Etna Old Grind Porter

Brewed by Etna Brewing Co.
Style: Porter
Etna, California USA

Nice dark pour. Initially pretty hoppy, but the flavor shifts to some bitter chocolate/coffee tones. Mid glass I noticed a grapefruit tinge. Finishes with earthy feel on the tongue. Not bad.

Coffee, cocoa and diacetyl nose. More coffee and cocoa on the palate with mild bitterness and roast.

Pours dark brown with a fizzy tan head. Smells of chocolate, coffee, some touches of spice and pepper. Tastes chocolate with a complimentary amount of bitterness but lacking in malt depth. Not a whole lot else going on. Mouthfeel is thin and watery with a chocolatey finish.

22 oz bottle, via Dubbercody. Pours a clear medium brown colored body with a moderate fizzy and foamy light brown head that faded fairly quickly. Aroma is of mostly chocolate malt with a nice dose of coffee and a touch of roast. Flavor is similar to aroma, lots of chocolate malt with some roast and a light hoppy bitterness on the finish. Lighter hints of coffee. Mouthfeel is lighter bodied with fizzy active carbonation and a fairly watery texture. Overall, a nice drinkabe Porter. Nothing over the top, but pretty solid.

Roasty light chocolate aroma. Deep brown color with a thin tan head. Sweet floral notes, followed by chocolate, roasted malt and hop. Very tasty, and the sort of ale that could be drunk any time. Most porters don’t work that way. This is a very inviting ale.

This was a pretty mild porter, but actually that made it easy to drink on a warm summer night in ashland. Nose is a bit roasty. Flavor is sweet. Smooth finish with slight acidity. Not bad.

12 oz. bottle, thanks to DarkElf. Pours dark brown, with garnet highlights and a huge, fluffy beige head that leaves spotty lace as it diminishes. Aroma of roasty malts, bitter chocolate, dark brown sugar and floral hops. Flavor is congruent with aroma, lots of roasty malts, bakers chocolate, day old coffee and a bit of sour milk. Medium to full body and gentle carbonation.

(22 oz bottle: $3.39 at Liquor Barn in Redding, CA) The flavor’s not bad, there just isn’t enough of it. The toastiness really stands out, and for me, that’s always a nice addition to a darker beer, but not much else is all that evident. Roast is quite mild, bitterness is light, I suppose one could say there is a hint of lightly sweet, dark chocolate in the background, but in general, this is a toasty porter. The nose is less pleasant, presenting a bit of grain and stinky feet to counter the mild toastiness. Body is medium, but while the body seems light for a porter, it seems to fit the lighter flavor profile of this beer. Carbonation is light to moderate. Light in color compared to most porters, coming in between brick red and medium brown, with a definite degree of transparency. Small, quarter-inch head on the pour is light tan in color, and as expected for a head this size, it settles to a wide ring, but fairly impressive lacing consists of several scattered large patches. Overall, a mild-mannered and pleasant beer, but pretty light for a porter, maybe even knocking on the door of a brown ale.