Great Divide St. Bridgets Porter (St. Brigids)

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

Highly recommended. Not sweet. Smooth and enjoyable. This is on the lighter side of porters, I’d say. It begs the question: Who is this St. Brigid and why is this tasty brew named after her? Is she the patron saint of porters? In fairness, this is a touch bitter.

Bouteille de 12 oz achetée chez Julio’s Liquors (Westborough, MA). Arôme: Odeur de céréales grillées et de chocolat. Apparence: La couleur est noire opaque avec une faible densité de bulle. Présence d’un large col beige mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de café et de chocolat avec une pointe de lactose. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture minérale. Forte effervescence en bouche. Présence de torréfaction en arrière goût. (Rating #1825)

Exudes with coffee, chocolate, and a some ’burntness.’ Carbonated and full-bodied, bringing the mouth a dose of thick, mouthfeel. Residual sweetness lingers on the roof of the mouth. Has that nice, zingy bite of hops that I yearn for in a porter. Quite enjoyable.

Pour is a thin-looking dark brown, semi-clear, and head disappears fast leaving no lace in its place. Nose and flavors both weak and in the salt-free soy sauce vein. Not roasty. A bit lactic. Thin, bland, boring. A disappointment.

12oz. Bottle: Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, and soy sauce. Poured dark red/dark brown in color with a small tan head that disappeared. Clear. Sparkling. Light to medium bitter flavor. Tastes of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, cream, and a bit of piney hops. Medium body. Average texture. Average carbonation. Roasted malt finish. Boring.

Pours dark and murky with a small tan head. Nothing much to say about this one. A very light and easy to drink porter. Full of roasted malt and coffee and chocolate. Average but very enjoyable.

Black with brown edges, thin, foamy tan head. Big Charcoal, coffee aroma. Easily quaffable, with big flavors of mocha and coffee and a slight hop bite. Would be a nice everyday porter.

Wow, I’m really surprised by how many people panned this beer. I thought it was wonderful, especially in the American style of porter. Dark brown with ruby in the light, a bit of lacing by my pour but nothing that sticks around for long. Generous coffee, roasted, vinous/grape aroma that has suggestions of a mild Imperial Stout, and the flavor contains a fair dose of hops (here’s where I say the "American style"), but it produces a nice long finish with the touch of bittering hops that leaves one thinking this is the product of bitter chocolate and burnt pieces of toast thrown into the brew. Very dry; definitely thin, even to a porter, it just glides on down my throat with a very thin, oily quality. Still, for aroma and flavor this is very drinkable and enjoyable. This might become a beer that I pick up once in a while; I think it would be a great beer to try in a pot of chili.