John Sleeman Presents Fine Porter

Brewed by Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. (Sapporo)
Style: Porter
Guelph, Canada

Very dark chestnut brown colour. Not much head. Aroma is light, a little dusty, with notes of nuts, cheap coffee, and multigrain toast. Flavour has some roasty astringency, lots of toast and nut. Body is a little thin, not uncommon in old-school porters. What I miss, though, as old-school porter seems to be what they’re aiming for, is a little bit of fruitiness that the best examples display. This is lager-clean. I could also do with a chewier finish - this beer’s finish is roasty dry.

2004 (23/9/04) Vintage. Clear bottle. Poured a dark brown with a larger sized (4 finger) tan head. Aromas of light vanilla, light chocolate and some caramel. Tastes of chocolate, coffee and caramel. Some nutiness came out as I drank it. Has a somewhat of a sour finish to it (bordering on bitter but turns to a sourness). Thin and watery body. Some lacing left on the glass.

The Lure:
Dry roasty malts conversing quietly with some oatmeal. Big bubbles sometimes hang on the glass.

The Festivities:
Herbal hops mix with the dry roastiness and a faint sweetness attempts to marry them.

Transcendence:
My uncle was proud of this one.

Deep brown colour with a nice thick lasting tan head. Sticky lacing. Caramel aroma, a hint of chocolate. Flavour shows sweetness on the front, toasted barley and a long bitter finish. Not a great example, but I’ve had worse.

Has the appearance more of a brown ale than a porter, but that’s not such a big deal. At first it almost smells like some skunky bottle, but then it turns into a plasticy brown sugar aroma with some really sweet cola notes as well. Moderate thickness and texture, not too thin, not that thick... very light flavors: maple and vanilla, some gritty, earthy brown-ale malt flavors, finishing with an oversweet maple and candy-like sugar coating on the mouth. Can’t say I enjoyed this one that much.

In the description it reads, "Tasting Notes: Fine Porter is one of the more flavourful styles of ale. It has a rather bold, malty taste and a deep, rich colour." There should be an arrow on the bottle pointing at another beer. This is drinkable, having a faint chocolatey, fruity nose. The flavor is lightly roasted malt, old coffee, and stale nuts. It’s too thin, too almost a porter.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Armanetti, Willowbrook, IL<font size=-1>

Actually a decent looking pour with a dark brown color and a mountain of light chocolate mousse. Weak nose, with some caramel, toffee and a touch of viennese coffee. Sweet and acidic when it come down to it. Some dark caramel comes together with mild , yet somewhat in your face bitterness that takes over the finish and leave the linger hanging like some dried herbs. A schwartz and porter cross.

Bottle. Pours clear brown with an average frothy light brown head that was lasting with fair lacing. Moderate roasted coffee nutty aroma. Medium to full body. Balanced bittersweet flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of an average duration. Drinkable porter.