Tyranena Chief BlackHawk Porter

Brewed by Tyranena Brewing
Style: Porter
Lake Mills, Wisconsin USA

Nice tan head, good retention and lace. Clear, dark brown hued ale. Nose is light roast, chocolatey notes, lightly fruity and a tad earthy. Medium body, some black patent astringency. Light roasty flavors, chcoclate, hint of coffee and some cocoa. Nice dry roasty finish. Thanks eaglefan!

Bottle from Bockyhorsey. Pours a brown color, some light mahoganey edges, good head and lacing. The aroma was nice roasty cocoa-chocolate, faint notes of lactic/fruity elements (but in a nice way, subtle, supportive). The flavor was much the same, ever so smooth, wonderfully melded together in a style that typically is ho hum for me. Mouthfeel was a touch on the light to medium side. Nevertheless, an excellent job on this one, perhaps among the best porters I’ve had. Thanks much, Bill and Wendy, you win some and lose some (well w/ beer, rarely a true loss), this was a winner!

Thanks to Ughsmash for this one. Dark, opaque pour of blackish brown that throws up a huge head of light brown. Lots of malt aroma here, warm bread or cookies from the oven, chocolate milk, molasses and toasted malt. Flavor follows the aroma. Solid body, smooth.

Tried this beer on tap at Riverside Brewery in West Bend, WI. Very nice smell of dark roasted malted barley. Dark brown color with a tan head. Medium flavor, not overdone. II could taste notes of dark chocolate and coffee but these subdued and set against a background of malt. Very well balanced beer. Palate was also medium. I initially expected a thicker body but I did not find this beer as syrupy as many Porter’s tend to be.

Pours with a quickly disappearing tan head. Very deep brown color. Aroma is roasted malt and slight hoppiness. Taste is at once sweet and smooth and sour and grainy. To explain better, the initial mouthfeel is silky but quickly transforms into a sour grainy mash mid-mouth feel. Finish is a twinge of bitterness, slightly sour, a hint of roundness and hops. Meh.

12oz Bottle $6.99 6-Pack Whitetail, Hayward Chief Blackhawk pours chestnut brown with mahogany highlights when backlit. A one + finger beige head formed on the pour that slowly feel to a thick cap becoming creamy as it does. Leaves nice drink lines after each sip. Aroma consists of lightly roasted malts. A slight lactic aroma comes through toward the middle with a nice helping of bittersweet chocolate bringing up the rear. Mild metallic twang toward the back, slightly weaker than I’d like. Flavor is right on with the aroma minus that metallic twang. Starts off with lightly roasted malts. Mild dark berry and lactic qualities come through mid-palate. Finishes with a slightly gritty bittersweet chocolate on the swallow. Again, very common flavors but the pieces fall right into place making this a good drinker. Medium bodied with a slickness on the swallow. Sluggish carbonation lets this beer push through on its own. Good drinkability. A porter that’s exceptionally easy to put away. Good drink on cooler Fall nights. Chief Blackhawk is one of my favorite sessionable porters. It’s to bad it’s not sold down here in Illinois cause the fridge would be stocked up this time of year. Another good brew from Tyranena. 10/1/07

On tap at Thirsty Troll Brewfest

I’ve skipped over this so many times at the store it was time to finally give it a try. I have been missing out on a gem. While it is not the most amazing porter it is solid in all aspects. There are only a few flaws but nothing major.

Aroma / Appearance - Hershey’s chocolate, burnt marshmellows and cocoa almost make it into smores. Iced coffee completes the effective nose. It’s not intense but it does enough. The pour resulted in a deep brown body with a sandy brown head.

Flavor / Palate - Coffee, bittersweet chocolate and charcoal wash across the senses almost immediately. The throat stays wet even after the glass is empty. The mouthfeel might be a little thin for a porter but not watery. For the price this is one of the best porters you can find in Wisconsin.

Good coffee aroma. Head dissipates quickly. To me it seemed thin for a porter. But maybe that is just me.