Broad Ripple Monon Porter

Brewed by Broad Ripple Brewing Co.
Style: Porter
Indianapolis, Indiana USA

Draft sampler at Broad Ripple. Starts with a very strong coffee and chocolate smell. The first taste even brings out a bit of chicory. Turns kind of dry toward the finish. With all that dark roast malt, it’s closer to a stout. But extra points for being on cask.

From the hand pull cask engine during my Great Lakes area brew tour. Red pour, lasting tan head. The nose is of chocolate, coffee, oak. This is very roasty with a medium level of malts. The flavor brings biting coffee, toaste, and a finish of almonds. The alcohol is quite apparent for 6% abv, but definitely not a problem. Everything comes together quite well, and the warm serving temperature really helped this brew reach its optimum potential.

draft - Smells very mildly of roast malt with a hint of coffee. The flavor is dark roast malts and coffee. There’s a medium body and a dry finish. It’s okay for the style. rerate, cask pour from the brewpub - It looks great as a good cask pour so often does. The dark body and creamy head are most appetizing. Chocolate malt and some light hops join for a well-rounded flavor in this very enjoyable brew. It’s a major improvement over last time I had it. 7/4/8/4/15. Averaged the scores in my rating above...

On tap.
Pours a dark chestnut-brown that allows some light through but not much. Little head to speak of but a nearly undetectable ring around the rim. Aroma is faint but gives up some notes of chocolate, coffee and a slight hint of dried cherries. Surprisingly, the dried cherries show up in the flavor too. Not too prominently; just a hint. Very pleasant. Flavor profile is mainly decently sweet chocolate with some toasted grain. Not too bitter, either from the toasted grain or from the hops. A pinch of vanilla brings up the rear as the swallow goes down the back of the throat. Medium palate, a touch thin for a porter. This, in my estimation, is what a porter should taste like: sweet, toasty, gentle and surprisingly approachable. An excellent brew.

Growler of Cask Conditioned Ale: Pours a deep mahogany body with ruby highlights and some bubbles instead of a head. The nose gains in complexity as it warms. It begins with an aroma of roasted malt, bittersweet chocolate, and some coffee grounds. Later dark red cherries and a drop of vanilla are added, followed by alcohol and a soft woody smokiness. It’s a tad thin yet still manages to blend all elements of the nose into a tasy drink. Oddly (considering the abv), there’s a bit of a boozey feel to the Porter in both aroma and flavor. Not bad.

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From cask at the brewpub. Malty aroma, slightly roasty. Dark brownish red (light hue compared to most American porters) with slight head. Flavor is sweet chocolate up front with a bitterness in the finish that is not strong, but balances nicely. Mouthful is silky with appropriately low carbonation (drink fast or it goes completely flat).

On cask @ the Brew pub: Pours a dark brown with a tan head. Aroma, chocolate and roasted malts, some hints of coffee. Flavor, coffee, chocolate, roasted notes, earthy bitterness. Decent, average porter.

I had this from a cask at the brewpub, served in an imperial pint glass. Nice color and a aroma, chocolate/coffee taste. The body was a bit on the thin side but overall, a solid porter.