A London Porter
The Kernel Brewery in London, Greater London, England 🏴
Porter Series|
Score
7.57
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Originally brewed in 2010 as 'London Porter'.
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).
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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7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
[Bottle from West Country Ales, Cheddar] Dark brown, no head, slight prickly carbonation. Smells of chocolate, blackcurrant and (oddly) Marmite. Dry and smokey at first, but plenty of chocolate comes through. A little earth in the finish, and a touch more Marmite. Maybe a little thin. A decent, well-balanced porter, but lacks the wow factor.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Feb 2011
at 16:12
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 4
Overall 7.5
Absolutely no head. Aroma is earthy, woody and burnt toffee. This beer packs a very big flavour, compared to it’s slightly subdued aroma. Dark malty, liquorice, nuttyand finished with bitter coffee. On the palete is is slick, oily and slighlty syripy. The is very little in the way of carbonation with this one. I think it could do with a little bit more to lift those big flavours off the tongue and get a bit more aroma going. Very enjoyable and went down very easy.
Tried
on 03 Feb 2011
at 14:02
7.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
bottle at home ... 5.5% ... deep black .. creamy tight tan head ... soft coffee roast malts nose ... little over fizzy ... big coffee ... light chocolate ... light burnt edge... nice but lacking a little in body... little rough round the edges ... Bottle at home ... deep dark roast ... soft sweet roast malt nose ... juicy sweet roast malt ... good solid roast ... big chocolate ... nice. 3.8
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Dec 2010
at 11:50
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
2nd December 2010
Pigs Ear Festival. Very dark brown beer, residual tan head. Slightly minerally dark malt. A little sweetish fruit undertone. Trace of cream. Mildly dry finish. Nicely joined up light porter.
Pigs Ear Festival. Very dark brown beer, residual tan head. Slightly minerally dark malt. A little sweetish fruit undertone. Trace of cream. Mildly dry finish. Nicely joined up light porter.
Tried
on 04 Dec 2010
at 11:46
6.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 7
Cask gravity at Pigs Ear 2010. Black colour with lasting beige head. Quite big roast malts on aroma with good sting on the finish. Tasty. Just a touch of burnt rubber. Some juicy blackcurrant fruit on the swallow. Burnt flavour does not go well as rest of beer is good.
Tried
from Cask
on 30 Nov 2010
at 06:36
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Cask, Jolly Butchers, Stoke Newington. Near enough black looks with a tan head. Very appealing aroma packed with chocolate, dark fruit, coffee and roasted malt. Similar elements were all present in the flavour which was thoroughly enjoyable. Really smooth with the bitterness bob on, with just a hint of sourness. A top quality porter.
Tried
from Cask
on 24 Nov 2010
at 08:53
7.3/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Bottle 500ml.Clear dark black color with a large to huge, creamy, good lacing, fully lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, dark roasted, coffee, cold coffee, chocolate malts. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, cold coffee. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20100917]
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Sep 2010
at 10:26
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle 50 cl. Courtesy of fonefan. Pours a cloudy dark brown with a tint of red and a light brown head leaving quite some lacework. Lovely smooth roast in the nose with some vanila. Medium body, lovely roasted malts, never burned. Licorice and a smooth mouthfeel. Discreet bitterness. Nice one. 170910
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Sep 2010
at 16:51
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle. Huge head with good duration. Color is dark brown. Aroma and taste are malt, hpos, chocolate and hps.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Sep 2010
at 16:43