SKA Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter

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

Bottle (650ml). Shared with blankboy, GregClow, jerc and tupalev - my bottle. Pours black with an average beige creamy lasting head. Creamy deep roast malt aroma, coffee, sour cherry, cream and dry hops. Taste is extremely bitter - hops and alcohol in quantity - very roasty, almost burnt - nuts, a hint of cola, molasses - almost syrup-like, very thick body, acidic yet sweet, a little flat - excellent porter, strong and sweet, like a turkish coffee with lots of sweetener.

(05.02.06) One pint, 6 oz brown bottle from Archer Liquors, Chicago, IL. 8% ABV. Poured opaque black with giant tan head. No discernable carbonation. Roasted malt aroma. Medium bodied porter that starts dry with light malt sweetness. Roasted malt and expresso coffee flavors. Finished dry with light roasted malt fade. Some lingering bitterness. Smooth and creamy in the mouth. Too thin and watery flavored for an imperial porter, this is a very good porter nonetheless. UPDATE (05.06.06) On tap at Firkin’s, Libertyville, IL. Poured opaque brown black with small tan head. Medium bodied porter that started dry with roasted malt and licorice flavors. Finished with light malt fade. The tap version lacked the complex character of the bottled version and deserved a lower rating but I will keep the original bottle rating as is.

ww, garsh. I just can’t resist a wax-covered bottle head and I also love skeletons and so even though I wasn’t really bowled over (a hur hur) by the regular Ten Pin Porter and other beers I had from Ska, I decided to fork over a decent chunk of change for a bomber of this here brew. Pours a very dark ruby with a small white head. Rather pedestrian pour, but it’s saved by good lacing. Smells of deep coffee and light roasted malts. Not very strong at all, not very complex at all. Nice, but weak. Tastes great. Very complex roasted malt starts off with coffee and hazelnut, like a fine café latte, getting chocolately sweet near the middle and ending with a light, bittersweet hop. Good, but not as intense I as I had expected. I would have merely thought this a good, borderline very good, regular porter were the word "imperial" not so present on the bottle. As is, it’s a good beer, but it loses points for not being potent enough to rank as a good example of either an imeperial or Batlic porter. Still, well worth a try.

Strong, chalky, rich aroma with some lactose. Nice. Completely opaque body. Good sized yellowish tan head. Slight dark brown hues at the bottom of the glass. Some lace. Initially strong alcohol profile that tastes stronger than 8%, but then the palate gets used to it and the alcohol’s not as strong. A little too dry. Light to moderate hop profile at the back of the tongue. A very good brew. The appearance (lace, head) isn’t there, but otherwise, very solid.

Black with a small, frothy, tan head. Aroma of roasty, burnt chocoffee, licorice, and subtle alcohol. Same flavor only the alcohol is no longer subtle. Full, smooth body. Solid porter.

On tap at Map Room, Chicago: pitch black color with a small tan head on top. Light roasted malt nose with a bit chocolate. Some sour milk in the taste at first followed by a burnt malt taste - papery finish. Kind of dry and cardboardy.

Roasted nose, black color, frothy beige head. Chocolate notes, coffee end. Napkin, papery touch in the finish too. Thinish with a creamy feel. Decent.

When I cut the wax and pop the cap, I notice some rust on the inside of the cap! Isn’t wax supposed to prevent this kind of thing from happening? Sure enough, I detect oxidation in the aroma. What happened here? (And a better question... why did I sit on this bottle for six months before opening it? Seems like I hatched a lemon.) Pours near-black with garnet highlights, but it takes a long time for my glass to fill due to the enormous tan head that towers over the rim and settles slow in a rocky mass. Dank, dusty, roasted malts with prune and a helping of piney hops in the aroma, harsh alcohol when warm. Flavor finds chocolate and roasted bitterness, but alcohol is hot and adds to a metallic taste. The mouthfeel, however, is smooth and creamy. I don’t know... I hate to say it, but the best thing about this beer may be it’s name and label (although Ska’s original <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/ska-ten-pin-port Pin was none-too-impressive, either.)

<font size=-4>Purchased at <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Chicago, IL 60638<font size=-1>