Pours very dark , coca cola colour . Smell is spiced , slightly sweet . Taste is bit bitter, cacao , sharp dark malts .

Can. An almost black one, topped by a small, dense light beige head. There’s coffee, dark chocolate and some brown sugar in the aroma. Hints of dried fruits too. It’s full bodied and smooth on the palate, semi dry and pleasantly carbonated. Brown sugar, prunes, some roasted malts and mocha. Some vanilla hints. Lasting finish. Very smooth and tasteful, well worth a revisit. 150207

5oz pour at the Revolution brew pub pours a translucent, deep brown with some cloudy, white head. Nose has lots of roasty notes, mild coffee, burnt toast, pencil lead, some chocolate. Flavor is malty, molasses, heavy toast, some coffee, a little dirt, some roasted mushroom. Dry finish.

A can I picked up at the South Loop Binny’s in Chicago as part of make your own mix 6-pack for 10$. 6.8% It pours pitch black with a beige head of foam that leaves spotty lacing behind. Served in a snifter it has a sweet savoury chocolate aroma with hints of smoked honey glazed ham. Medium to full bodied with a fairly smooth mouthfeel. The taste is meaty dark bitter chocolate, a hint of smoked ham, very savoury and sweet with a mildly roasty semi-dry finish. This is really nice.

One of those porters whose head comes out in varying shades of cappuccino, rather pretty. Solid black beer underneath. Smell is a little light, but shows up with some chocolate roast malt at first sniff. Taste is of bitter cocoa and coffee, balanced by a little milk sugar sweetness. So there’s some grainy harshness from black malt, with a little support from some sweetness. I find myself liking it more than I would something with black bitter malt, but perhaps the balance again is speaking to me. Nit much in the way of individual hops to find.

12 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 12/11/2013. Pours fairly cloudy nearly opaque dark brown color with a 1 finger fairly dense tan head with decent retention, that reduces to a thin ring of lace that lingers. Minimal lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of dark chocolate, raisin, plum, cocoa, roasted malt, light coffee, caramel, toast, dark bread, light char, herbal, and roasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good complexity of dark/roast/bready malt notes with light-moderate fruitiness; with solid strength. Taste of milk chocolate, cocoa, roasted malt, caramel, toast, dark bread, light coffee, herbal, light raisin/plum, and toasted earthiness. Light herbal/roast bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, roasted malt, caramel, toast, dark bread, light coffee, light raisin/plum, and toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and robustness of dark/roast/bready malt flavors with light yeast fruitiness; with zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a moderately creamy and smooth mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warming present after the finish. Overall this is a nice porter. Good balance and robustness of dark/roast/bready malt flavors with light yeast fruitiness; and very smooth to sip on. A nicely enjoyable offering.

Tap at Revolution. Look like a stout in the pint glass. Rather large tan head with good retention. Nose really tempts you to indulge. Milk chocolate, mild notes of herbal/ green coffee beans and deep roasted grain. The flavor gives me nearly every flavor of deep roasted malts. Dark chocolate, slight char, molasses, coffee grounds and this is all balance with a light Earthy, dirty herbal hop. The mouthfeel is medium too heavy for the style. Carbonation gives a mildly creamy texture…. Yeah, this is good!

Very nice dark brown body with a thick, four centimetre tall light brown head. Aroma of strong chocolate, celery (odd), alcohol, cherries and some milk. Medium to Full-bodied; Strong chocolate and roasted malt flavour with milk, cherries, oak, vanilla and some lighter coffee flavours noticeable. Aftertaste shows a well-rounded malt note with some deeper alcohol, cacao, nuts, earth and a light mushroomy flavour. Overall, a very nice and strong porter with a lot of flavour and complexity and some smooth and subtle sweetness that packs a punch. Definitely worth trying if you can find it and well worth suitcase space if you aren’t from here! I sampled this twelve ounce can purchased from Binny’s in Chicago (South Loop), Illinois on 21-August-2013 for US$1.67 sampled at home in Washington on 24-November-2013.

Tap at Revolution Brewing, Milwaulkee Ave, Chicago. Poured a dark brown colour with a thin round light tan head. The aroma is weak roasted malt. The flavour is medium to strong bitter with a huge malt liqourice palate. Not bad at all.