Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter

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

Pours porter brown w/ a shallow creamy froth. Aromas of leathered dark cocoa w/ a slight whiff of pine. Medium nectar w/ soft residual effers. Roasted flavors are in balance. Predominant bakers cocoa w/ moderate malt. Not too dry. Hints of fruit w/ leather, roasted coffee bean, cigar, and slightly roasted caramel. The finish is long with perfect bittering. I love this stuff. Good cold or not so cold. Overall: well balanced with bright flavors. This one gives Fullers London Porter a run for the money. Highly recommended.

Flavor is very sweet; lots of caramel, adn chocolate that well overpower the bitterness. Very smooth finish. Rich.

Oh how I love the Black Marlin Porter. It has a suble aroma that sparks curiousity immediately. The rich, deep color sits solid in a glass. The head is dense and not fluffy, which is nice, because it isn’t fizzy like some others can be. It is a great dinner beer that goes with ANY food. The aftertaste sits on your tongue to enjoy long after you’ve finished.

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".

Pours a rich black-brown, with deep red highlights. Tan head, with OK retention. No lace. Aroma: Coffee, malt, chocolate, hops. Smells yummy. Flavor: First taste is roasty, toasty, coffee and malt. then the hops come through. Aftertaste is a combination of balck malt bitterness and hop bitterness. Mouthfeel: A bit on the thick and viscous side, but not by much. Overall: One of my favorite porters. Ranks close to Anchor Porter (my favorite), although it’s a very different beer. More on the sweet-n’-caramelly side of the porter spectrum, but not so far as to be out of balance.

On tap - Capone’s (May 2008) - Dry, roasty aroma. Poured black and velvety in the glass. Flavor is crisp and dry, medium body with roasted malts the dominant flavor. That roasted malt flavor is expertly cut with a sharp hop bit that is perfect at cleansing the palate. This is similar to Iron Hill’s Pig Iron Porter, but IMHO, is much better. While Pig Iron is a bit bigger in the body, this one is more balanced between that roasted flavor and hop bite. This is one of the best porters I’ve had in a long time - if not ever.

Huge thanks to Fordest for this delicious bomber
Black pour, medium sized tan nicely lasting head. Smell is rich, highly and well roasted without smelling burnt. Taste is rich, nice body, coffee, rich dark roast. Damn good porter. Perfect balance of sweet/bitter/roastiness, leaving a lasting pleasant roast finish. Hard to beat this porter in my opinion, and well worth getting. This really, really hit the spot.

Bottle... This beer rocks!... Looks pitch black with a small, creamy, light brown head, but it’s clear mahogany when held up to bright light. Good retention. The aroma is chock full of rich, wonderful notes of caramel, cola, maple syrup, milk chocolate, toasted pistachios, roasted cashews and freshly ground coffee. Forthright chocolaty flavor with bold, dark roasted malts, good bitterness and a touch of residual sweetness. Full-bodied and fatty with medium carbonation. Hearty, bitter-sweet finish. This beer caught me by complete surprise and just blew me away! So very underrated. I love it!