Ruby Mountain Bristlecone Brown Porter

Great beer from my latest stop at Booze Bros. in Reno NV. Always nice to find something that brewed in that state, as I wind up going there 4-5 times a year. The last two beers I had from Ruby Mountain were just a bit above average so this was a huge leap in terms of enjoyment.

The beer pours out a dark brown, nearly black liquid with some red poking thru at the edges. A nice big frothy head greeted me at the pour and the lacing was in fine form. The aroma had some dark chocolate/cocoa thing going on, a bit of walnut oil, and a smidge of vanilla. The flavor carried the chocolate in the aroma over to the taste buds, as it was quite chocolate forward. Some coffee, a bit nutty, with a bit of earthiness showing up towards the backend of things (perhaps the hops?). The best beer brewed from Nevada by far. Very nice.

Bottle from Ely, NV. Deep amber in color. Lightly sweet aroma with a hint of chocolate. Lightly sweet chocolate flavor with a little bit of roasted malt.

Bottled. I thought that this was an excellent porter. The body was dark brown with some garnet at the edges. A light brown colored head. The aroma was strong cocoa with some light coffee. There were also some roasted peanuts. The taste was cocoa with some light coffee. The body had low carbonation and that helped to make this easy to drink. Very nicely done.

A dark clear brown porter with a thin moka head. Musty herbal chocolate aroma. In mouth, a chocolate malt, lightly roasted, with nutty notes, lighter bodied, but quite nice. Bought at Booze Bros, Reno, August 2007. Sampled June 8, 2008.

Bottle from Booze Bros., in Reno, NV. Poured a very dark brown with a small head. Roasted malts dominated the flavor of the beer. A little bit of nutty flavor during the aftertaste. Not a bad brew.

DTM picked this one up from Nevada. It was a light porter (?) with distinct chocolate, cigar, and nutty overtones. Definitely not a great porter, but a departure from the norm.

Pretty boring porter if you ask me. Thin body, kind of roasty, some malt and grain, and a bit of floral hops. Small hints of cocoa and nuts.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown body with reddish-hued edges and topped by a thin, fizzy off-white head. Smell: Faint cocoa aroma with some sharp fruity notes. Taste: Brown malts with a sweetish cocoa taste. A juggernaut fruity twanginess runs down all the other flavors. Hint of bitterness. Sourish finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: A bit of a disappointment, I didn’t care for this porter at all.