Mendocino Winter Ale (04/05 - Porter)

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

Very dark, big brown head. Nose roasty, bit of chocolate, some hoppiness. Similar flavor profile, expected roasts with some hops. Reasonably creamy. It’s a decent porter, nothing phenomenal, but good stuff.

Bottled. Pours near pitch black with a tanned brown frothy head. Nose is hoppy and roasty with milder coffee and chocolate notes. Taste is suitably roasted as well with a nice sweetened chocolate flavor complimented by a subdued hop profile. Nice! Light coffee notes throughout as well. Body is moderate with light carbonation feel and is generally smooth. Finishes with lightly bittered coffee, cocoa, and a mild hoppiness. I suppose you could age this but I don’t see this progressing much past 6-8 months. Seems "ready to drink" now.

Dark brown coloured body, about 90% opaque with a smallish off-white head. Aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, coffee with some prominant high a.a. hops. Medium to Full-bodied; Strong roasty flavours run well, with some bitter nuttiness and even the hops come out as well. Aftertaste shows complexity and the roastiness lasts long while the sugars come out as well. Overall, much better than I had expected from a sub-par brewery. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle, purchased from Norm’s in Vienna, Virginia on 28-December-2004.

Wow, poured deep and dark brown, almost black. Nice fluffy light brown head. Smells like a porter. Aroma of roasted caramel and chocolate, followed ever so slightly by the tempting pine and hop. There might even be some citrus in here. Full mouth feel, again with roasted caramel and mocha. There is the hops kicking in my nose with the tingle of a pleasant effervescent. This is a hoppy porter. I like this, there are some other spices kicking around as it warms. This is very nice. Go get this if dark brew is for you.

Beer #2 on my Christmas Eve 2004 mini-winter beer binge. Another decent "winter" beer. Pretty nice porter. This was really super roasty. I liked that.

Thanks to Suttree for this one! Deep and dark with a tall mocha colored head. Roast malt aroma with lots of coffee. Full body with a flavor that starts with some roast malt bitterness and finishes with a nicely sweet, but subtle finish. One of Mendocino’s better efforts.

Bottle: Dark brown hue with a small but lasting head and okay lace. The aroma has notes of caramelized and toasted malts, mocha, light pine, floral hops, and earthy yeast esters. The taste starts moderately hoppy and bitter with a light mill bill. Noticeable chocolate and smoky notes as well. The finish displays some minor spices and a grapefruit twang. The feel is chalky, slightly metallic, and lively. I nice starter to the evening, not complex, but still quite quaffable. Thanks JPDipso for donating this to our gathering.

Rich, nearly opaque dark brown with a thin tan head. Sweet caramel and roasted malt aroma has a pleasant touch of hops. Has a sweet dark chocolate and coffee body with a great hop balance and smooth roasty finish. This tastes like Alpha Klaus’ little brother. Many thanks to JPDIPSO for donating this to the WI gathering!