French Broad Rosebud Harvest Porter

Brewed by French Broad Brewing Co.
Style: Porter
Asheville, North Carolina USA

Sampled at Brewgrass 2007 as "Rosebud Porter". Mostly clear chestnut color with an off-white head. Light malt-roast aromas with some residual sweetness. Very light watery body. Light roasted finish, mild hop presence. Pretty low key, almost a brown ale.

Pours a slightly hazy dark brown, with a thick, foamy light brown head. Some roast and chocolate notes are evident, with a little hop and dark malt presence. The flavor was medium bodied, with a small roasty component. A little bitter going down because the hops seemed to show up some. Not a bad porter, but could have used a little more body to it. Decent.

Black, with a thin tan head. Smells like coffee and cream, very nice aroma. Nice roasty, coffee flavors with a touch of vanilla and dark chocolate. The roasty flavors really become more pronounced as it warms, as well as some smoky notes. On tap, Barley’s, Asheville.

Draught at Barley’s in Asheville. Pours dark mahogany with beige head. The aroma is light molasses, some nuts, some ash. The flavor is nutty with some chocolate and ashy notes. There is an interesting yeast character throughout. It finishes with an oddly smoky hint. Not bad.

Draught. Pours a really dark ruby, near black, without much head. The aroma is really mild. I get hints of musty basement, whiskey barrel, earth. Kind of reminds me of a mild ale in the nose. The flavor delivers a lot more heartiness. Lots of meat and ashy flavor dominate while the coffee is kept in check. The finish is smoky and tart. I get a bit of cola initially, but the roastier, meatier flavors are the strongest. In today’s world, this is a pretty unique porter. I liked it.