Ninja Porter - Asheville Brewing Company

chinchill

South Carolina

3.2/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served on tap at brewery.

A - Near black with a lasting but small tan head. Some mahogany highlights.

Aroma: malty with some hops in the background.

T - Richer and more bitter than your average porter. Slightly smokey, especially in the finish which is also tinted with coffee and bitter chocolate. ABC beers tend to be earthy, which works well in most cases, but this one is too earthy.

M - medium-full body with rather light carbonation.

O - after really enjoying some lighter colored beers at ABC, I was disappointed with this dark brew. Certainly not exceptional.

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2011 22:06:08 | More by chinchill

mralbertson

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +6.2%

05-15-2013 01:44:53 | More by mralbertson

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.84/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear very dark amber (almost black) in color with some light to moderate amounts of visible carbonation and some dark garnet red highlights. The beer has a three finger tall dense foamy tan head that slowly reduces to a creamy thick film covering the entire surface of the beer with a slightly thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of dark roasted malts with notes of freshly ground coffee and some dark chocolate. The coffee flavors become more pronounced as the beer warms up.

T: Upfront there are moderate flavors of dark roasted malts with some chocolate malts. There are light to moderate flavors of freshly ground coffee that intensifies as the beer warms. Light amounts of bitterness in the finish that fades quickly.

M: Just shy of medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth.

O: This beer is very well balanced between the sweetness of the malts and the bitterness of the roasted malts and coffee. Extremely easy to drink and enjoyable, easily sessionable.

Serving type: can

05-02-2013 23:53:35 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

3.73/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: The beer is very dark red in color (black when viewed from afar). It poured with a quarter finger high tan head that died down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of ground coffee beans and chocolate malts are present in the nose. The coffee becomes more dominant as the beer warms up.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has flavors of chocolate malts and dark roasted coffee beans that are well balanced and provide an interesting contrast between sweetness and bitterness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and very smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is extremely easy to drink and has nice flavors of coffee, particularly as the beer warms up. I wouldn't have a problem drinking a few of these in one sitting.

Serving type: can

05-01-2013 01:10:29 | More by metter98

juliusseizure

New York

3.5/5  rDev -0.8%

04-30-2013 21:55:17 | More by juliusseizure

BeerDocT

Georgia

4.01/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Such an honor to follow the great Woody in a review... . Bought a six-pack of these in Asheville, last time I was there and am finally getting around to reviewing one.

-Appearance 4: Every one of these has just gone nuts after I poured it. HUGE fizz up that eventually settles down into a normal inch high head. Jet black in color with a cream colored head. Very attractive.

-Smell 4: Lovely bouquet. Big smells of toasted grains, caramelized sugars and hops.

-Taste 4.25: Front is sweet with a certain hoppiness. Middle is somewhat neutral, but a very pleasant smoothness and hop flavor seeps in with a strange hint of butter flavor. Finish is alkaline with a pleasantly smooth level of hops which is accentuated by smoky grains. Everything is balanced and nuanced. Aftertaste is dry, very nuanced and features the smoky grains and a slight coffee flavor. Nice.

-Mouthfeel 3: This is the flaw of this beer. Mouthfeel is nice and deep, but there is far too much carbonation in this beer. CO2 should be tuned down a bit. Don't get me wrong, I think this style is helped out by a greater than normal level of carbonation, but its current level is over the top.

-Overall 4: Excellent porter. I really enjoy the flavor profiles in this beer and the hops chosen. My only complaint is the carbonation level. I would love to have this one on tap some day. I highly recommend this beer.

Serving type: can

04-25-2013 05:45:44 | More by BeerDocT

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

My local, in-person trader, tone77, keeps referring to me as a master of The CANQuest (TM), but his latest drop-off has left my jaw hanging open and my tongue lolling in my head!

From the CAN: "Open a CAN of Whoop Ass!"

I keep thinking of Ninja Kitty, the terroristic stray in the comic strip, "One Big Happy" as I CANtemplate opening it. Am I going to be blindly opening a CAN of whoop ass and being surprised by its CANtents? Is this to be the end of The CANQuest (TM)? Stay tuned for answers to these and other burning questions, like "Will the sun rise in the east tomorrow?" and "Does anybody remember the PIN to my ATM card?"

The Crack was less jugular-attacking than I imagined it would be, so I decided to see if an inverted Glug would shake things up. Did it not?!? I had a cascading action that forced me to ramp back and ease up on the gas. It created two fingers of dense, deep-tan head with good retention. Color was a deep-brown with just enough light penetration to allow me to take in its ruby highlights. Nose was coffee, dark chocolate, spearmint. I was suddenly thinking of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. Mouthfeel was medium and the taste was initially more milk chocolate and I was not getting much in the way of hops on the tongue. Finish was smokier and mintier than it had been in the mouth. Not bad, but not enough to really trip my trigger, either.

Serving type: can

04-12-2013 00:15:26 | More by woodychandler

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.86/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a black color with a 1 inch head. Smell is of chocolate, coffee, a touch of licorice. Taste is a good balance of coffee and chocolate, a touch of licorice at the finish, pretty tasty. Feels full bodied in the mouth and overall is a solid beer.

Serving type: can

03-23-2013 22:37:57 | More by tone77

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +6.2%

03-01-2013 14:10:42 | More by RedneckBeerz

LXIXME

New Mexico

4/5  rDev +13.3%

02-14-2013 16:24:59 | More by LXIXME

BigTrubble

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +13.3%

02-11-2013 00:51:38 | More by BigTrubble

patre_tim

China

4.24/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

A: Dark brown almost opaque with some transparency, slight red tinge. Cannot see carbonation, head is 2 fingers, beige and fluffy.

S: Dark malt, coffee, earthy, a slight fishy smell but almost not present, chocolate, a bit of smoke.

T: Creamy, malty roasty, coffee, chocolate, smooth and balanced, little to no bitterness, a little metallic.

M: Smooth, medium body, medium carbonation.

O: Smooth and delicious for a porter, any negative scents or smells are only slight. Its well balanced and malty. Very good beer. Would go well with roast game.

Serving type: can

02-09-2013 03:39:34 | More by patre_tim

Scubaman

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +27.5%

01-10-2013 16:09:59 | More by Scubaman

Lukafer

Indiana

2.5/5  rDev -29.2%

12-08-2012 01:10:03 | More by Lukafer

Falcone

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -15%

12-04-2012 05:37:31 | More by Falcone

FUwolfpacker

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -0.8%

12-01-2012 02:17:02 | More by FUwolfpacker

ZinFanDave

Georgia

4/5  rDev +13.3%

11-20-2012 00:37:12 | More by ZinFanDave

jonB

New York

3.4/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked up a bomber after visiting the brew pub. It was my favorite of the places I visited in Asheville. The porter is everything you expect/hope it will be. It pours a dark black with a good amount of head. The smell is very sweet with a little bit of alcohol, but the taste comes back to roasted malts with a slightly light mouthfeel. Overall it is a good sipping porter that falls toward the sweet side.

*I also used it to make a beef stew and it added a great flavor.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 01:38:51 | More by jonB

sendbeer

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +20.4%

10-22-2012 20:52:44 | More by sendbeer

Hyhat

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -0.8%

10-14-2012 02:15:54 | More by Hyhat

Wessoms

Georgia

4.5/5  rDev +27.5%

08-12-2012 21:51:56 | More by Wessoms

jaidenjb

Ohio

3/5  rDev -15%

08-12-2012 02:39:59 | More by jaidenjb

sendsilk

Florida

3/5  rDev -15%

07-22-2012 12:34:09 | More by sendsilk

tony1017

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +6.2%

07-14-2012 22:11:25 | More by tony1017

therica

Maryland

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brought to me from Asheville by a friend.

A= dark near-black, a nice brown head, some rimming.

S= plenty of chocolate in the nose, with hints of coffee; modest hops florals.

T= nicely chocolate, the coffee becomes more apparent in the taste than in the nose; nicely carbonated, not too much-- I found it rather balanced.

M= chocolate, some hops florals and hints of coffee remain but the chocolate dominates.

O= a very nicely balanced Porter in the traditional style.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 03:20:18 | More by therica