 Rastacouere (5270), Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Oct 4, 2007 Opaque black pour covered by a large and lasting, uniform beige head. Potent, very aromatic, woody and well-smoked porter. Cakey malts through and through where the smoke keeps the roastiness at bay. Excellent smooth body. No fruitiness noticeable, but the softest alcohol kiss reaches the drinker towards the finish. Somehow found it a bit less enticing than the filtered Grand Chef, I don’t know why, perhaps simply because of the incredible freshness of the filtered when I had it.
harrisoni (5121), Ashford, Kent, England
Sep 17, 2007 Bottle at LCRBM3. Black colour with lasting tan head. Roasted, intense malts. Really drinkable. Lovely, superb malts. Good grainy feel on the end.
bierkoning (4716), La Tropica, Netherlands
Sep 10, 2007 3rd LCRBM. Complex aroma of brown sugar, malt, beechwood smoke. Sugary sweet flavor with pineapple, heavy malt and beechwood. Smoky bitter finish. Excellent!
muzzlehatch (4425), Burlington, Vermont, USA
Jun 13, 2007 341 ml bottle from Métro Joannette, Verdun QC (May 2007) served at cellar temperature from a Unibroue glass. Head slightly darker and longer-lasting than filtered version. Aroma is woodier, meatier, cheesy and funky compared to filtered’s fruitiness….the body is a little less full, drier and somewhat vinous, more bitter/roasty and closer to what I think of as a traditional porter….sugars are really restrained here, and the drier, thinner, harder mouthfeel just doesn’t support the strong burnt nature as well, though it comes close when you let it get fairly warm; ideally this works at a slightly warmer temp than the filtered..…a bit grapy/pruny at the finish, and just a tiny bit too salty/metallic. There really is a marked difference here between filtered and unfiltered versions, and though a certain Mr. ClarkVV will probably kill me for saying so, I marginally prefer the filtered version in this case; I think perhaps the extra yeasty activity has in this instance dried out and thinned the body just a little more than would be ideal. In any case, cheers to Bièropholie for letting us experience this beer twice in such a manner!
Mes_and_Sim (4320), Highgate, Greater London, England
Sep 16, 2007 A Mes rate:
Bottle at LCRBM3. Absolutely superb. Black viscous body with a tan head. Amazing coffee and dark rubbery malt. Lip smacking bitter dark chocolate and just a delicate lick of smoke. Excellent balance and chewy thick but not cloying. Fanbloodytastic.
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