San Diego Choco-Latte Porter

Brewed by San Diego Brewing Company
Style: Porter
San Diego, California USA

On tap at Liar’s Club. Dark brown with a fizzy tan head. Good burnt coffee and chocolate aroma. Rich milk chocolate taste.

tap at the brewpub - Pours very dark brown with a creamy head. The aroma is of rich chocolate and roast malt. The flavor is sweet chocolate and of course the dark roast malts. I think the coffee was in there but I barely tasted it. This smooth, medium bodied brew is a good quality porter, but didn’t blow me away.

on nitro-pours a retaining light brown head and black color. Aroma is dark malt-roasty/coffee/chocolate/nutty, acidity. Taste is dark malt-cocoa powder, dark malt-roasty/coffee/chocolate/nutty, acidity. A bit on the light side of medium body. Not my style.

On tap at brewery. A beer that knocked my socks off at the brewery before I knew how high it was rated. A dried cococoffee on the nose. A dark brown pour with light gooey lace. A large choco flavor on the front that reminds me of vending machine hot chocolate only thicker. Solid mouthfeel lite carbonation. Just the slightest hint thin but not much. A very nice porter.

On tap (nitro) @ San Diego Brewing brewpub. Pours out deep dark brown with the classic creamy tan nitro tapped head and sheet lacing. There is a mild aroma of roasted malts, coffee and malt sweetness. The nose could be a bit bolder. The initial taste was one of those WOW experiences. It bursts with rich velvety dark chocolate, chocolate covered malt balls and coffee, yum. Great mouth feel too. I also get mild vanilla and then moments of burnt malts. The classic Porter burnt (or highly roasted) malts take a back seat to the chocolate malts and coffee. Great tasting brew that seems to include a bit of a heavy cream Latte type sensation.

Date: 12/04/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

clear dark brown, lasting fine tan head, lots of drippy lace, strong chocolate and coffee aroma, rich chocolate flavor with lots of coffee character, nice sweetness bring out the chocolate and balances the coffee,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

Tap @ O’Briens. Sorry to be the wet blanket, but this was a bit much. Pours dark brown with a lighter brown head; like a hot chocolate. Shocker, the taste is... like a cold hot chocolate. Nearly all chocolate and cream, with a hint of bitterness (apparently that makes it a porter instead of a milkshake). I like to give the local boys a break, but I just can’t do it with this one.

I am not a chocolate fan so was not expecting to like it at first taste. It poured a deep black with rich creamy head. The aroma had a pronounced chocolate and toffee. Moderate body with a well balanced chocolate taste very pleasant easy drinking porter. It’s the kind of session beer you could drink all day, very unusual for a porter. I would highly recommend this beer to everyone.