Pilot Rock Porter - Caldera Brewing Company

Thrasher

Oregon

3.28/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pilot Rock Porter was served on tap at the Night Light Lounge in Southeast Portland. This is a great neighborhood bar, with a fine, if not huge selection of beer, and deserves some spillover beer geek traffic once the Clinton Street Theater's brewpub opens down the street. Anyway, the porter is lighter than your typical porter black, more of a transparent ginger brown. The head is small but the lacing is determined. The aroma is mild rainy day, and the flavor profile contains deep caramel, light smokiness, cured meat, cola, and a tart herbal quality that masks the malt sweetness. It is not an exceptional beer but it satisfies and provides a lighter counterpoint to Caldera's rich coffee/Cauldron stouts.

Serving type: on-tap

04-18-2005 06:28:09 | More by Thrasher

chugamugofsud

Oregon

3.25/5  rDev -11.9%

02-20-2013 21:37:28 | More by chugamugofsud

CoryR

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

12-10-2012 19:06:33 | More by CoryR

avaldivia

California

3/5  rDev -18.7%

07-28-2012 22:05:07 | More by avaldivia

kylemckinnis

Oregon

3/5  rDev -18.7%

02-27-2012 01:43:42 | More by kylemckinnis

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.72/5  rDev +27.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Comes out of the tap an opaque deep sable with a minimal head, but the latter may be an artifact of te pour. Smoky aroma has tones of molasses and high-quality coffee. Absolutely delicious flavor has roast coffee, chocolate and molasses components and is just slightly sweet - and superb! Smooth, fizzy texture is extremely pleasing. If you visit the Pacific Northwest, look for this one!

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2011 00:57:20 | More by Cyberkedi

CaptainIPA

Wisconsin

4.05/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served on-tap @ Red Star Tavern & Roast House in downtown Portland. Cheers to Zach and James for a successful video shoot.

Pours a dark chestnut brown -- bordering on black -- with a frothy one-finger head with good retention and lacing. Aromas of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee.

Opens mighty tasty with big notes of licorice, malted milk balls and chocolate. Suggestions of chocolate milk and espresso enter the equation. A hint of oatmeal surfaces. Creamy mouthfeel throughout. Exquisite balance between roasted and caramel malts. Moderately dry finish.

Very drinkable and quite delicious. Spot-on for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2011 21:45:50 | More by CaptainIPA

anchordrinker

California

4.28/5  rDev +16%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A- black with thin tan head. Good lace

S- sweet, slight hint of esters/fruit, roasted malt...typical porter nose

T- similar to nose. Initial slight estery/fruitiness transitions smoothly to roasty-sweet, coffee/chocolate finish. One of the best balances of hops-malt I've had in a porter.

M- full bodied, silky and slightly creamy. Perfect for the style.

D- very sessionable....very close to perfect for the style

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2011 05:24:24 | More by anchordrinker

spointon

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this on tap at the Horse Brass Pub in Portland.

A= This ale poured a deep brown/black with a 1" slightly creamy tan head. The head lasted a good long while and left some sticky residue down my glass.

S= Slight coffee roastiness mixed with treacle-like sweetness combine to make a rich aroma.

T= Extremely tasty porter here. Started off as a battle between slightly bitter roasted malts and the sweetness of the caramel malts. Some earthiness and dark fruit esters creep in to add complexity midway. Finish was medium dry - sort of an extension of the same taste battle.

MF= Medium bodied with just the right "medium" carbonation for the style. Refreshing without being sharp on the tongue.

D= Very sessionable despite the ABV. I really enjoyed this porter and would consider it in among the top 10 examples I have ever had of this style.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2010 20:09:02 | More by spointon

slaintemhor

Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this on tap last in August of 2009 at Bailey's Taproom in Portland, Oregon. The colour was a very dark brown with a garnet base and a thin tan head. The aroma was full of coffee, roasted malt and chocolate. On the palate, there was light CO2, day old coffee, some dark chocolate and more roasted malt.

Serving type: on-tap

02-10-2010 04:12:46 | More by slaintemhor

Reidrover

Oregon

4.22/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Wonderful fluffy full headed porter. Great esspresso aromas, roasted coffee. Salty under taste..this is minor yet sets the theme for the porter..the saltiness makes you gulp more of the chocolaty ,.coffee goodness. Great drinking beer..with great backing.

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2009 04:58:46 | More by Reidrover

Gavage

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: deep black with a 3"+ tan colored head that lasts. Thick lacing coats the glass.

Smell: nice roasted malts and coffee are easy to pick up.

Taste: this was like eating a loaf of pumpernickel bread. Roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolates, molasses, and a hint of nuttiness rounded it out.

Mouthfeel: smooth from start to finish. Medium bodied like a porter should be, not some stout-like meal. Bread and roasted tones linger briefly on tongue.

Drinkability: very easy drinking as this is flavorful without the heavy body. Definitely a nice brew.

Serving type: on-tap

07-23-2006 18:50:39 | More by Gavage

RedDiamond

Oregon

2.75/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pilot Rock is brown with ruby highlights and sports a thin head with no lace. It started with a nice roasted aroma and flavor. But these initial selling points lacked sustain. Most dimensions are otherwise customary with a slightly thin body.

Served on tap at the Siskiyou Pub, Ashland, OR.

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2004 02:10:45 | More by RedDiamond