MacTarnahans Blackwatch Cream Porter

Brewed by Portland Brewing Company (Pyramid)
Style: Porter
Portland, Oregon USA

12oz bottle. Pours a very dark brown, almost black body with a finger-width, brown head that dissipates quickly and leaves a light lacing. Aroma is very rich. Lots of rich chocolates and deep brown malts. Sweet with some molasses, creamy roasts, fruit, and a mild earthy bitterness. Flavor is similar. Rich chocolates, oaty and nutty deep brown malts, bitter roasts, molasses, and a light earthy coffee hopped finish. Dry, medium bodied, and lingers with a roasty brown malt, chocolate, earthy fruit aftertaste and some coffee. Overall, not bad. Flavorful and balanced. Lots of creamy porter taste with a hint of deep brown ale characteristics. Good one.

12 oz. bottle. pours a thin mocha head of poor duration, over a clear dark brown (SRM 25) body........nose is coffee, chocolate.........taste is primarily of heavily roasted malts (coffee,chocolate), dry throughout, slight hoppy astringency towards the end......mouthfeel is very light, no creaminess from oatmeal, carbonation rather high. This is much too simple and light to be very highly rated.

This used to be one of my go to beers when I was just getting started on my beer drinking odyssey about 8 or 9 years ago. Revisiting it now, I’m not as high on it, but it’s still not a bad beer by any means. Dark brown pour with a solid tan head with heavy lacing. Hefty malty aroma and flavor with some solid chocolate and an extremely light amount of coffee. Medium mouthfeel.

surprisingly dark black/brown ruby tinted pour is capped by a gigantic creamy hot cocoa colored head... great retention as a ring is still there after the beer is gone. the nose is initially sparkling mineral water?... metal, cream, roasty grain, dust, an almost smoky ashiness, flowers and a faint sourness. at times it smells a lot like graham crackers. there are a bunch of components in the flavor profile but they are are really muted... cocoa, blood/rust/metal, noticeable mild ash, caramel cream, toasted nuts, cheesey coffee and a nice sourness on the finish. the aftertaste is a mouth full of flowers. medium bodied with a creamy mouth feel which is intensified when consumed directly from the bottle. there is a nice sharpness/acidity which helps keep it drinkable.6/4/6/4/13/3.3

12 ounce bottle from the Libation Station in Johnson City, Tennessee. Pours black with a large tan head. Good head retention and decent lacing. Big roasted malt notes in the aroma with faint minty hops. Taste is roasted malts, caramel, green apple, hops. Thin bodied with a creamy mouthfeel.

Bottle Pours dark brown/almost black with a 3 finger creamy tan head that results in thick lacing. The nose is milk chocolate, dark fruits and roast. The taste is roasted malt, cocoa, lactose and light coffee in the finish. Lighter mouthfeel than expected. Decent porter.

The aroma is very creamy with heavily toasted malt and coffee. There is also chocolate. The appearance is dark brown with a respectable head. The flavor is like the aroma with a bitter burnt finish. The palate is smooth but somewhat thin. Overall it has a lot of good qualities but just doesn’t taste as good as it could.

Bottle. Poured a black color with a creamy head. Aroma was roasted malts and chocolate. Flavor was roasted malts and some bitters in the aftertaste. Very rich and complex. Medium bodied. Better than expected and great beer.