UPDATED: JAN 31, 2024 $ 4 for 330 ml bottle from 4 Square , Hanmer (02/02/19) : Dark brown-black colour , wispy head ... deep burnt malt aroma ... frothy mouthfeel , licorice , burnt malt flavour , a tingle of bitterness , delicious .

UPDATED: MAR 2, 2021 500ml bottle. Pours black like a stout with a minor head. Aroma is a mild mix of malt, coffee & chocolate. The taste is very true to what they say on the label, lots of malty action, just a bit of hops, slightly sweeter than bitter & dark. There is excellent coffee & chocolate flavours for a Porter without coffee or chocolate added & this is very easy to drink. Maybe not as trendy now that Emerson's has been sold but close to the best Porter in NZ, available at every bottle store & most supermarkets at good prices. Very good.

UPDATED: FEB 20, 2020 Pretty decent porter, or should it be stout? No difference nowadays. Pours a very blackish red. Decent head that dwindles but lingers. Good solid body, great mouthfeel, reflexes are inclined to chew after each sip. There's aytin an thdrinkin init! Nutty aftertaste. Been around for years, so you can't call it a copycat. 500ml bottle.

UPDATED: JAN 5, 2020 Aroma: Medium chocolate, licorice. Medium-light coffee. Appearance: Brilliant, dark brown body, Medium light-brown head, small bubbles. Fair retention. Flavour: Medium-high coffee, licorice. Medium bitterness. Medium chocolate. Dry finish with dark chocolate. Mouthfeel: Medium body. Medium-low carbonation. Overall: Good aroma, but the flavour is overly roasty. The coffee/burnt roast overpowers the soft chocolate. A good beer, but not to style. 330 ml bottle, poured.

UPDATED: DEC 29, 2019 Solid London porter. Pours dark and has a rich chocolatey finish. Thin in the tongue. Tried at Bendix Stables watering hole with Tim, Chelsea, and Jack in Arrowtown in 2019.

UPDATED: OCT 7, 2019 Got a mixed 6 pack. Marmite on burnt toast on nose Nice caramel and burnt toast on finish. Good porter - Emerson’s set a pretty high bar, not disappointed with any of the 6 pack.

UPDATED: SEP 19, 2019 Unadorned 500 mL bottle, poor label. Oatmeal tan head on an opaque pour. Parched, nutty, chickory aroma with some dark sweetness. Dusty, lightly sweet, pencil shavings, aley, chocolate cookie notes. Medium-light body. Thought this was a pretty good pint, not as sophisticated as Fuller's, but good. New World, Albany, Auckland.

UPDATED: MAY 11, 2019 Rich and bold taste, a bit burnt, coffee and chocolate. It makes sense to chill it a bit before drinking.

UPDATED: DEC 5, 2018 On tap at Speights Alehouse in Wanaka on 11 November 2018. One of the best Emerson beers that I have had. Poured a deep black colour with a tidy tan head. Bitter in the mouth with a burnt toast aftertaste. Smooth and silky in the mouth.

330ml bottle. Pours a deep black with semi brown head. Thick malt and chocolate nose. Lots of bitter dark chocolate at the front which mellows out a bit with some sweetness and lingering chocolate. A very robust beer considering the lower ABV.