Lil' Smokey
Poured into pint glass during Portland Mighty Mites small beer festival~ Okay, it says porter, but it reminds me more of a bock! Pours a light black, clear brown hue with good carbonation and pretty much zero head or lace. Looks like root beer. Seriously. On the nose this is fun with cocoa, smoke, and a mild malt character framed by currant and a hint of anise and spice. Palate is rather a supreme disappointment; thin and lackluster with quickly fleeting flavors focused on smoke and brown sugar. Really does remind me of a bock... So I said before... reminds me of a bock... and if it were a bock I would have given it decent marks, but as a porter it falls flat on it's face. It tastes like a porter that water was added to after the fact. --- Tasted again at Belmont Station: Much better than the previous go around, perhaps this is a better batch. Light in body and a touch smokey, this time around it tasted more like a light porter than a bock. Still it's very light. Good roasted coffee, smoke nuance on the nose and palate. Not overly smokey though.