Depot Street DSB Pullman Porter

Brewed by Depot Street Brewing
Style: Porter
Jonesborough, Tennessee USA

@Knoxville Brewers Jam-on tap-pours a light brown head and dark brown color. Aroma is dark malt-molasses/coffee, secondary earthy hops. Taste is dark malt-licorice/molasses/coffee, secondary earthy hops.

Sampled at the 13th Annual Knoxville Brewer’s Jam. Dark brown-black, beige head. Roasty coffee aroma, chocolate. Taste is thinner but has roasted coffee, some caramel and chocolate.

Draft at Knoxville Brewer’s Jam. Opaque black with a lasting ring of cream sitting on top. Coffee and chocolate on the nose. Coffee, light sour cream and caramel flavors, with a roasted nut finish. Light-medium body is drinkably watery and roasty-dry.

The aroma has coffee, chocolate, roasted malt, and a touch of sourness. The appearance is dark brown with an average head. The flavor is like the aroma and not quite to my liking. The palate is thin. Overall its not a very good porter.

Draft sample at Knoxville Brew Jam. Poured a dark brown color with an average frothy brown head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate roasted coffee malt aroma. Medium body. Medium roasted balanced flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. Smooth brew, my expectations where met.

From a 12 hour-old growler. Pours a very dark brown which is noticeably cloudy. A tall tan head comprised of large bubbles sits on top. The aroma is very roasty. I’m not sure if the Pullman Porter has always had coffee as an actual ingredient, but it definitely does now as indicated by the tap handle and the brewer on duty. Coffee is way up front in the nose with a bit of cream and chocolate for balance. The mouth is pretty thin for a porter, but the flavor is just so roasty and creamy that I don’t mind at all. A bit of milky sweetness and dark chocolate linger in the finish while a sharp, but clean, bitterness livens up things a bit. I’m picking up a bit of walnut flavor now. So, this is not the most full bodied of porters, but the coffee works very well with the other flavors and really saves the whole beer. It actually has a consistency and flavor profile of regular iced coffee, which I enjoy on a hot day. I’ve always had a soft spot for Depot Street, but never really been able to thoroughly enjoy most of their beers. I’ve finally found one that I could drink on a regular basis.

Pours a rich cocoa brown with a head of tan. Aromas whisper a dusting of cocoa powder and ground coffee. Sweet chocolatey flavor begins the experience, then an onrush of bitter almond skin flurries over the tastebuds. Sweet and enjoyable, then too too bitter for my tastes. Smooth body, but it is ruined by the bitter flair. Could have been so much more...

Barrel Draught from the jug at the GABF, Colorado Convention Center 01/10/2005 Dark coloured and slightly rich on the palate. Some bitterness in a lasting coffee finish.