Mendocino Winter Ale (04/05 - Porter)

Formerly brewed at Olde Saratoga Brewing (Mendocino Brewing Co.)
Style: Porter
Saratoga Springs, New York USA

12 oz bottle. Sunless thick opacity topped by a rich gravy-brown head with medium duration and thick brown lacing....roasty cocoa in the fairly simple but intense nose...the body repeats the dark chocolate accents and adds some cola, milky malt, with a dry, bitter but full finish. Nothing especially original here, but near-flawless execution makes it a winner.

Aroma is pretty nice, heavy coffee, espresso, bittersweet chocolate, caramel and smoke. Body is black, with a light mocha head that is well lasting. Taste is some what indifferant, heavily roasted, which blocks out a lot of the sweetness that I’m used to in porters. Espresso is the dominate taste in this beer.

Well, in theory, this is #800. Bottle. Slight roasty chocolate hints, but also hints of piney citrus PNW hops in the nose as well. This beer apears to be a bit iconoclastic. Not what I expect from a porter. Almost entirely opaque dark dark brown with a brown frothy head. Roasty velvety chocolate soothing maltiness to start BLINDSIDED BY A FRICKEN IPA AT THE END. Hoppy, citrus PNW hops to finish off this promising "porter" I initially thought this was going to be a quality porter, but they apparently had some IPA left and watered this beer down with the left over IPA. PNW hops and porters dont mix.

Head is initially average sized, frothy, brown, mostly diminishing. Body is opaque black (flashlight tested), bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (roasted grain, caramel, chocolate), moderately hoppy (resin/pine, apricot), with a note of vanilla, hint of smoke/ashes. Flavor is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, heavily acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, creamy texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Nice appearance and mouthfeel, with an acceptable aroma (the hops are assertive and not of the kind I enjoy, but they’re balanced ok with the malt), but sheesh is it ever sour! Undrinkably so.

Pours jet black with a thick light brown head. Excellent chocolate, roasty HOPPY aroma. Flavor has notes of chocolate, coffee, roasted malts and a citrusy character due to the boatload of hops. Roasty, slightly burnt aftertaste. Medium body with a soft texture and subtle carbonation. Overall, I’m surprised, good stuff.

Black with a tan head. Powerful hop aroma. Flavor is sour coffee and bitter chocolate. The chocolate is there for sure, but the caramel is hardly noticeable. Some sweetness in the finish.

Dark brown, almost black with a small tan head. Nice roasted chocolate malt aroma, with some caramel and a good amount of hops. Flavor starts off with roasted malts, then quickly changes to a nice hoppy finish. Very enjoyable.

Obsidian pour with a splotchy tan head. Aroma of malt, chocoff, fruit, toffee. Tastes malty, with hops, fruit, chocoff, and hints of spicy florals. Complex, nicely balanced, and delicious.