Mad River Steelhead Scotch Porter

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

Wow, this was a winner! Hadn’t read the label until consuming, was wondering how in the heck this would come off: a Scotch Porter? Well, I missed out on anything Scottish about it, no peat or anything like that in my bottle. Just a nice rich porter (almost imperial porter), chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts in the aroma and flavor. Full flavor and mouthfeel. Right on!

Pours almost black with almost no head. A very smokey type taste. A tad bitter. Overall not very bad.

Bottle. This is one mouthfull of beer. Style-wise, it’s a little to thick for me. And certainly over-hopped. I love it. Khaki brown head over a ruddy black body. Perfume of hops and roasted malt. I searched for the peat, and when I foundit, the hops slammed the door shut. Big roasted malt and chocolate (the bitter kind) fill the senses and earthy hops make this beer a thinker.

Bottle poured a clear dark reddish brown with a small dissapating amber head. Aromas of roasted malt, carmel, hint of chocolate and some smoke. Palate was light bodied and dry. Flavors of roasted malt, carmel, smoke and a hint of chocolate with a dry bittersweet finish.

Bottled. Poured a deeper chestnut brown with a loose beige head and a whole helluva lot of sediment suspended in there... not too pretty. Nose was odd, yet quite enjoyable... semi-sweet chocolate, smoked peat, and roasted barley were the major players... woodiness, very faint fruit, and coffee played a supporting role. Flavor was nicely malted with burnt coffee wrestling roasted chocolate for the lead. Smoked peat and other dark malts were there, too. Mouthfeel was quite light with a bit of a cola feel to it. Flavors played well, and the transition to the finish was smooth. Very good.

Pours a rich blackish brown with thin light tan head. Nose is faint and malty with some roasty notes. Flavor is a sweet porter with a nice woody alcohol note.

Courtesy of Springslicker <P> Rich chocolate aroma along with a slight smokiness and lots of sweet dark fruit notes that I find quite appealing. A black body supports a thumb thick tan head that fades quickly. Fore is smooth and chocolatey with a hint of vanilla, dried cherries and caramel. The flavor is very nice, subtle in intensity, but with good range.

Excellent example of the hybid style "Scotch Porter". This beer has excellent sweet malty and toffee notes, married with aromas and flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, and roast. Steel Head Scotch Porter pours to a beautiful deep brown color, with a thick and creamy tan head, and a soft carbonation. The nose on this beer is fantastic, with aromas of sweet malt, toffee, dark chocolate, and roast. The palate is soft and fat on the tongue, with lots of good sweet malty flavor, paired with dark chocolate, and coffee flavors. This beer finishes with more great malt flavors, then ends with some roasty and dry notes, that take the cloying edge off this beer. Delicious beer that works well as an after dinner drink, or a perfect match to a rich desert.