Brett Porter
Brasserie de la Senne in Brussels, Brussels Capital Region, Belgium 🇧🇪
Porter Special|
Score
7.36
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Brett Porter is inspired by the ancient London Porters, superstar beers of the 1800s preserved in giant wooden barrels in which Brettanomyces yeasts would develop. Our Porter is not barrel-aged, but rather co-fermented with our house Brettanomyces, and brewed with magnificent special English malts.
She is black with a ruby accent. Her foam is dark beige, fine and persistent. The Brettanomyces are well present in the nose and add a winy character with hints of ripe cherries, as an old kirsh, and a bit of leather. A roasted, slightly smoky touch completes the picture. We find these flavours back in the mouth, accompanied by notes of moka, cocoa powder, and prunes. Her body is mellow but light, which makes her surprisingly refreshing and easy to drink!
She is black with a ruby accent. Her foam is dark beige, fine and persistent. The Brettanomyces are well present in the nose and add a winy character with hints of ripe cherries, as an old kirsh, and a bit of leather. A roasted, slightly smoky touch completes the picture. We find these flavours back in the mouth, accompanied by notes of moka, cocoa powder, and prunes. Her body is mellow but light, which makes her surprisingly refreshing and easy to drink!
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7.6/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Brettanomyces, the wild yeast strain now so beloved among beer lovers, was first discovered in aged English porter (hence ‘Brettanomyces’, meaning ‘British yeast’) and this historical fact seems to have inspired Brasserie de la Senne to let a lambic-derived Brett loose on a porter. Moussy, dense, membrane-like lacing, pale yellowish beige, stable head on a dark chocolate brown beer with ruby red glow, turning misty with sediment. Aroma indeed combining classic porter aspects with a dash of Brett ‘wildness’, wet leather, dried plum, coffee grounds, medlar, iron (haemoglobin), roasted walnut, black tea, mugwort, toast, rosehip, old dry liquorice. Lightly fruity, restrainedly sweetish onset, notes of appe peel, dried plum and lingonberry, lively carbonated in a refined way, very small-bubbled; smooth, bit oily but also somewhat thinnish mouthfeel, fondant chocolate and toast with a hard-caramelly core, roasted with coffeeish bitterness towards the end. Meanwhile this iron-like aspect develops and remains relatively distinct, but in a natural, elegant way (blood, rosehip); leathery and peppery Brett effects add dryness, complexity and a touch of ‘wildness’ retronasally without overpowering too much, even though the Brett is very present and recognizable. Spicy, rooty hops in the finish further accentuate dryness and bitterness, but the whole remains remarkably smooth and easily drinkable. Oldskool porter feel for sure, but with the ageing potential of ‘Bretted’ beers in mind, one can wonder how this may evolve in the coming few years…
Tried
on 13 Jun 2023
at 13:09
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7
Cream-tan head, medium, over almost black redbrown beer. Liquorice, wood, smelling sweet, good roast. Thyme, some chocolate. Not much Brett. Black malts, seriously roasted. There is definitely stout acidity, but again, Bretts are notably inconspicious. Again liquorice. Feels much better bodied than its 5.7% would warrant. If there's indeed Bretts, they will probably break down the substrates further. Good, if (regrettably) unsurprising porter.
Tried
from Bottle
at
Beerlovers Bar
on 27 May 2023
at 06:22
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
33cl bottle from Dolma Magasin natural goods store in Brussels. F: medium, tanned, almost average retention. C: dark, opaque. A: a lot of roasted tones, coffee, chocolate, dark fruits, Brett touch, cocoa, dark bread crust. T: medium malty base, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, dark bread, bit nutty, herbal touch, soft carbonation, velvety mouthfeel, trace of Brett I hopped for more but still very nice brew, fully enjoyed.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 May 2023
at 19:46