Sunday River Black Bear Porter

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

Bu à Great Lost Bear, à Portland, Maine, en fut (20 oz). Brune très foncée, moyen collet beige avec de la denteille. Arome de chocolat malté doux, avec des notes de caramels, Bon goût de malte sucré de chocolat au lait, très peu amère et très doux dans la bouche.

12oz bottle. Pours a very dark cherry-cola color, with the slightest amount of light coming through the center; khaki-colored head with great retention and foamy lacing; a beautiful pour. Slight cocoa and bitter chocolate in the aroma; somewhat resigned. Very nicely composed in the mouth: lively carbonation and citrus bitterness at the edges of the tongue, with a dense, well-roasted core of dark chocolate and charred malts; satisfying and very drinkable. Lengthy, bitter chocolate and roasted malt finish.

7/10/2007: Stone Coast Black Bear Porter pours a clear, very dark mahogany brown color. The foamy tan head slowly collapses and leaves a lasting, frothy crown. The aroma is malty and sweet with some hints of chocolate, roasted malt, caramelized malt, and dark fruit. Based on the aroma, I have a feeling that this bottle might have some age on it. It smells a lot like an aged barleywine, but with some darker roasted malt added... The flavor has some dark chocolate, caramelized malt, and deep fruitiness, but it just quite delivered on everything that the aroma had alluded to. That’s a bit of a let down, but the flavor is still plenty robust. The finish is dry and contains mostly dark chocolate, black coffee, some char, and a nicely controlled bitterness that really works to balance this beer. The medium body seems to contain a bit too much carbonation. Black Bear Porter is good overall.

12 oz bottle via trade with porterhouse (June 2007). Thanks Kevin! Rating #58 for this beer...

(Bottle) Pours a brown body with a small tan head. Aroma of chocolate, lactose, and caramel. Flavor of roasted malt, chocolate, and mild hops.

12 ounce bottle from Beers of the World in Rochester, NY (June 2007), served from a Unibroue glass at cellar temperature. Beautiful snowflake lacing results as the thick, medium-bubbled dark tan head slowly recedes atop the dark translucent purple-black liquid….terrific caramel-overlaying milk and dark chocolates and light roasty espresso, just dynamite if you like a sweet porter in the aroma….pretty wonderful on the tongue as well, the roasty-bitter characteristics are quite muted at first in favor of thick milky vanilla-chocolate, but they come to the fore midpalate along with a surprisingly bitter, oily hop texture for a very dry, almost mouthpuckering, burnt and potent finish….carbonation is low and natural, and there’s a faint hint of grit in the mouthfeel….a hint of grape and blackberry comes in with half the glass done….this is terrific stuff, bravo.

Deep brown body with reddish highlights, thin off-white head. Light chocolate aroma, sweet, with roasted malt. Sweet, fruity black malt dominates the body, balanced by earthy hops and a slightly chalky, earthy finish. Acidity punctuates the finish. Decent.

Pours a solid dark brown. The aroma is malty undertones and a caramel scent. It has a roasted malt flavor. The carbonation is somewhat lacking but a very tasty first beer of the night.

On tap at David Coperfield’s. Opaque black with a white head. This is a sweet stout,with caramel and some chocolate malt. it’s OK as a stout, I don’t know if the Cascade hops add a lot. There is roastiness in the taste and in the aroma. Noticeable lace. Above average carbonation.