Flat Earth Cygnus X-1

Brewed by Flat Earth Brewing Company
Style: Porter
St. Paul, Minnesota USA

22oz bottle from incutrav...... pours a semi-transparent dark cola brown with a thin bubbly light brown head..... soft nose of roasted malt, chocolate, and a little smoke. not too assertive.... flavors of sweet, roasted malt with an added light sour component that becomes more apparent in the finish. some smoke at the end as well. pretty carbonated with a lively mouthfeel. dry finish on the tongue....this was ok.

Bottle from Ty and served in my trusty Stone IRS snifter:

"In the constellation of Cygnus
There lurks a mysterious, invisible force
The Black Hole Of Cygnus X-1"
Appearance: Hardly black, more a reddish brown with a fizzy beige head and spotty lace.

"On my ship, the ’Rocinante’
Wheeling through the galaxies,
Headed for the heart of Cygnus,
Headlong into mystery"
Aroma: Not much of a mystery here. Very much many of the standard porter vapours of walnut, chocolate, roast, light smoke, prune, herbal hops and a dusty yeast ester.

"Show you fire to keep you warm
Through the endless winter storm
You can live in grace and comfort
In the world that you transform."
Flavor: Not exactly graceful or warming within the flavor profile as the sweeter malt are moderately overpowered by hop bitterness and some lactic sourness. Notes of smoke, coffee, and dark fruits found within as well. That said the whole thing seems dumb downed and lack the punch I wanted.

"Some fought themselves, some fought each other
Most just followed one another
Lost and aimless like their brothers
For their Hearts were so unclear
And the Truth could not appear"
Palate: Sprite and fizzy upon the tongue, way too over carbonated IMO, chalky dryness upon the finish.

"We can walk our road together
If our goals are all the same
We can run alone and free
If we pursue a different aim"
Overall: If you are gonna name a beer after a black hole then it should be more powerful than this beer. The bitterness and acidity are far to much in play and the beer lacks proper balance, Cygnus would not be pleased. (Well at least I got a bottle to keep)
"Sound and fury
Drowns my heart"

Bottle (22oz) shared with HogTownHarry, tupalev & garthicus -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a very deep reddish-brown with an average size diminishing off-white head. Dry roasty aroma, slightly sour -- just O.K. Flavour of lightly roasted caramel malt, a decent amount of hops, some light sourness and a hint of chocolate. Thin and over-carbonated. Not bad, an O.K. Porter.

Pours a deep brown with an off white head. Aroma of roast and chocolate. Taste is roughly the same that finisheswith a bit of bitterness/sweetness/tangy. Didn’t care for the finish.

Bottle shared with Hogtown Harry, Blankboy, and Garthicus, courtesy of Harry. Musty aroma, a little sweet. Very dark brown, small off white head/ Nice taste - roasty, nutty, nice hops in finish. A little too carbonated and foamy for a porter. Not bad, much better than the other Flat Earth beer we tried at this tasting.

Bottle. Pours dark brown with no real color hues. Aroma and flavor are that of chocolate, some hoppiness, caramel. and spice. A decent beer.

Bottle, thanks mgumby. Opaque dark brown. Small white head. Lots of peat, smoke, and metal aromas. Great nougat sweetness. Vanilla, toffee, coffee, chocolate. Lovely licorice finish. Smooth.

22 oz bottle, thanks to kmweaver for hooking me up with this! Pours a clear brown with almost a ruby hue when held to the light. Nice one finger foamy beige head that left lots of sticky lacing. The nose is roasty and nutty, a little chocolaty, and has a little earthy dirt smell. The flavor is dry roasty malt with touches of bitter chocolate and some burnt caramel. Finishes with a touch of malt and hop bitterness and a slight tinge of almost a sour mash like twang. Mouthfeel is fizzy and spritzy with a bit too much foaming carbonation. The result of all the carbonation leads to a thinnish feel in the middle. It finishes a little bit stronger with a slight clingyness. Overall, a pretty decent effort, I look forward to trying more from these guys.