Robust Porter

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Smuttynose Robust Porter

• Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company (New Hampshire)

• Style: Porter

• ABV: 6.2%

• IBU: 43

• Pour Color: Black...

      Pouring this one told a story. The head wasn't super big but creamy. The scent off the top was a roasted coffee scent. The carbination wasn't even seen through this beer. It was just a black hole of a beer absorbing every bit of light! The head by this time had went down to just a lacing. The flavor on sip was a nice full roasted flavor. Smoke, coffee and slight chocolate to it but also a fuller body. It really has some bulked up body to this one even though the head didn't show it.
      Delicious is how I would describe this. It's bitter in the roasted sense more then the IBU bitter. It's a extremely dry finish to it. Still it's got so much flavor you can't dislike it. Roasty and full bodied this one is making me glad I can flavor save. Smutty makes a good IPA and now I know they make a good dark beer too! 

Rating: ****1/2

Dead Reckoning

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Dead Reckoning

• Brewery: Troegs Brewing co. (Pennsylvania)
  

• Style: Porter

• ABV: 6.2%

• IBU: 53

• Pour Color: It poured black with no regard for the living!

      As the Face poured I watched a dark brew flow. Black through and through, and letting in little light, looked like a good porter. You got the roasted scent of the malts off the top of the glass and a strong hop presence. On taste you get a slightly more hoppy taste then most porters. Nearly a black ipa, this one has a nice earthy, spicy, piney notes. On top of that you get a nice roasted barley flavor to back the hopped up beer. Really a fun journey that the follicles loved. 
      This one said fall/winter seasonal. If it was a lighter beer the Face would have skipped it. Then again if it wasn't Troegs the Face might have skipped it. Luckily he didn't pass it by though. Full bodied and delicious, even after the best by date, it was great. I'd personally wait till next season, but make sure to try this one. It's another great example of what Troegs does!

Rating: ****

Stovepipe porter

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: StovePipe Porter

• Brewery: Otter Creek (Vermont)
  

• Style: Porter

• ABV: 4.4%

• IBU: 28

• Pour Color:  A black pour letting little light through the bottle.
  

     On pour this one had a nice fluffy head that you would expect. Chocolate, roast, and a slight sweet smell comes off the glass when smelled. On first splash you realize this one has a nice thick body. Like a porter should. The taste is a nice smokey, roasted, chocolate taste. Almost a hint of coffee in there too. Really a great porter that no one could complain about. 
     This one is a nice full bodied porter. I find this to be a good beer to use for chili or stew. A nice dark roasted flavor to this one helps add to most recipes. This one also ain't to bad just out the bottle either. Here's a recipe using this one in chili. Enjoy!

     

Rating: ****

Vanilla Porter

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Vanilla Porter 

• Brewery: Breckenridge Brewery (Colorado)

• Style: Porter

• ABV: 4.7%

• IBU:16

• Pour Color: A dark beer on pour. When held up to light shows red through.

      This one looked to me to be another flavored novelty beer that the Face likes to get. It poured and had a slight head that went away fast. That worried me to. The came the scent off the glass. It was scent of coffee, slight nuttiness, and sweet caramel. Altogether just in scent I started to twinge waiting for a splash. Then it came and I twisted a little tighter. A nice little taste of caramel and coffee are heightened with a nice roasted flavor. Chocolate comes through and a nice cereal taste on top of it. Then comes their vanilla taste. Not to strong at all it really seems to help brighten the other flavors in this one. This one is light for a porter in body but all and all lots of flavor. 
       Colorado is starting to flow pretty regularly on me.  Oskar blues is one of my favorite breweries. This one though just made me a fan of Breckenridge Brewery too! A nice balanced porter with a extra kick of vanilla. A beer no one should be sad to have in their mustache. Thanks again Face!

  

Rating: ****1/2

Alta Gracia Coffee Porter

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Alta Gracia Coffee Porter
  

• Brewery:Wolaver's (Vermont)

• Style: Coffee Porter

• ABV:6.6.%

• IBU:64

• Pour Color: A brownish red color that light still gets through

      A nice pour and color to this coffee porter. Didn't know what to expect cause it was on the lighter side of the porters I've seen. A nice chocolate and caramel scent off the top the glass. The head started fluffy but disappeared quickly. The taste was a nice sweet malty taste. Coffee, chocolate and caramel are accompanied by a nice smoked taste. An amazing balanced coffee porter that most couldn't pull off.
      As a huge fan of coffee beers I was excited to try this one. A real nice balance and a good coffee taste is what I got, and honestly what more can you ask for.  It's easy drinking not being to thick or dark and really refreshing. This mustache enjoys it greatly.

  

Rating: ****

Java Sutra

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name:Java Sutra

• Brewery: Three Heads Brewing (New York)

• Style: Coffee Porter

• ABV: 6.5%

• IBU:55

• Pour Color: Dark but lets through a little light.

      The Face poured this one and the head was high for awhile. A sweet almost caramel and roasted scent comes off the glass. With the first sip you get that nice smokiness. It's slightly sweet but also very bitter from the coffee and smoke. This one also has a nice strong hop flavor. Most porters just leave it for the malts to do the talking. This gives the hops a real strong character at the end of the taste. That, to me, seems to be the lingering flavor in the follicles each sip. This one is a really good porter.
      Java Sutra was the first Three Heads I had and loved it. The more they make the more I like of their beers. This one, like I said, has that great hop flavor on top of the normal flavors of a great coffee porter. If you start your Three Heads experience with Java Sutra because of this review, YOU'RE WELCOME!

Rate: ****1/2

Edmund Fitzgerald

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Edmund Fitzgerald

• Brewery: Great Lakes Brewing Company (Ohio)

• Style: Porter

• ABV: 5.8%

• IBU:37

• Pour Color: A real murky dark brown

      The head hit me and was quite creamy. I bested it without losing much position. The scent was smokey and deceivingly sweet compared to the flavor. Very strong body to this beer with strong tastes of coffee and smoke. Those are sweetened with a chocolate and almost caramel flavor. Over all a really good porter.
      I find the history involved in great lake beers is a interesting bit of character. Each beer has it's historical name and story and really gives a fun take on weird tragedy. With St. Patty's day coming up you may even see Conway's Irish Ale. Can't see em clearly but a lot of this mustache's hair is red.

Rating: ****