San Diego Monster Mash

Taster@San Diego Festival of Beers: Black color with a small tan head. Aroma is dark chocolate. Flavor starts chocolaty with a hint of smoke and a light coffee bitterness in the finish. Medium-full body is smooth with soft carbonation.

On Tap @ San Diego Brewing Company. This is really a Baltic Porter according to the Master Brewery Dean Rouleau. The listing here is WRONG. Dark dark brown with nice light brown head. Aroma is chocolate and sweet malts. Nice rich malty flavor of chocolate, molasses and a hint of toffee. Finish is rather chocolaty. Very nice taste. A bit different than the high gravity Polish and Flying Dog Baltic Porters I’ve tried. Recommended.

Tap, SDBC. Pours a very dark color. Slight hints of ruby around the edges. Aroma is mostly strong roasted maltiness. Some sweetness as well. Some chocolate and roasted maltiness in the flavors. Didn’t really get the spice. Good stuff.

Draft at the brewery. Dark brown pour with a very thin head. Dissapates quickly. Malty aromas. Defintley a dark beer, and spicy too. Flavors are very similar with a bit more sweetness coming though. A touch vinous on the finish. Pretty good in time for Halloween.

(Draft: San Diego Brewing Company in San Diego, CA) Good spiced dark beer for Halloween. The flavor is very spicy, hoppy, sweet and strongly roasted. A moderate smokiness comes out in the finish, as well as the bitter roastiness becoming dominant. Alcohol is very evident right from the start. Medium to full bodied, but all the spice is a bit harsh on the palate. The nose is dark roasted, sweet, and moderately spicy, just like the flavor. Very dark brown in color and fully opaque. Smallish light tan head becomes a sheen very quickly.