Great Divide St. Bridgets Porter (St. Brigids)

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Denver, Colorado USA

Pours a very dark brown color with a 2 cm thick light tan head. Sweet rost flavor with a small hint of smokiness and a bit of dark chocolate. Creamy palate. Smooth taste - dark roast character throughout with a satisfyingly dry finish. I’m definitely going to put this into the session rotation.

[Tasted in Niels’ summerhouse with the RISKY-bros’.] Too much cabonation in this beer. After a while it went into its best temperature and it got only a little better, but had expected more from this very respected brewery. Better luck next time. Maybe it was a monday bottle.

Bottle: Dark brown pour with a small tan head. Thick lacing. Nose of heavy roast, coffee, and chocolate. Taste is packed with lots of heavy roasted malt, dark chocolate, and coffee. A little hop bitters and roast in the tail. Creamy and smooth.

Tap at Barcade: Very deep brown color, almost opaque with hints of ruby clarity in the light. Has a creamy tan head. Roasty malt aroma with tons of nuttyness and hints of chocolate. The flavor has a fairly good malt profile. There’s lots of nutty flavor in this porter, with some mocha aspects as well. Has a big peanut butter flavor in there. Stuff also has a licorice like saltiness toward the semi-dry roasty finish. Tastes like peanut butter and licorice. Stuff is interesting.

Pours a dark brown color with a light tan head that dissapears quickly. Aroma is pretty light with roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, slight hint of dark fruits. Flavor starts off a linger stronger then I thought it would from the aroma. Begins with the roasted malts, chocolate, and coffee. Finishes with some dark fruit and molasses and a slight bitterness that came from nowhere. An okay porter but not really that great.

Sorry, this one just didn’t do it for me. The word "Robust" is sorely out of place on the label. Dry, but light, thin and not very complex. Where’s the depth? Brought the other half of the 6-pack to a friend’s shindig. Overpriced for sure.

Appearance: Dark cola brown. Modest off-white head, though wispy, and lacking any substantial lacing. Smell: Not an overly fragrant brew. Only a mild bouquet of toasted grains, a soft aroma of dark chocolate with a very slight buttery hint of diacetyl. Taste: Roastiness, chocolate, carob, and coffee flavors are all present, but all are fairly muted. It all just comes across as just a little flat and unimaginative to me. This beer leaves the taste buds yearning for more flavor, more depth. Mouthfeel: Starts off uncomfortably watery; this aspect becomes more and more apparent as time goes on. Beyond a lingering astringency, there really isn’t a finish to speak of. "Robust" is a complete overstatement. "I am altering the beer. Pray I don’t alter it any further." Drinkability: Being rather light for the style, coupled with the 5.9% alcohol, this beer goes down easy. Although, while it is drinkable, I’ll look elsewhere to fulfill my "robust" porter needs.

Bottled at Bishops Arms, Avenyn, Göteborg, Sweden. Dark brown, small beige head. Fruity and roasted malt aroma, some citric hops. Medium bodoed, good carbonation. Good balance. A bit dull.