Bluegrass Dark Star Porter

Brewed by Bluegrass Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Louisville, Kentucky USA

Bottle. Pours deep brown with a tan head. Aroma is a bit sharp, almost smokey. Taste has a bit of smoke, some chocolate and coffee. Not bad, but not remarkable.

FIRST TRIAL: Pours a deep brownish black with a beige head; aroma is burned malt and subtle sweetness; flavor is difficult to describe... chocolately, carmelly start that quickly gets swept away by bitter, burned-to-a-crisp malt and hop bitterness that sits on the tongue. Overall, this beer is really hard to rate. It has some interesting characteristics (the overly-charred-pizza-crust flavors and the heavy bitterness) that I’ve liked in other beers (FFF Alpha Klaus, Founder’s Black Rye), but for some reason it just doesn’t work right here. The rest of the beer doesn’t balance it out and it actually ends up tasting a bit like an ash tray. So, I’ve got to give this a pretty poor rating

(12oz bottle from Beer of the Month Club at home on September 8, 2008.) Just about to watch "Hero", got hungry, grabbed Bluegrass Dark Star Porter. Its name reminding me of the Death Star, it had better hold its own if it chooses to hold such worthiness! The pour was nice, producing a handsome brown head, which is now a soapy film atop its dark brown color with syrupy-red bottom. Pleasant aroma, roasted and chocolaty. First thing I notice as it hit my tongue is a watery, chocolate flavor with tendrils of hoppiness. Nice. It has a surprisingly watery body for a porter, though, making it a cinch to drink. I was hoping for something more filling, seeing that I’m skipping dinner tonight. Eh.

About as average a porter as you can get. Think middle of the road. Nothing bad, nothing good.

(On tap.) An excellent Porter. Only mildly bitter, but somewhat hoppy as well as roasty. Fairly complex. Cold tasting. Unusually refreshing for a porter. Unique. My only complaint is that it is a little lacking in richness.

Pours a dark brown/ruby with a nice tan head. Roasted malts and chocolate on the nose. Roasty malt flavor with chocolate and hints of coffee. Long, full finish with just a touch of hops. A good solid porter

Pours out a moderate hue of brown, light for a porter. Aroma is of some chocolate, mild roasted malts and slight bitterness. Flavor is of roasted malt, chocolate, light coffee and a slight bitterness on the finish. A solid beer, but nothing out of this world.

Bottle. Soda like coloring and consistency in appearance. Active carbonation with brownish white hue on surface. malty, chocolate, hint of egg (oddly). Very thin in body and watery to the tongue. Strained coffee ground finish gives it a little kick but far less than a solid punch. Eh.