A London Porter
The Kernel Brewery in Bermondsey, Greater London, England 🏴
Porter Series|
Score
7.58
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Re-brewed in 2024 with the addition of the letter 'A' in front of the name.
Malt – Maris Otter, Brown, Black, Amber, Crystal
Hops – East Kent Goldings
Yeast – House Ale Yeast
Based on a recipe from Whitbread’s Brewery, dated 1896, that we gleaned from ‘Old British Beers and How to Make Them’. The archives just have this down as ‘Porter’, nothing more.
We call it A London Porter to differentiate it from its sibling, the racier Export India Porter, where export levels of hops give a fruitier, more flighty beer. In a London Porter things are warm and dark and rich. The feel and texture are nourishing. Dried fruit - raisins, prunes and dates - and chocolate. Then a balanced espresso finish. Hints of leather, tar, tobacco. Lots of coffee and cocoa.
The recipe itself is typical of London, in its use of a large proportion of brown malt, which gives the beer a hint of spice along with some smoke, leather and tar in the flavour, and a dry finish. Also a portion of black malt was added to the boil, which apparently was something only done in London, which increased the roast/coffee character. East Kent Goldings were the hops of choice for the best beers at that time.
We brewed the first version of this beer in Feb 2010 (it was our 10th batch of beer).
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7stern (1431) reviewed A London Porter from The Kernel Brewery 1 year ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5
Almost black, medium beige head. Aroma of chocolate, licorice and tar. Taste of chocolate, dried fruit and some coffee.
dforslund (3371) ticked A London Porter from The Kernel Brewery 1 year ago
allmyvinyl (21071) reviewed A London Porter from The Kernel Brewery 1 year ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 8.5
Bottle from the brewery online shop. Pours black with a thick beige head. Aroma of heavy roast, dark chocolate, coffee and liquorice. Taste has dark chocolate, black malt, dark fruit and leather. Creamy texture, drinks so well for 5% abv. A cracker!
Robin Svensson (13124) ticked A London Porter from The Kernel Brewery 1 year ago
hohops (2663) reviewed A London Porter from The Kernel Brewery 1 year ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Appearance is very dark brown, a 3-4 finger foamy thick beige head. Aroma is toasty malt, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, dark malts, nutty hints. Taste is chocolate, smooth dark malts, coffee, toast, very smooth.
CraftBeerNick (11005) reviewed A London Porter from The Kernel Brewery 1 year ago
Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 9
Bottle at home, 18th January 24. Remarkable that I’ve not had this before. Pours a black beer, nice tan frothy head. Aroma is roasted malts, cocoa and chocolate. Taste is dry, cocoa, roasted malts, bitter, smooth and very drinkable
LazyPyro (9998) reviewed A London Porter from The Kernel Brewery 1 year ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9
500ml bottle. Pitch black with a dense beige head. Aroma of roast malts, dark chocolate, coffee. Taste has lots of dark chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, a little leather, slightly smokey/ashy, hint of dark fruit, bitter. Medium bodied and incredibly smooth. An exceptional porter, ideal example of the style and among the best I've had.
Scopey (25115) reviewed A London Porter from The Kernel Brewery 1 year ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
500ml bottle from The Beer Shop, St Albans. It pours jet black with a sturdy tan head. The aroma is rich dark roast, burnt toast, premium dark chocolate, cacao nibs, nutty, praline, espresso, touch of umami and liquorice. The taste is firmly dry, robust roasted malt, bitter, dark roast, burnt toast, charred vibes, umami, liquorice, cacao nibs, 90% dark chocolate, peppery spice, hint of pipe tobacco, puff of smoke and toasted fruit cake with a toothy, dark roast fish. Moderate+ body and moderate, fluffy carbonation. Rich, robust and satisfyingly savoury.
ianwelby (4686) reviewed A London Porter from The Kernel Brewery 1 year ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
Black beer, thick tan head. Looks the business. Aroma is just straight-up maltiness.Flavour is straightforward but hits the mark. Rich, toasty malt with elements of burnt caramel and a little chocolate. A little smoked with a touch of peppery spice. Lasting dry, toasty finish. A textbook porter which hasn't been mucked about with and it's super drinkable.
jamestulloch (9642) reviewed A London Porter from The Kernel Brewery 1 year ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8
Bottle from Against The Grain. Block body with a thick beige head. Good lacing. Aroma of ash, dark chocolate and espresso. Flavour of roasted malt, liquorice, coffee and blueberry. Medium body with a smooth texture. Soft fizz. A rich and flavoursome porter that punches above its 5.0% ABV.