7.9

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned in 11/2018. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread crust; with lighter notes of smoke, charcoal, molasses, dark fruit, wood, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread crust; with lighter notes of smoke, charcoal, molasses, dark fruit, wood, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, woody, floral, grassy, peppery hop; and roast/charcoal bitterness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a nice roast/hop bitter/sweet balance, and no acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky/grainy, and fairly sticky/chalky, and lightly resinous balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Minimal warming alcohol for 6.5%. Overall this a delicious American porter. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish. Just a touch too bitter/charred/drying than expected, but not aggressive. Great well rounded and nicely rich porter malt complexity, with balancing earthy hops. Mild residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and great style example.