Middle Ages The Duke Of Winship

Brewed by Middle Ages Brewing
Style: Porter
Syracuse, New York USA

A scotch porter, this sounds good. The look of it is enticing: a rich caramel colored thin head atop a medium dark brown body with some brown and burgundy hues in there as well. Somewhat sweet buttery scotch nose, somewhat buttery flavor as well. Seems to be pretty mild on the porter side of things, light toast and brown sugar flavor, slightly assertive smoke on the back of the tongue. Sweet overall with a decent woody scotch residue in the finish. Good stuff all around.

Courtesy of DocLock <P> Aroma is mostly sweet malt (caramel?) but hint of bread and brown sugar are also detectable. I swear this was a dark reddish brown when poured, but it turns dark black with a somewhat creamy, but mostly bubbly head. Some mildly smoky flavors in the fore with hints of carmelized roast beef proceed a sweet mildly chocolate/cocoa powder middle and vaguely molasses tinged finish. A different and worthy approach to the style.

Bottle from the Beer Yard. Pours very dark brown/black (very little light transmittance) with a 2-finger tan head. Aroma of roasty malt, nuts, cabernet, chocoff. The flavor is roasty malty, nutty, with a lot of chocoff and cabernet hints. The palate is dense and very complex. This is a damned fine porter. I’m glad I have 5 of these left. Seek this out, and do it today.

What a difference a year makes. There si something that doesn’t jibe with me-the smoky undercurrent which seems to conflict with the rest of this brew. I wonder if it changed or if I changed. My take has changed. ******************** This is my favorite Middle Ages beer so far. It has a roasted coffee-like buttery flavor and a medium wet finish which complements the flavor perfectly. Since I regularly drink coffee in the AM, this is a perfect PM beverage. The aroma is of molasses. If this beer was a bit drier and thicker, I’d rate it higher but its a very drinkable beer.

Deep russet. Finely layered dirty-white bubbles. Rocky and sticky as it settles. Clean aroma of fruitcake, plaster, and plums. Touch of butterscotch, coffee, caramelized sugar, and burnt wood. Soft, dense carbonation. Airy fluffiness melts into an acidic roasted barley snap kissed with black licorice. Body is slick with fruity esters but awash with minerals, which intensify the earthiness. Roasted wood flavor simultaneously imparts a body-building unsweetened chocolate character and accentuates the dryness. Roastiness steadily progresses, building into a sturdily structured, velvet-soft caress of chocolate malt and toffee crescendo, although the earthy peat and airiness eventually stabilize the richness. Incredible balance between the richness and dry roastiness, not to mention the squeaky clean Ringwood-derived attenuation. Finishes grittily dry with whispers of juicy hops, anise, and peat beneath a firm, dry chocolate and grainy roast backdrop. An absolutely stupendous take. Thanks, ElJefe.

Fairly sweet with a slight taste of chocolate. Decent color, though it could be darker. Also sweet aroma. Not bad, but I’ve had better.

Draft at the Grey Lodge in Philly. Rather ordinary porter. Tasted what it should be. Had a slight roasty finish.

Deep bronze body with a filmy grayish tan head. Aroma of toasted raisins and plums and mild coffee. Flavor is of dark malt, some roast, burnt fruit, molasses and licorice. Considerable sweetness and some roasty bitterness. A drinkable porter that improves as it warms. From a drinkability standpoint, this was the best of the Middle Ages sampler case that my dad bought for me in PA.