's finest feature. It's simple and light and easy to drink... and isn't worth $4.99 for a pint bottle. Then again, try to find English beer priced much lower in this country. The mouthfeel could use more malt. It's too thin by half (the 'full bodied' comment on the label is laughable) and the bubbles are too sharp. Even though they calm down by the midway point of the bottle, it isn't enough to pull the score up another notch. Mr. George's Ruby Porter is at least as good as this brewery's XXXB and is better than Combined Harvest. I hope the awards that it has received are for the tap (or cask) version because the bottled beer, while pleasant, is not gold medal worthy.