Mendocino Winter Ale (04/05 - Porter)

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

Silhouetted matte black with a glorious thickly pour, which surprised the hell out of me, I was expecting a brown ale-like pour but got a nearly Imperial Stout-like pour. Great cap too, nice and tall with a covering of smooth dark tan foam. Settles to a pretty heavy skim and leaves lacing in sticky little webbings, some bigger globs, and broken sheeting as well. Looks awesome! Whoa, smells awesome too! Holy complex array of hops and roasty things Batman! An intriguing mix of bittered chocolate and oily pineous orange-tinted hops make the front very warming with scrumptious hints to coffee roast and heavy, dark roasted malting. Yet, all the while keeps one hugely hopped up edge of breathy pinewoody earth. Maduro tobacco cigars soaked in chocolate and molasses spring to life as it warms. This is an unbelievable nose, one I could smell all day! Great hop and roast medley thats akin to Alpha Klaus. Ahhhh, favorable taster but somethings missing a bit from the strength the nose gives way to. Not sure what it is but its a bit tamer then given what the nose portrays. Any-who, it’s still damn good with a moderate bittering of chocolate and hops with weighty bits of roasted grains and malts. Caramel centers it with a touch of Heath Bar-like toffee and malted milk balls coating and texturizing. Ends with a repeating fresh coffee sense, burnt molasses, and slight tobacco juice decorating the finish with a medley of left over sweet roasted malt and hoppy dryness that sits for a good while leaving notes of charred pine super late. Again, the mix of roast and hops makes for one delightful treat. There’s bits of smokened dark fruits in there breaking inbetween what room is left from the hops and roast, which ain’t much but they do add some terrific little captions along the way. Body is about medium, nudging towards a thicker turn with a firm hold of fluffy texture thats both hoppy and roasty the whole time. Complex, drying, roasty, hoppy, lingering, stagering, oh great now the 7% hits. Wow! Even so, this was gone in no time flat. Take OSA and Alpha Klaus and this is what you come up with? One fantastic brew. Yum!

dark black with a thick bubbly tan head. citrus hop mixed with roast chocolate and coffee nose. like a choclolate orange. very high level of hops but is still balanced. a little lactic in the finish, but somehow leaves a fresh clean mouthfeel. there are lots of competing flavors in this. this is a damn fine beer.

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.

Bottle. Deep dark brown in color with a nice tan head. Roasty aroma. Roasty flavor. Rich aroma. Chocolate, coffee, and caramel flavors. Smooth flavor. Full bodied. Really nice beer. Fresh hop aroma. Excellent beer.

Bottle. Deep dark brown with a tan head. Almost stout colored. Aroma is a rich blend of hops, chocolate, coffee, and carmel. Flavor is smooth with rich coffee, milk chocolate, and hop flavor and bitterness. This is real nice, and the hops are fresh. Hoppy roastiness lingers. Reminds me of the FFF Alpha Klaus Porter, and a side by side is in order.

Thickly pour, opaque and black as night with a tan dust swirl and corresponding wrung to serve as the head. Aroma gets me going - sharp espresso bitterness with cursive dark chocolate and a formidable rye presence. Blackened, burnt caramel over charred oatmeal. Dark chocolate truffles bridge the nose to the mouth. Dry, bitter coffee grinds and unsweetened cocoa parley into the flavor’s grand capacity. Caked, nearly dried out espresso, eaten out of the tin by the fork load. Blackened rye and cackled pepper kernels. Charred oat flakes and a strong black patent forte. Salvatory quest on the palate and chewy, yet arid at other times and sometimes syrupy to boot. That being said, it’s formidably balanced on all fronts. Bullying espresso and unsweetened baker’s chocolate contribute to the dry, unquenching bitter memoir. One of the best porters around.

Black with a big thick brown head. Aroma of roast, coffee and hops. Flavor of roasted malt. With a hops and chocolate finish.

Picked up one of last 3 cases at Saratoga Brewery this weekend for $15.00. Good deal, as I think it’s actually better in the bottle than on tap-less oily-tasting.