SKA Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter

Brewed by SKA Brewing
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Durango, Colorado USA

pours black with a red tint and a quickly fading thin brown head. aroma is cherry’s, malt, and a touch of hops. has a light to medium body with a touch of lacing and a lot of carbonation for a porter. flavor is cherry’s, malt, a touch of hops and there is some coffee characteristics as well. there is a little alcohol burn going down but not bad of a porter. there is also a small alcohol aroma and flavor as it warms and the coffee comes out more as well. flavor has a little more sweetness on the second pour which was a plus.

22 oz bomber thanks to boboski. Poured a very nice looking dark black with a very light brown small foamy head that quickly disipates. Aroma was lots of chocolate, vanilla and a little bit of fruitiness. Body was watery and the flavor was similiar to the aroma but felt watered down. Not sure what makes this an "Imperial Porter" versus a regular Porter? I think if it just said Porter my expectations wouldn’t have been as high and it might of rated slightly better.

5/01/2007: SKA Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter is very dark, near black in color and opaque. There is a foamy beige head that trys to hold out for the duration. The aroma is nutty chocolate with some yeasty undertones while the head is present. Semi-sweet chocolate dominates the aroma However, this porter doesn’t seem to be robust enough and is lacking depth. The body is medium-full and is soft, mellow, approaching creamy, and almost too smooth on the palate. 22 oz bottle (blue wax-sealed) shared with Rob.

Bottle, courtesy of Hogtown Harry. Dark brown/black with lots of red, big thick creamy brown head, looks great. Mild aroma but pleasing - soft sweet chocolate, a bit of burnt toffee in there as well. Taste - mmm, nice. Lots of roast up front, some coffee, followed by some dark fruit, and then more roast, this time much more coffee in nature with maybe some hops at then end as well (or bitterness from the roast). Really nice sweet character to the whole package with just a bit of burn as well. Man, this is one tasty beverage - is it really a Baltic Porter? I guess it has to be with this alcohol, but I completely associate that label with a different style. To me, this is just a kicked up porter that maintains its porter integrity. And it is damn tasty.

22oz. Bomber $5.99 Binny’s Orland Nefarious Ten Pin poured a completely opaque black. Not one hint of light shows through the body of this beer. In fact the blackness actually sucks in the light and just gobbles it up. A brown frothy head faded to a fat capping before I drank. Leaves sheeted lacing with each drink. Very nice. The smell for some reason is slightly vegetal and sweet. There are some roasty malts and chocolates in the background. Along with a sprinkling of brown sugar in there as well. The vegetal nature of the smell is a turn off but when you get deeper and smell the chocolate and other malts it’s nice. There is a brown sugar aroma in there as well. As it warms the smells mingle better. Starts off with deeply toasted malts and dark chocolate. The malts and chocolate go nicely together and the chocolate adds a touch of bitterness. On the finish there is a slight touch of aspirin bitterness along with a warming from the alcohol. These two things add nice depth. This beer is medium bodied and slightly chewy. Coats the entire mouth and goes down rather smoothly. Mild carbonation lets everything work through on its own. Good mouthfeel. This is a sipper and a fairly easy one to put away. The alcohol just lends a nice warming of the throat. Tastes good and goes down smooth. I could drink these for awhile, especially on a cold day like today. Overall this is a pretty impressive beer. Some aspects are better than others but it is an enjoyable expierence. Definate cold weather beer that will help keep you warm. Notes: Let this warm. The warmer it gets the better it smells and tastes. I’d recommend 50+ 12/25/06

Pours a dark black color with a tan head. Has no lacing. Has good roasted malt and coffee flavor. Could be a little silkier on the tongue. Has hints of chocolate, and faint fruits. Has a thin finish on the tongue.

Clear brown-black pour with a short off-white head. Strong roasted malt and cocoa aroma. Blend of the same with a strong hop profile. Somewhat out of balance, but got better as it warmed. Never found the bing cherry, but the coffee, smoke, and cream flavors were nicely woven into the beer. Smooth, wtih a bitter finish.

WBF-Raleigh. Clear deep ruby body with a small off-white head. Sweet roasted malt aroma. Sweet chocolate and roasted malt flavor.