Big River Grille Winters Nip (2008 and earlier)

Formerly brewed at Big River Grille & Brewing Works Chattanooga (Gordon Biersch)
Style: Porter
Chattanooga, Tennessee USA

Sampled at Seven Bridges in Jacksonville. Pours a dark brown with a good clarity. The aroma gives off scents of chocolate, slight smokiness. Pretty good.

On tap at the Big River Grille in Walt Disney World’s Boardwalk. Pours a dark black color with a small tan head on top. Aroma is coffee, caramel, chocolate, and malt. The flavor is very similar with coffee taking abundance with hints of chocolate coming in too. A decent beer.

Cask conditioned at the BP. An almost black pour with an aroma of mostly chocoffee with a very good bitter. It was just a tad on the thin side, but overall a good beer. Had the chance to sample it side by side with the tap porter. The CC was much smoother and the chocolate seemed to come through a little better, but I did not let the tap warm to the same temp as the CC. Everyone needs to try this beer.

Draught at Chattanooga with boto. A one fingered tan head arrived on this over chilled mug of black colored brew. As it warmed, some chocolate and coffee came through to join the roasted malt aroma. Good body, smooth and easy drinking.

Draft at the Seven Bridges Brewpub in Jacksonville. Served in a dimpled pint mug on the evening of their their party to introduce this seasonal arrival for the year (11/30/2006). As is their custom lately, the price was low and proceeds benefited the USO.. kudos for the effort! Clear dark brown beer with a fizzy white head that soon disappeared. Aromas of mild chocolate and malt. Flavor was cold coffee up front and dark malt in the background. Only a faint roasty bitterness. Had an acidic sharpness, and a little thin and watery throughout. Average to decent flavor, and an OK drink. Its nice for a change of pace, but its not impressive and if you are a stout drinker its not something you will want to drink for the whole night.

Draught in Chattanooga: This one pours a dark opaque brown. There was a fair amount of a tan head on it, although it didn’t leave much lacing. The aroma was OK. It was mainly roasty coffee with some chocolate notes. It is a medium bodied brew. The flavor mainly roasted coffee notes. Some dryness and earthiness also. Neither sweet nor bitter. A decent porter.

Draught in Nashville. Pours dark brown with a medium creamy and foamy tan head with lined and spotty lacing. Caramel chocolate malt aroma, medium roasted. Sweet caramel and semi-dark chocolate malt flavor, light acidity, coffee and yeast notes near the end. Dark and full bodied, smooth palate.

Big River Disney World-Winter’s Nip Porter(Gordon Biersch)-on tap-pours a tan head that dissipates, then laces. Color is reddish/brown. Aroma is coffee. Taste is coffee with mild carbonation. Not my taste.