Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter

Brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company
Style: Porter
San Diego, California USA

Bomber. Turbid onyx pour with 3-fingers of khaki head and nice splotchy lace. Aroma is roast patent malt, chocoff, brown sugar, almond. Tastes roasty dark malty, with dark chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, and almond/hezelnut notes. GEts a tad sweeter as it warms.

This porter poured with the greatest amount of head imaginable with much lacing. Disappointing since we tried an Imperial Stout previous to this one, this beer tasted a little watered down, despite some residual malty/hoppy taste. An ok porter by comparison.

Bottle via Jimbowood. Dark color. Smell of coffee, pine, hops, malt, chocolate, caramel and light brown sugar. Taste of roasted coffee, hops, grass, coco powder, nuts, malt, and minor caramel. A little water down. Still a tasty porter.

Bottle. Clear medium black color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate to light heavy malty, roasted, milk chocolate, mild coffee. Flavor is moderate sweet and light bitter with a average duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. (271007)

Bottle. Black with creamy head. Rich malty chocolate aroma that just gets better the longer it sits and warms. Perfectly smooth and creamy on the palate. Great rich flavor of chocolate and hints of caramel. Not too heavy and not overly watery. Goldilocks would say "this one is just right".

22 oz. bottle. Pours a very, very dark brown with a moderate, almost creamy tan head that lasted until about mid-glass. Very pleasant aroma of roasted malt, coffee and just a bit of chocolate. The flavor is again roasted malt, coffee and chocolate. The roasted malt was particularly well done and was not excessive as is the case in some beers. It melded very nicely with the coffee and chocolate flavors. A bit of a hop bite at the finish, but again not overdone and in proportion with the rest of the beer. Very well done.

On the pour from the 22 ounce bottle, a black walnut brown tinged with ruby red highlights, the head a large tan creamy delight that very slowly gives way, the lacing a tight skirt to surround the glass. Nose is rich in toasted grain, caramel, hints of coffee and chocolate, simply made my mouth water, start is rich in malt, the toasted grain gives it a pleasant bite, top is moderate to almost full in feel. Finish is benign in its acidity, the hops perfection in their spiciness, sweet toasted malt, coffee and chocolate to the very end, dry, and simply a great beer from a top ten brewery in my books.

pours dark brown with a small receding tan head. aromas of wood, chocolate malts and a sweet unidentifiable fruit. flavor is chocolate and ash with a slightly bitter burnt finish, hop dryness and a coffee aftertaste. light to medium bodied with medium carbonation. only turn off is the aspirin feel in the throat...