Great Divide St. Bridgets Porter (St. Brigids)

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

Nice deep black with a big poofy tan head. Interesting hoppy aroma and a relatively light-bodied flavor. Just teasing tones of java and cocoa, riding lightly in a relatively easy drinking, well balanced beer. This is porter for people who don’t like porter.

35,5cl bottle. Pours pitch black with a creamy brown head & amazing lacings. Aroma is roasted malts - chocolate & smoke mainly. Filling & smooth body. An ashy edge & chcolate dominates throughout. Bitter roasted end. Pretty good, though not the best brew from Great divide, not the worst either!

Bottle. Medium head with medium duration. Color is balck with a ruby hue. Aroma is licorice and coffee. Taste is licorice and oats. More light than robust as the name is implied.

Bottle.Dark brown colour with a beige head.. Aroma is sweet chocolate,rasberry,orange and hop. Flavour is the same.

Dark brown to black color with a thin head. Sweet coffee aroma, but turns to bitter coffee and chocolate in the taste. Balanced and tasty.

Bottled week 5 of January 2006 and drunk on 9/14/06.
Dark brown-black body still shows a light touch of deep, auburn-tinged mahogany, while a dark-beige head is about one finger in height, rather not-dense (can’t think of the antonym right now…) and shows moderate retention, low lacing. Lots of large bubbles in the liquid, yet the head retention isn’t that impressive nor is the lacing. I thought GD bottle conditioned their beers, but this surely dosent seem bottle conditioned.
The nose is soft, chocolatey and impresses upon me a strong resemblance to coffee cake. Light pale malt sugars resembling the icing and the easygoing, coffeeish chocolate malt providing the coffee. A slight note of peanut brittle adds some staleness, while a plasticy, overused yeast note arises on the end, especially after warming. Still, enough of a creamy malt note, not too overbearing, mixes with a slightly singed, lightly acidic porter-appropriate note to create a true enough aroma and to its credit the beer is 7 months old (though it was stored properly). Still wonder about the carbonation and pasteurization of this one though.
Very easygoing, simple chocolate and cream washes over the palate, with dots of light roastiness, but more of a heavily creamed/sugared coffee that hangs on in the finish. Some peanut brittle-like notes suggest pasteurization, but it could just be the age of the beer. Heavy plastic, not medicinal, but just rubbery and old is noted on the finish as well. Carbonation is zippy, not overly engaging and quickly loosens giving the beer a bit of wateriness as it warms. The well-extracted malts and appropriate attenuation (medium body) keep it quite drinkable though, if rather simple. No alcohol or oxidation (and now that I think about it, if it’s not oxidized, it most surely can’t be pasteurized) noted in aroma or flavor.

(355 ml bottle at The Rover) Clear deep ruby red color, big tan lasting head. Fresh hoppy, but also chocolate scent. Very fresh, like crisp vegetables, intial taste, transforming into smooth chocolate and ending in a bitter and roasted after taste. Medium low bitterness, smooth mouth feel.

Very nice robust porter overall. Sampled at the brewery @ GABF 05 week. Pours a very dark brown almost black with a light beige head. Aroma of lots of choclolate, caramel, toffee, and molasses. Some nuttiness in the flavor with more chocolate. Smooth lightly sweet finish.