Barley Johns Alfreds Porter

Pitch black with a thin head of nut tan. Highly concentrated aroma of smoke, chocolate cake, rum, cherrries, raisins and brandy. Supple and seductive, yet somewhat reserved. Flavor is extremely sweet, sugary and grainy. Loaded with coffee, kahlua and hint of juniper. Alcohol very notable, but not harsh or detracting, instead warming and rounding. Sugary malt with brown sugar, cane sugar and some Mexican chocolate, swept up in a fresh vanilla bean. Lacks a bite or movement that makes you stand up and take notice. Maintains oilyness and smoothness across the palate, with creaminess that just dissolves into the tounge. Sublime.

Baltic in name only. Light coffee aroma. Black with a very small tan head. The dominant flavor is bitter coffee with lighter chocolate. Tastes like a dry stout as it warms.

Black no head. Very sweet and soft. Creamt mouthfeeling. Finish is warming and sweet. The alcohol is well balanced with the flavour. A powerful pleasant stout.

An opaque black beer with a disappearing brown head. The aroma is sweet with notes of alcohol, over ripe fruits, and prunes. The flavor is sweet with notes of prunes, chocolate, toffee, and grass.

Hand bottled from growler by Footbalm and send to Denmark - thanks a lot!
Pitch black with almost no head. Dark heavy roasted aroma with coffee and liquorice and some alcohol. Very sweet flavor of brown sugar, coffee and roast. Full bodied and tasty but too sweet to be excellent.

Hand bottled by Footbalm from a growler. Bottle sealed with wax: Pitch black colour. Has a medium sized dense brown head. Alcohol, fruit, grass, toffee, nuts and a light roast in the aroma. Sweets, marcipan, light roast, chocolate and light coffee in the flavour. The alcohol is there, but quite well hidden. Is a little watery IMO. Has a sweetish light cloying end. Some vague roastyness and a good warmth on the lips. Nice one. Thanks again to footbalm for these 3 gigantic brews from Barley John.

Bottled. Almost black coloured. Vanilla and chocolate aroma. Extremely sweet flavour. Notes of vanilla. Full bodied.

Tap @ Brewery in March 2005 when I was back in Minnesota. I grew up only a few miles away from this brewery, although I was long gone before it opened for business. Black color with a laced brown head. The aroma had lots of vanilla, alcohol, toffee and some toasted malts. Very sweet finish but at the beginning it had a roasted lingering malty dryness. Fantastic.