Buzzards Bay West Porter

750 ml bottle from the brewery..... dark brown almost black pour with lighter brown hues at the edges. thin off-white to light brown head..... aroma wasn’t anything too special. chocolate and lightly roasted malt..... flavors of chocolate and roasted malt with an equally high level of carbonation..... a better porter was had a little while later at cambridge brewing company.

750 ml bottle poured by one of the brewers. Pours a nice depe dark brown with a foamy lasting lightish beige head. Aroma is nutty and chocolates with a higher amount of fruity esters than expected- dark candied fruits- prunes raisin and some apricot- ligth dusty earthy hops. Good dark chocolate malt flavor- nutty dry roastiness, more dry dusty earthy and spicy hops, and a bit on the sweet side though. Carbonation is a bit on the higher end. Pretty good porter, but probably not worth the $10+ price tag for a regular porter in a 750 ml bottle.

Smell of burnt coffee, real dark roast. Tasted kind of portwiney, but with a wierd texture. Not bad, but the flavours did not really balance right.

From notes taken back in December: Pours deep brown with a tan head. Smells of coffee, chocolate, truffles and pepper. Tastes chocolatey with a nice full finish. Not a bad take on the style.

On tap at Jillian’s in Manchester. Was really excited to see a porter on tap (someplace other than Millys). That excitement quickly dissapated after tasting the beer. The beer had no real discernable aroma. Thin head with uneven lacing. Taste was overly malty with a hint of hops. Had a bit of a watery feel to it as well. I was hoping I just had a bad keg but it’s not seeming that way. Dissapointing to say the least.

Solid black color with a dark head. Coffee tasting with a dominating taste of chocolate malt.

Color is strictly ebon, head is thick and tall, a deep cocoa/brown. Aroma is perfect for a porter, full of all things nice: coffee, cream, toffee, a touch of chocolate. Rich, sweet, uplifting. Hop delivery is pleasing, though brief, upon the palate. Malt is fully in charge here, and is sweet and luscious. Very drinkable, and hops make return appearance throughout, allowing for for tasty texture and rewarding drinking. I would easily choose this excellent porter as a session brew, though I’d surely be distracted by the flavor.

2004 bottle. I knew my faith in this brewery was well-placed. Pours an ultra dark-brown, seemingly opaque though perhas just very dark, as I dont believe it is bottle conditioned/unfiltered. Anyways, dark as night with a solid, burnt tan head. Aroma gives away hints of rotten veggies at first, but as it warms and breathes, this turns in to a very deep underlying chocolate malt mixed with some smoked malt and salty roast. Flavor begins with a dose of salty, bacon like smoke, a big dose of rich dark coffee roast and moves in to a bit more of a sweet chocolate. Hops bitterness is not dominant, but is noticeable and provides good balance on the finish. Hints of licorice on the finish as well. Body begins with too much carbonation, my biggest complaint with this beer, but evens out as it sits. Because of the relatively high carbonation, the body comes across as medium to medium-full. The flavor, especially the roasty/smoky part is just divine though.