Paymaster's Porter Ale

Thanks to Jen for getting this beer for me the day before she left to go back to Plainfield. Enjoyed/reviewed following a days work at the brewery and my first "Bix at Six" run with a couple old teammates and alumni. Finished the seven mile route in 45:30, the first run I've had in 2 weeks over 5 miles.

Appearance: Dark brown, but still with a transparency around the sides. Some carbonation accumulation occurs around the top sides of the glass. Little to no head what-so-ever. Looks muddy with a strong turbidity about it, yet not completely saturated with darkness. This bottle had about a 1/2 cm of yeast at the bottom, and I tried to leave it out.

Aroma: Subtly roasted malt with a forefront chocolate nose. Undertones of coffee as well as wood. Fruity sweetness is minorly apparent.
Taste: Sweet, but strangely tart and almost sour, as if they were using a bit of vienna malt and fruit. Fortaste maintains a bit of a nutty element along with notes of brown sugar and honey. The roasty bill adds a bit of acidity which can either be interpreted as deterring, or very palatable in the sense of fruitiness and citrus. I would nearly classify this along and approaching a black IPA, but it maintains too much of an acidity, that out balances the citrus hops. The finish is dry and sweet with an after sourness of green apples - acetyladehyde.
Mouthfeel: Lighter body with a spike of carbonation and a tart dryness at the end. Carbonation is still relatively minimal while the beer itself exhibits a very liquid feel.
Overall Impression: I'm not overly impressed with this beer. The sour fruitiness and the roasted acidity paired alright, but in a sense it was still a bit deterring. The absurd amount of yeast at the bottom of the beer didn't give the right impression either.


67/100