People's Porter - Foothills Brewing Company

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

MayLattimore

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Color is a deep, dark chocolate brown that is barely translucent around the edges, and a big, thick head that takes a while to dissipate. The aroma has some toasted malts and hints of bittersweet chocolate and black coffee. The bitter coffee and chocolate continue through the flavor, with the overall taste being somewhat similar to Guinness. The mouthfeel is a bit thin, but good.

Serving type: on-tap

09-27-2011 19:59:03 | More by MayLattimore

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Pours very dark brown with a nice off white to tan head with a bit of lacing and moderate retention time. Nose is roasted malt with a bit of light chocolate and coffee. The taste is a bit bland with only the roast really coming through, though that itself is well done. Somewhat dry with a good body. Drinks pretty well.

Serving type: on-tap

11-11-2010 12:04:05 | More by Thorpe429

harpo111

Georgia

3.78/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: dark with tan head....hold up to light...get a little red color to it in strong light.
S: not to acidic. coffee, nuts, raisins and dates. malty some dark notes..but not too much
T: nice....matching smell. Espresso notes, chocolate, dates, malt...
M: a bit thin....doesn't hang around on your tongue or have a ton of bite
O: not bad at all...not near as heavy as you would think. But overall a good beer....
I would say that this is not my fav porter...but still very descent.

Serving type: on-tap

11-22-2011 00:46:51 | More by harpo111

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

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

mdaschaf

Washington

3.83/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to derandscott for this one!

A: Pours a dark brown, practically black color with an amazingly foamy head, great retention, leaving mounds of foam on top. Sticky lacing forms all around the glass.

S: Starts off sweet, with some chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt. There are some earthy hops that finish it off.

T: Rather roasty with some coffee and a little bit of sweet/bakers chocolate. The finish is slightly bitter and nutty.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Drinks rather smooth.

O: A solid English Porter, not outstanding, but solid.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 02:38:36 | More by mdaschaf

metter98

New York

3.85/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is extremely dark brownish amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense tan head that died down rather quickly, leaving a thin head covering the surface and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light to moderately strong aromas of chocolate and toffee in the nose.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has flavors of bittersweet chocolate along with notes of roasted malts and toffee. A light to moderate amount of hop bitterness is present and hints of coffee beans are noticeable towards the finish.
M: It feels a bit shy of medium-bodied on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is an easy drinking yet quite tasty porter—the flavors never lost the interest of my taste buds through the duration of drinking a 25 ounce bomber.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2012 19:25:14 | More by metter98

ROBORB

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On tap at the Saucer and served in a English Pint glass. Poured a nice dark brown color with a 2 finger head. There was minimal lacing. Roasted malts and chocolate dominate the aroma. The taste has bitter chocolate, coffee and toffee. It is a little then but not so much that it is distracting. A nice sessionable porter.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2009 17:00:29 | More by ROBORB

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

grayburn

South Carolina

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

A solid porter from a very solid brewery. I missed the Sexual Chocolate offer in myrtle beach a couple weeks back, but got this at the griffon in chucktown at least...
A dark brown beauty with some nice reddish highlights. The head is small, but I think that might just be the bartender trying to give me an extra ounce or two. Lacing and retention are both good.
The smell and taste are both roasted deliciousness, malty depths are rounded with ample hopping for the style. Very nice beer, perhaps a touch hoppy in the grand scheme of things.
The mouthfeel is thick but finishes nicely, not cloying in the least. I could drink quite a few of these. Not too bad at all.

Serving type: on-tap

11-23-2009 20:54:39 | More by grayburn

doopydoogle

Tennessee

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

A - espresso black with a good foamy tan head that lingers and leaves nice creamy lace down the side of the glass.

S - toffee, coffee, chocolate, raisins, subtle spice, dark fruits

T - big coffee and chocolate with a subtle cassis and some lingering caramel and earthiness. There's a slight tartness but the brew is pretty smooth. Hints of smoke and ash back it up and there's a pleasant roasted bitterness that rounds out the finish.

M - Good creamy carbonation and a solid mouth coating.

O - A very nice porter. Holds it own and is pleasant enough to be quite sessionable.

Serving type: growler

10-26-2011 01:38:31 | More by doopydoogle

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Finally made my first trip over to Foothills for the rerelease of Jade and the release of People's Porter in bombers. I had one of these (and a Jade) on draft and also picked up several growlers of both, and dropped a couple (of the growlers) off at Big Dan's Brew Shed.

The review is from my growler tasteing, although it is identical to the draft I had at Foothills.

The brew pours (into a pint) a dark brown that no light enters or exits, with a gorgeous 2 finger frothy mocha colored head that hangs around for a good while. Lacing is heavy on the glass which is a plus for me.

The aroma is heavy roasted malts and coffee.

The flavor folows the nose with some roasted malt bitterness shining through. Debated the bitterness with several folks @ Big Dan's and the opinion was that this was roasted malt bitterness as opposed to bitterness from the hops.

The mouth feel is medium with a lower medium carbination.

This is a good local Porter, to me Green Man gets the nod here by just the slightest bit. I will have to give it a try in the bomber once they hit the shelfs. I rate this a B-, due in part to the bitterness and the lack of real complexity.

Serving type: growler

12-18-2011 11:22:49 | More by RedneckBeerz

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

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

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

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

chinchill

South Carolina

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

undated 650 ml bomber bottle (nice label) served in a snifter.

A: The beer is clear, but a very dark reddish-brown. It poured with a small tan head that reduced to little more than a ring but left spotty lacing down the sides of the glass.

S: Moderate level of dark malts with hints of coffee, chocolate and molasses in the nose. Very slight metallic/astringent component initially, but this disappeared after warming/airing.

T: Dominated by dark roasted malts, the rich flavor has some light spice and bitterness from the hops. Some mild coffee appears in the slightly earthy finish and long-lasting aftertaste.

M: Medium-body leaning towards full; Moderate level of carbonation; Near creamy smooth; Slight dryness in finish.

O: A flavorful, roasty porter which, after warming at least, has none of the flaws found too often in porters (e.g., too smokey; burnt notes). More complex and satisfying than most porters, this is an excellent example of an Amer./English porter. [4.25]

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 22:56:30 | More by chinchill

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

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

devilben02

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I've had my home kegerator for about a year and a half and half of the kegs I've had have been from Foothills because they put out quality products in all styles. This time I went with the People's Porter, which I hadn't have much of before, and I'm going to be very happy to have gallons of this one to go.

A heavy-handed pour results in a big, thick head that takes a while to dissipate, leaving a ton of lacing all over the inside of the glass. The color is a deep, dark chocolate brown that is barely translucent around the edges. I'm a little stuffed up, but I can still identify the toasted malt aroma with hints of bittersweet chocolate and black coffee. The bitter coffee and chocolate continue through the flavor, with the overall taste being somewhat similar to Guinness (in a good way) but with a more roasted character and greater depth of flavor. The mouthfeel is a bit thin, but the overall drinkability is terrific.

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2009 23:06:05 | More by devilben02

mklinger

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Very dark brown with a thin mocha head that dissipated quickly. Fairly ordinary looking for a porter.

Aroma is better than appearance, though. Cocoa powder & fesh ground espresso beans dominate. A slight sweetness, too. Ver appetizing & inviting.

Flavor is similar to aroma but with a little bit less dominate chocolate & coffee in the flavor. A nice bit of malt and a really pleasant bitter finish add balance and complexity.

Mouthfeel was a bit thin & highly carbonated & fizzy (but not so creamy).

A drinkable, enjoyable beer that I'd be glad to enjoy again in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2011 01:34:06 | More by mklinger

ColdPoncho

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Randalled through vanilla and something else (smelling a lot like coffee)....

A - Deep brown body with deep red light throughout. Medium tan head with good retention.

S - really strong coffee. earthy, some hoppiness. some vanilla. pretty good.

T - Strong coffee, earthy. Dry, some wood and nutty sorts of flavors. A big taste.

M - a bit thin, dry. Not bad.

O (D) - This is nice. Good coffee flavors.

Serving type: growler

07-21-2011 00:37:40 | More by ColdPoncho

Dodo2step

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

P- Thanks to my buddy trask for this brew

A- A huge frothy 5+ finger head that has to stop me from pouring. a dark cola color that is opaque.

S- i get the chocolate, toffee and caramel nose. very complementary.

F- Strong chocolate and coffee flavor. It feels like i am drinking a mrning coffee topped with some beer. not strong in the alcohol/grain dept but it is very nice.

M- smooth and creamy. nice roasted mouthfeel as well.

O- i am not a porter fan by any means but this brew is very good. it makes me think i might like porter. Very sweet yet bitter.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 21:06:06 | More by Dodo2step

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