General Lafayette Chocolate Thunder Porter

Brewed by General Lafayette Inn and Brewery
Style: Porter
Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania USA

Growler courtesy of JB175. Many thanks for making this possible, finally. I’ve been waiting a long time for this one. Pours a light devouring black body with a huge, creamy mocha colored head. Great lasting power and then excellent lacing once most of the head is gone. A ring of foam sticks around for the duration of the beer. Heavenly nose - milk and dark chocolate, bitter roasted espresso beans, coffee grounds, vanilla extract, roasted malts and cocoa powder. Allowing it to warm brings out new aromas at every turn. Beer just doesn’t smell much better than this, to me at least. Flavor is huge on chocolate - all kinds: milk, dark, bittersweet. Also the espresso notes are very prominent in the form of a huge roasted note, along with a background sweetness that I can only think of as vanilla or creamer. To me, even moreso than the nose, the palate is the best part of this beer. Chewy body, full bodied and very filling. Unbelievably sticky and coating mouthfeel, sticks with you for a tremendous amount of time after each sip. Carbonation is lively and perfect. Finish is roasty, bitter and super lengthy. A world class brew, and my favorite porter ever.

Growler. Dark mocha head, slow recession, ringlet lacing imparted, a thick ring remains. The body is midnight black, opaque and pours smooth and thick. The aroma is pleasantly roasty with loads of bittersweet chocolate and lesser hints of caramel, disorganized dark fruits(cherry, raspberry, blueberry, plum) , nuts(cashew and pecan)coffee and mild smoke and ashen earthiness. Subtle hints of mentholatum, herbal hops, lactose and vanilla syrup add depth to an already lovely nose. Alcohol is only barely detectable. No flaws noted. Every warming degree brings with it a new complexity, a new interest, new life. The flavor is very appealing. Chocolate is sweet, then bitter, sweetness overall is medium and just the right amount. Bitterness is mild and hops are green. Astringency is low to mild and growing. The mouthfeel is powdery and chocolate seems more like cocoa powder and half-ground/half-whole coffee beans. Medium-full bodied, chewy and filling, handsomely carbonated and very drinkable. The finish is off-dry, chocolatey, lightly grainy, very roasty and enduring. A great beer.

Courtesy Quake! Pours dark as midnight with a glorious dark tan head. Full on roasted aroma, with a coffee and, not surprisingly, chocolate coming to the fore front. Some interesting fig notes, ending with some sweet spices Flavor is more of the same. very roasted flavor, with a great espresso like finish. Flavor continues for quite some time. Awesome beer.

Courtesy Quake1028. Growler. Pours back as night, with a thick, foamy light brown head. Great looking. Smells of dense chocolate, some mild coffee, dark malts, and maybe even a touch of some mint in there. The flavor was sweet chocolate, some toasted malts, and light roast. The chocolate was definitely the main character, so appropriately named. Slight bitterness in the aftertaste. Carbonation seems to have held up pretty good. A little earthiness in there too that was unique. Very sticky mouthfeel, with a chocolate aftertaste. Very nice brew. Thanks for sharing John!!

Date: 07/25/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

opaque brown, fine beige head, streaky lace, smokey chocolate aroma, rich chocolate flavor, lots of coffee character, caramel sweetness bring out the rich chocolate,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

Tap @ General Lafayette. Poured a very dark brown to black color with a tan head. The aroma was roasty. Roasted malt flavor with notes of dark chocolate and light coffee on the finish. This beer likee their others was estery. Some warmth in the chest. Semi-dry with a moderately bitter finish. Medium bodied.

Bottle sampled. Pours a dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts. Flavor is rich and smooth and similar to aroma with a light bitter finish. A very good porter.

Poured very black. Aroma of chocolate and dark fruits. Nice smooth flavor with a lot of boldness. Alittle tartness to it. A nice sweetness and unique porter.