Mad River Steelhead Scotch Porter

Brewed by Mad River Brewery
Style: Porter
Blue Lake, California USA

A nice porter! Not as dark as some but still very good. Definitly has a smokey flavor to it, and a nice aroma.

One of the myriad of beers I had while enjoying myself with my family, my brothers family, and his neighbors families on a day after, the day after Thanksgiving Dinner. I’ve had several chances to pour myself this beer, but I always seemed to trade away all my bottles, but a quick stop at my BevMo, I noticed they had some in so I picked up a sixer to make sure, this time I was able to have some. The pour is a deep, deep brownish/blackish color with a nice one-finger thick dark brown head. Inhaling the aroma, the first thing that hit my senses was the molasses. Then the onslaught of coffee, dark chocolate and a touch of toffee (reminded me of those Skor candy bars...love those). Mouthfeel is creamy, soft and smooth. Flavor is an incredible amalgamation of roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, a touch of liquid smoke with a smooth, clean finish. Really, a top notch porter that I think should be deserving of a bit more recognition.

Pours a dark, though not super dark brown to black with a thin film of a light tan head. The nose is really very nice. Lightly sweet caramel malt, a bit of chocolate, and that hint of smoke in the backdrop. Bigger deeper sniffs reveal a rich bittersweet chocolate and a bit of floral hops. Some bits fo creamy coffee. The palate is a bit creamier and smoother than it seems at first glance. A bit viscous. Low carbonation. The flavors are just a cut below the lovely nose. Very soft gentle sweetness. Roast comes on. Some decent caramel. The chocolate is more subdued. The smokey peat is a bit more up front. A bit acidic. Long roasty finish. A bit too much charcoal for my taste, not just for a stout. Perhaps a bit chalky. This beer is rather close to being a smashing success, but considering most breweries can’t make a decent beer, I’ll certainly settle for this.

This was a nice beer. Almost a combo of two styles, I could drink this on a fall evening. Worth trying.

An interesting porter. Aroma was so-so. Could pick up chocolate, roasted malt and coffee. Pour was a flat black to near black with no head. Taste was a bit weak. Coffee, chocolate malt and vanilla in the front. The mouthfeel was a little thin and barely carbonated. There was one big suprise. Sediment. Never saw sediment in a porter, but oh well. All in all I was suprised how high this is rated. Sub par IMO.

Sweet coffee/Chocolate Aroma. Dark brown color with thick milky head. Thick creamy texture and a smokey, almost burnt flavor.

10/20/07 On draught at Uber, Seattle. Aroma is sweet roast malt forward, almost like a sweet stout. Appearance is very dark brown/black with a very low off-white head. Flavor is sweet chocolatey malt with no hop bittering or character. Mouthfeel is medium/high bodied with a sweet finish and a medium carb feel. Overall, for me, the sweetness was just right, even for a porter. Unfortunately, this might be a bit too rich for some.

Bottle. Butterscotch and chocolate malt aroma with light bitterness. Dark black-brown color with large tan head. Slightly bitter charcoal, coffee and chocolate malt flavor with creamy vanilla aftertaste. Nice - just a bit on the rough side.