People's Porter - Foothills Brewing Company

MadScientist

New York

3.8/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: Very dark brown with moderate clarity. The rocky brown head has decent retention and leaves omse lacing on the glass.

S: Moderate malt and roast aromas with a slight chocolate character and some caramel. a low earthy hops.

T: Roast and hops are the primary flavors here with a medium roast flavor, moderate hops bitterness and moderate herbal hops taste. There is a low English yeast type of a fruitiness. Some caramel and toffee malt character. The balance is somewhat bitter. The finish is medium-dry with some roast in the aftertaste.

M: A medium-full bodied beer with moderate carbonation with a medium creaminess. There is slight dryness that seems to come from the roast grains.

O: Not smooth porter having just a slightly bitter edge with good roast. Roast and hops bitterness dominate while being enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 22:28:38 | More by MadScientist

Treyliff

West Virginia

3.93/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A- pours a pitch black color with a two finger light tan head, good retention and a bit of lace

S- burnt caramel and toffee notes, cocoa and a touch of coffee, some toasted grain on the finish

T- roasted chocolate notes with a bit of bitter hops, light charred character, sweet toffee, the finish is slightly bitter and dry with a roasted chocolate linger

M- somewhat light body, low carbonation, foamy mouthfeel and a smooth finish

O- easy drinking and well balanced, great value for the price

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 03:41:14 | More by Treyliff

ranger60

New Jersey

3.24/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Had a 6 oz taster at Dandelion market in Charlotte, an under-rated place not even listed yet on Beer Advocate...

Very dark, with a long lasting head. Nothing descriptive in the aroma. Flavor and mouthfeel are good...I love porters and stouts, but this is coming across a bit bitter for me...not sure why. Perhaps it is because I just finished a Birdsong Lazy Bird Brown Ale which I loved. Anyway, this is drinkable but not memorable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-10-2013 00:11:19 | More by ranger60

fmccormi

New York

3.94/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Straight pour from a 12oz pry-off bottle to my tall Ommegang flute; no freshness dating, but this was purchased at Sam’s Quick Shop in Durham just about a week ago, and in my experience craft beer spots have a pretty good turnover so it’s very safe to assume that this is reasonably fresh.

Appearance (4.5): Two full fingers of latte-colored foam rises off of pour, capping a moderately clear, very dark, deep ruby-brown. I say “moderately” because you can only tell when it’s held up to the light closely. The head crackles a bit and is mostly very fine-grained but some medium-sized and fat bubbles blister away here and there leaving a rocky surface and chunky lace on the sides of the glass—this is actually a really great-looking porter.

Smell (4.0): Dominated by mocha, dark cocoa, some molasses and toffee, and dark fruits underneath, especially prunes. Fully roasted in the nose without any acrid charring, and no sticky-sweet malt underneath, just moderately rich and dry with good mocha character.

Taste (3.75): More roast is evident on the palate, leaving a small amount of char—the astringency of which melds with slightly medicinal, herbal hops bitterness in the finish. Very small amounts of caramel and prune richness. This is really just a moderately bitter, more than moderately roasty, American-ish porter. Good coffee and unsweetened chocolate flavors. That dark cocoa powder really adds to a dry finish, which maintains an herbal bitterness without sacrificing the darkness of the roasted malt.

Mouthfeel (4.25): Quite light, considering the appearance: medium-weight or slightly under, with a good, rich, foaming carbonation action that tingles very slightly and expands easily and softly. The finish is dry with a slightly gaseous feeling—if this beer weren’t over 6% ABV, it’d make a great session beer, at least from the feel of it.

Overall (4.0): This is a very solid porter, and I bet it’d be pretty gnarly on nitro. Smooth enough without losing any of its roast or bitterness, and maintaining a dry finish with levity, this is a really easy to drink porter, for those who enjoy the style. For those who aren’t into dark beers, this may not be a good intro, but for those who are, this is definitely a tasty, accessible, and very affordable option.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 03:14:49 | More by fmccormi

dpodratsky3

Georgia

3.81/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass

A: Big foamy head settles to rocky, sticky foam, color is near black, very very dark brown with chestnut edges, great lacing

S: Malty with layers of caramel, nothing special

T: More roasted and less caramel than aroma, almost hints of wood, has background dark bread but decent roasted bitterness

M: Decent body but remains on the litter end, dry

O: Good flavor but heavy on the roast and low on complexity

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 01:27:06 | More by dpodratsky3

mntlover

Tennessee

3.99/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a black with some ruby around the edges. Has a nice darker tan head that falls to scum leaves some sparse lace behind.

Aroma is nice chocolate malts with some roasted character mostly coffee like under the chocolate.

Taste is roasted upfront with good doses of chocolate little light in the middle with a nice dry roasted finish. Finish has some nice roasted coffee flavors that mingle with grassy/minty like hops.

Mouthfeel is solid medium with average amounts of carbonation.

Overall a pretty solid porter good and favorable nothing over the top just as it should be.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 19:11:55 | More by mntlover

JasonTaverner

Virginia

3.91/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I like this beer, but it is not great. It is a regular in my rotation due to it's availabity in my area. It is an easy drinking porter with decent taste, only the mouthfeel is a little watery and it has a slight burnt aftertaste. It gets better as it warms up. Still it a decent attempt at an english style porter.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 01:50:52 | More by JasonTaverner

nUgZ

North Carolina

4.19/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12 ounce bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a very dark brown color with a one finger head and nice lacing.

S: Dark chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts.

T: More of the roasted malts and coffee up front followed by a light chocolate flavor in the end. Very nice.

M: Medium bodied with decent carbonation.

O: This is a very drinkable and enjoyable Porter. If it was a little heavier, it could be considered a stout. I'll gladly drink it anytime.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 00:56:32 | More by nUgZ

DesertRat

North Carolina

4.26/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I love this beer. Chocolate malts present as its poured into a tumbler, very good head and lacing. Aftertaste is very nice, chocolate malts finish. Abv is low enough to have a few and still be on point. Most porters are too light for my tastes, but this porter has a pretty full body.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 02:16:17 | More by DesertRat

humuloner22

4.46/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I think Porters are underrated. This is an example of what a great porter should be. I have had this one in several variations, but this review is referring to the recently released six pack 12 oz. bottles. I don't like to compare different styles but from my recent review of Sexual Chocolate I just wanted to state I love Foothills' beers in general and this is my go to porter.
Color is dark and almost completely black. Taste is thick but not overly thick just right really for the style. The smell is toffee, some dried fruit, coffee, but not much and cocoa. That is what I find to be the strongest element of this one it is a well balanced porter with a lot of chocolate notes to it. It is sweet but once again not cloying in my opinion. Overall this is one of the better porters I have ever had and I do enjoy this style a great deal.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 16:42:59 | More by humuloner22

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.58/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Foothills has made an identity by creating larger than life beers of the imperial categories. But when face with the obstacles of finesse and moderatacy, can their brewing practices measure up?

Their People's Porter weighs in with a dark, dark brown hue that would rival most stouts. Hazy with unfiltered hues, the strong brown hue is dense and opaque. Topped with a lightly sandy head, the beer's creamy head invites the first sip shortly after the beer is poured.

Bold roast aromas attract the nose with savory roasty scents of French pressed coffee, cocoa, heavy toast., and walnuts. Its robust scent is highly attractive for those who gravitate to charred flavors but are also backed with sorghum and buckwheat.

Flavors settle in similar fashion- heavy toast boarders on char flavors, just as coffee taste introduces strong grinds and smoky chocolate taste. Turning woody, bitter, and earthy late, the beer's early sweetness proved to be evading, giving way to toast and coffee to finish.

Like many porters, the beer starts semi-firm with starch and char. But as the beer travels across the palate, it gives up its sweet creaminess and yearns for a quick toasty dry finish. Instead, an extended middle palate reveals a terse watery-thin texture that leaves a void in its refreshment.

The beer's overall enjoyment is high, but falls inconsistent first in its recipe formulation that over extends its flirtation with stout, and then leaves the mouthfeel thin to boot. Happy as I would be to drink the beer again, I would be careful not to group the beer with the likes of Sexual Chocolate or Hoppyyum IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 07:35:21 | More by BEERchitect

KYGunner

Kentucky

3.95/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark coloring and a touch of ruby at the edges of the glass, this porter had a very stout like appearance. The head was a bit thin.

The scent was dry and chocolatey with some earthy tones.

The taste is robust with chocolate and toffee notes. There's some roasted malt and roasted coffee towards the end but it finished with a watery feel and taste. There is a bit of earthiness at points but its not distracting.

Stronger scents and less watery in the finish and this could be a great one.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 01:01:46 | More by KYGunner

MuddyFeet

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

One of my favorite go-to local beers in the winter. Rich malts with strong coffee and chocolate tones. Nice mellow bitterness. Full body that clings to the roof of your mouth. Dark brown with a tan head good legs. Just a slight dirty garnet glint when held up to the light. Mild hops that balances out the rich malts.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 01:22:26 | More by MuddyFeet

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to kkipple for this one.

Creamy slightly darker colored 1/2 finger head fades at a med pace with nice lacing, over super dark black almost pitch black color.

Nose brings a nice toasty porter, toasted malts, light bready biscuit toast, plenty of chocolate, a bit of dark chocolate, creamy milk chocolate, lots of dark malts and just a bit roasty, quite creamy.

Taste continues, lots of chocolate right out, with a light toasty biscuit, little chewy oatmeal like, lots of creamy flavors with milk chocolate, little baked chocolate like choc cereal, fluffy, little bitter roast and some dark malts, little caramel, a little coffee, and just a bit of a burnt acrid flavor. Some earthy hops grace their presence and bring a bit more bitterness with the roasty quality. Finish is drier than expected, lingering roasty malts with some light burnt acrid flavors, little creamy oatmeal and chocolate milk, and a bit of a light metallic flavor with that acrid.

Mouth is med bodied, creamy and rich, good carb.

Overall pretty good, nice malts, decent light hop balance, quite creamy and smooth, nice chocolate and light roast, but it does get a bit too acrid as it goes.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 00:42:49 | More by jlindros

TheDinger

South Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from growler into a pint glass. Very attractive pour with an almost black appearance. Very lively with a generous 2+finger mocca head that hung around for a bit. Almost stout looking. Smell was very woody and earthy. Burnt notes, perhaps some figs and carmel. Taste is very similar, but getting a lot of the wood characteristics on the front end. A bit of coffee, earth/dirt and carmel. Complex and busy. Again, a bit like a stout. Feel is rich and creamy with a good bit of carbonation and life. Medium to thick on the tongue. Overall- An interesting porter. I enjoyed the complex taste and limited hop profile. The wood/earth taste was a bit powerful. A strong porter IMO and bordering on a RIS. I like the creativity and blend of flavors. Not a bad brew at all and I'd hit another. It's more of a sipper. Worth a try-

Serving type: growler

10-16-2012 20:09:26 | More by TheDinger

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark brown, with ruby highlights, lightly toasted tan head of foam above. Leaves some lace, looking great.

Aroma: Roasted, earthy dark malts, notes of cocoa, and a small hit of espresso.

Taste: Full-bodied, meaty mouthfeel, plenty of roast and toast. Moderate bitterness makes for excellent balance. Everything is exactly in order and in the right spot. Plenty of play on the palate, make for easy drinking, and rich rewards. Alternates between spots of mild sweetness and judicious bitter hoppy feel. End dryly on the palate, urging an elongation of this particular porter session. Good thing this one's in a bomber. I can go for this in the long haul, before becoming tired of it. In fact, I'm way down for it, this is tasty, tasty stuff.

What's the gobbledygook on this? "People's Porter is a robust, English-style brew, with a dark, ruby hue. Complex chocolate, coffee, and toffee notes give way to an herbal bitterness, finishing with a pleasant hint of espresso."

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 07:14:32 | More by feloniousmonk

Gavage

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a dark brown color with a short tan colored head.

Smell: roasted malts with a big earthy tone is what is detectable by the nose.

Taste: roasted malts, bits of dark chocolate, hint of coffee, dark ripe fruit sweetness, and a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Lightly crisp at the start, smoother and a bit dry at the finish. Long-lasting roasted aftertase.

Overall: a solid porter with a full flavor. Easy to consume this one. Definitely worth trying this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 18:46:19 | More by Gavage

prototypic

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

People’s Porter pours a very dark, chocolate fudge color. It’s nearly opaque. A few, faint burgundy highlights are noted with backlighting. Mostly at the outer edges. A tan head covers the top and rises to about a finger in height. It’s rather quick to recede and leaves a spotty coat of lace trailing down the glass.

The nose is just a tad weak. More muscle is needed. Still smells pretty good though. It does feature a nice mix of roasted and chocolate malts. It doesn’t smell very sweet. There may be a hint of light caramel, but not much. Roasted coffee is noted early and it adds quite a bit to the mix. I’m a coffee fan, so that works for me. Smells good. Alcohol is masked very well and isn’t noticeable. A little more strength would easily bump this one a notch.

The flavor is quite good. The malt base is full of chocolate and roasted malt notes. The chocolate variety is bittersweet and perhaps even a little cocoa-ish. Light, sweet caramel is noted, but is secondary. Roasted coffee adds quite a bit to the overall flavor. It complements the malts extremely well and even adds a slightly charred twist to the flavor. There really isn’t much of an alcohol factor in this one. It’s blended very well. Finishes malty with a java blast.

The body is on the lighter side of medium. Carbonation is light and soft. It’s smooth, but a bit more body would improve it even more. Nevertheless, it’s tasty and goes down easy. I like the bomber serving size. Great call.

People’s Porter is another nice release from Foothills Brewing Company. They brew some really good beer. This one could be improved with a slightly stronger nose and a bit more body. Damn tasty as it is though. Easy recommendation.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 03:00:45 | More by prototypic

yamar68

Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a deep dark brown with a swelling, dense, dimpled brown head that laces perfectly.

The nose is nice and roasty - hazelnut, cocoa, coffee, slightly sweet and entirely balanced. A touch of bitterness keeps things interesting.

Super creamy. Soft chocolate, nuts, stale coffee, chocolate milk, an abstract bitterness dries out the finish. Very good.

I wish this saw MN distro because it is so approachable but complex enough to satisfy any porter lover.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 03:54:42 | More by yamar68

axeman9182

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle, allowed to warm before being poured into my Duvel tulip.

People's Porter pours black, with just the faintest bit of ruby red highlights. Three fingers of khaki colored foam rise up atop the beer and stick around for a minute or two. There's a bit of lacing left along the glass, but not necessarily a ton. The nose has lots of caramel and a smooth chocolate aroma. The flavor's got a good bit of roast going on, though it's trending more towards coffee than chocolate here. A healthy dollop of caramel rounds out the malt profile. There's a light bitterness, and distinct earthy/herbal hop finish that's almost too intense at times for a relatively malt driven the style. The body is nice and firm, giving solid support to the malts, and the carbonation is just enough to cut through the sweetness and let the hops have their say. People's Porter is my first beer from Foothills, and I'm really enjoying it. I almost want to say it's too hoppy for its own good, but that's not quite the case.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 06:24:12 | More by axeman9182

rodkin

Missouri

3.2/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a dark caramel brown, almost black. Leaves a big fluffy tan head, which reduces nicely. Leaves a bubbly film and nice lacing.

Smell is some chocolate, caramel, roast malts, a bit of burnt coffee. Maybe a hint of dark fruit. Very nice, if slightly oversweet.

Oh man, the taste is a huge disappointment after the nose. Bitter coffee, a slight tanginess, and that's about it. All the complexity in the nose is lost, leaving a fairly one-dimensional and disappointing experience.

Mouthfeel is a little watery, but carbonation is nice.

Well, this is a gorgeous porter with a great smell, and unfortunately the taste just doesn't live up. Disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 04:53:04 | More by rodkin

Cresant

Kentucky

3.65/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served this 22 oz. bottle in a Sierra Nevada Hops glass. No date. The body was nearly opaque dark brown with reddish highlights. The tall tan head left significant lacing and a cap remained.

The smell was fresh roast malts. Coffee beans and walnuts.

The taste was a roasty, snappy bitterness. Lightly tart. There was a dark chocolate aftertaste. Clean.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied with medium to light carbonation. Quiet drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 13:02:43 | More by Cresant

McNealc31

Ohio

4.18/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours more dark brown rather than full on black with a creamy beige head. Smells of toffee, chocolate, and hard English water. Smooth and velvety texture. The flavor is loaded with charred oak, bitter chocolate, maybe even some roasted marshmallow. Hops really only show up in the aftertaste. More of an English take on the style and very tasty. The mineral/hard water flavor comes through a bit more as it warms. The finish becomes more bitter, as well.

I like this quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 01:33:18 | More by McNealc31

rangerred

Tennessee

3.7/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served from nitro tap.

Appearance was typical of nitro beers with a large fluffy head. Body was very dark brown, nearly opaque.

Aroma of coffee, and roasted malt. A little bit of dark chocolate in there as well.

I picked up some black licorice in the flavor along with tons of roast. Dark coffee and dark chocolate were present along with caramel. Everything was balanced nicely with no overly harsh bitter characteristics. Mouthfeel was quite watery which is probably due to the nitro.

Overall, a really great porter and one I would like to try again either bottled or served on regular CO2.

Serving type: nitro-tap

06-09-2012 01:17:08 | More by rangerred

argock

Virginia

4.3/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz brown bomber into a Duvel tulip. No freshness date. Purchased at Peabody's Wine and Beer Merchants for $3.99.

A: Very dark brown with a short, 1/2-finger light beige head that disappears quickly but does leave a few spots of lace.

S: This brew has a really nice blend of coffee, caramel, and chocolate aromas to accent the dark maltiness with a fair dose of roast. Not much on the hops front.

T: Wow -- I am really impressed with this porter. It straddles the English Brown Porter/Robust Porter style and mixes the best of both with a deft touch of caramel sweetness to counter the strong roast note. The coffee and chocolate flavors provide further complexity. This is one of the best porters I have had in a long time -- a great balance of sweet, roast, chocolate, and coffee with plenty of dark maltiness.

M: Solid mouthfeel with medium body and even carbonation to make it very smooth.

O: I definitely will pick up more of this brew -- a superb example of a medium ABV porter.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 01:50:53 | More by argock