Sunday River Black Bear Porter

Brewed by Sunday River Brewpub and Restaurant
Style: Porter
Bethel, Maine USA

Decent head with light carbonation. Roasty and chocolaty aroma with some sweet malts and dark fruit. Color is a very dark brown. Ooh, not that great a flavor. Thin and watery with an astringent bitterness and some roasted grains. Bit of carbon and coffee bitterness. Finishes strong and roasty with a lingering bitterness and chalkyness. Not very good.

(Bottle.) Pours with little head, not as dark as some porters (I can see through it against a very bright light). Aroma typical for a porter, but weak. Has a thin, peppery sort of carbonation, like seltzer water from a soda fountain. Tastes pretty good, a little bitter, and not too sweet. Thin, but this can be a good thing--pretty refreshing. Overall, I do not think this is a very good match for the style--it’s not rich enough. But it was an enjoyable beer. The best aspect of it are that it lacks the (unpleasant) heavy sweetness that dominates many porters. They would do well to add more hops...I don’t taste enough hops; what bitterness there is seems to come from the roast.

12 oz bottle. Not as dark as I’ve come to expect from porters, but a nice nose, light brown head. There’s a sweetness that I can’t quite place, not carmel, but something light, almost fruity. Makes for a distinctive flavor. Not bad, but I wouldn’t make it a regular.

Thick deep brown/black color. I seem to detect a honey presence in the beer. Not super roasty, but a nice full body. Enough quality malt and hops to balance out the sweetness. A good, unique porter.

Poured a deep, opaque black, slightly watery with a foamy, lacing, slightly off white head. Smells of roasted malts, coffee and sugar. Overall flavor is a bit off, roasted malts are there, but so is an artificial sweetness that doesn’t fit. Finish was typical porter, coffee type bitterness and lasting roasted flavor. Barely enjoyable.

Bouteille de 12 oz achetée chez Beverage Warehouse (Winooski, VT). Arôme: Odeur de raisins et de chocolat avec une pointe de cerises. Apparence: La couleur est noire opaque. Présence d’un mince col beige mousseux avec une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de raisins et de café. Longue durée de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement vineuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Présence de café en arrière goût. (Rating #1264)

12oz bottle. Poured a medium to deeper brown color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of cocoa, roast, chocolate, and burnt caramel. Tastes of chocolate, roast, and caramel.

Black Bear Porter is deep brown, like a chocolate lab, with a bubbly tan head and has a lot of light-colored particles floating around in it. The aroma is of chocolate, maybe licorice and minty herbs... wintergreen? It is hollow and dry. It sports a medium body that leans on the light side with a slightly tannic finish. The flavor is chocolaty, nutty and dry. It is well balanced. This is what a nut brown should be like.