Tyranena Chief BlackHawk Porter

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

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Pours a deep, dark mahogany that has light showing through only on the edges. There is a small and short-lived beige head that leaves a soapy film on top fed by a constant stream of bubbles from the bottom. The aroma is a pleasant mix of sweet dark chocolate malts and lightly roasted coffee. It’s not the most powerful nose but it’s definitely pleasant and well balanced. The taste is much like the nose with a sweet chocolate malt backbone with some roasted coffee on top. The taste has a slightly bitter espresso character that lingers on the palate but it’s definitely not overly bitter. The mouthfeel is creamy, smooth and on the fuller side of things for the style. This is a very solid porter - well balanced with good flavors given the relatively low ABV. If you’re looking for something exotic or extreme, then no need to try this one, but if you’re looking for a solid, sessionable porter, look no further.

Black, with very thin head. Sweet caramel, molasses aroma. Medium body, with a bitter malt flavor. Finishes a bit long.

Roasted malts with hints of coffee. Slightly hoppy also with some notes of perfume and vanilla. Average fizzy off white head. Medium amber brown body. Light to medium body with fizzy carbonation. Slightly astringent.

Bottle - I had several of these, and thought much less of it the first time I had it as compared to the second and third bottles. It pours a deep mahogany with a small tan head. Nose is roast, lactose, smoke, charcoal. Taste is bitter chocolate, a touch of bourbon, lots of lactose, with a real burnt finish. It’s lovely and complex, with coffee grounds in the aftertaste. At first the burnt taste was too much, but after a while it grew on me and the other flavors peeked their heads out from behind it. Hello, other flavors! It’s thick and creamy, but the carbonation really bites. I love Tyranena’s BGW porters, and now I can see why.

12 oz bottle courtesy of Three Cellars (Franklin, WI). Pours a nice dark hue, almost black, largely opaque, with moderate light brown head that cakes a bit and dies just a bit, laces well. Aromas push some nice chocolate and creaminess, light coffee comes in fuller on second check, with some fine roasted notes. Sweetness and roast mix and balance well. Initial is a good medium body, a bit bland up front and watery, moving into a good bitterness preaching chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts, moving into a creaminess, vanilla and chocolate, further into the body. Caramel malt shows up a bit, but largely chocolate and vanilla show the sweetness. The finish returns to bitterness, coffee and roast with bittersweet chocolate. Nice mix and range of flavors. A good solid porter. Cheers!

[Bottle] Pours deep brown with a small brown head. Aroma is slightly bittersweet chocolate, roasted coffee beans, and some vanilla. Flavor is slightly bitter with a touch of vanilla sweetness, some cocoa powder, and dry roastiness.

On tap - poured dark brown with decent sized tan head. Aroma - chocolate, toasted malt and hint of vanilla. Flavor - coco, coffee and mild nutty taste. Palate - thin mouthfeel with little carbonation. Finish is mild with no aftertaste. Overall - pretty basic porter, tastes good and is easy to drink.

bottled 21 july 2008 by way of moelikebeer...

pours slightly darker than the usual ruby brown porter color with a small tan head and sporadic lace spots. it smells... bitter?.. sort of a cocoa powder, ashy high roast, tannic thing going on with notes of coffee, tar, lactic sourness, roasty grain and some twig-like earthiness and dryness. the flavor has lots of coffee (fresh roasted indonesian blend)... especially in the aftertaste where it gets dry and ashy. chocolate and caramel notes are faint and kept in the background so bitter roast, lactic sourness and spice can shine. the sourness seems to get stronger as it warms. medium body with prickly dryness and an almost chalky mouth feel from the ashiness... if you enjoy chocolate porters than this one is not for you...7/4/6/3/15/3.5