Columbus Brewing 1859 Porter

On tap a brew week in Athens. Dark brown and clear, with no head. Very light for a porter. Coffee is the flavor I pick out first. A little bitter, but not too bad. As the beer warms, more malt comes through.

7/13/2009: Columbus 1859 Porter is a really nicely done, authentic robust porter. The aroma and flavor both have lots of darkly roasted grain and dark chocolate. There is some additional characteristics in the flavor including coffee, some slight mineral-like quality, and cocoa finish. The beer is very dark brown with a frothy, lasting tan head that leaves copious amounts of foamy lacing on the glass. This beer is also medium-bodied and smooth, but a touch more body/heft would have been appreciated. Nonetheless, this was a tasty, sessionable porter.

Pint (draught) at Buffalo Wild Wings in Athens, Ohio during Ohio Brew Week 2009. Rating #27 for this beer.

Draft at the brewpub. Reddish black color. A little bitter chocolate in the aroma. Some bitter chocolate sweetness flavor-wise, but a little too watery and light. Smooth and drinkable, average example of a US Porter.

This is a pretty good porter, but straight-forward (it’s what you’d expect a porter to be). Color is a black body that looks distinctly red as the light shines through it. Aroma is mostly dry roasty with some very limited chocolate notes. Flavor is roasty ("burned pizza crust") with some chocolate notes and a noticeable amount of hops (or is it just the power of suggestion from the beers description?). The roastiness imparts a quite dry mouthfeel which leaves a sticky chocolatey film in the mouth...mmmm. I would recommend this beer. I had it on-tap at the Columbus airport.

On tap at the brewpub.Pours black as night with a khaki head.The nose was hoppy and roasted. Some nice blending of hops, malts and coffe bitterness here.Finished off slightly dry.

A good light roasty aroma. This is a simple porter, a bit roasty, not heavy. Isn’t sweet. A pretty unassuming but drinkable beer.

Draft at brewpub. Roasty sweet nose, dark brown/black body, smallish head. Very roasty, fairly sweet, assertive chocolate/coffee flavors.

On Draft. A subdued roasty and sweet aroma, with similar taste, but with a little bit more malty, caramel action. A medium mouthfeel, with no real hop finish, just enough to clean up the malt. Overall not a groundbreaking beer, but a great example of the traditional style.