Great Dane Black Earth Porter

Brewed by Great Dane Pub & Brewery
Style: Porter
Madison, Wisconsin USA

Good stuff. Rich, roasty, coco goodness. This is packed with flavor for sure. Let it warm some for the full effect of the flavor blast. This is what a porter should taste like

On tap at the Great Dane Brew Pub (Downtown Madison Location). Poured a dark black color with red edges and a small sized off white head. Aromas of roast, coffee, and chocolate. Tastes of roast, coffee, chocoalte, and some caramel.

On tap @ the brewpub (downtown): Pours black with a dark tan head. Aroma, roasted malts, chocolate, some sweetness, and earthy notes. Flavor, chocolate, sweet, with some roasty earthy bitterness in there. Medium bodied, nice porter.

Chicago Trip. Sunday 23:01+. Sample tray. My favorite. Black. No light comes through the glass. Thick creamy head. Earthy dark malt aroma. Creamy coffee and dark malt. Very nice porter.

On tap at the downtown location. Opaque charcoal-brown body, thick light tan head. Complex aroma with burnt caramels, roasted malt, and interesting peaty notes. These characteristics dominated the body, which was soft with a salty, almost leathery mouthfeel. Coffee notes were also present. The peaty elements were really noticeable and unique. Very nice.

On-tap at the Great Dane on Doty. I thought this beer had an impressive array of flavors in it for a porter - it was roasty, buttery, and a bit sour. More complexity than I’ve become accustomed to from a porter. This beer poured a thin opaque black. Aroma was pleasantly malty and roasted, with some fairly subtle burned notes. Flavors were roasty at first, with a full-mouth butteriness I usually associate with some red wines. Later, as it warmed, I got a bit of sourness also. Mouthfeel was a bit flat and thin. All-in-all, I would recommend.

Original rating (6/3/7/3 - 13). Draft at the brewpub. Opaque black color. Head was tan, thin, and reduced quickly into a bubbly ring. Roast malt aroma with a hint of coffee. I didn’t detect much in terms of hops, particularly given the fact that it is "assertively hopped", but the were pleasant dark chocolate and roasty malt flavors. Not bad. Rerate: Cask at the brewpub (Fitchburg). I liked this much better from the cask. It poured a deep black color that didn’t let any light through. Head was thick and tan with good retention and lacing. Aroma was of dark chocolate, roasty malt, and grapefruity hops. Flavor was similar. Plenty of hops in this batch. Delicious, and much better than the first time I tried it at the downtown location.

On tap.
Pours a dark red-brown that allows a lot of light to pass through when held up to a light. A tan head with long retention sits atop the liquid all the way to the bottom but leaves surprisingly little lace on its way down. Aroma is dry-roast, earthy, grainy, and a very small hint of oddly placed mint. Strange. No mint in the flavor though, which is dry, almost burnt-carbon earthy grain up front, followed by a nice does of toffee and caramel. A tiny hint of dried fruit shows up as the beer warms. Disappointingly flat palate. A very drinkable porter.