Stock Porter - Telegraph Brewing Company

seagullbeer

California

3.84/5  rDev +10%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

brought home from trip santa barbara. it was cool then took a long car ride then re fridged if that changes things.

A - dark brown can just barely see light on other side, head poured out tall but had big bubbles and fell quickly

S- tinny root beery

T- nice light chocolate flavor, malty, not incredibly flavorful but i really enjoy a nice porter thats easy drinking. the kinda porter you could have a few of without getting bogged down

M- light quickly rides off, like a stallion out past its bed time

O- enjoyable but not one of those tall bottles id pay 6 plus dollars for. i hate finding beers that are enjoyable but not particularly fancy tasting or worth spending extra bucks for

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 02:16:26 | More by seagullbeer

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.68/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a Koningshoeven chalice. Batch 103.

A: A finger of head, off-white, and a translucent dark brown body.

S: Musty-strange yeast. Chocolate. Hazelnut. A hint of sweet fruit.

T: Mmm, nice. Smooth, light, and lightly carbonated. Nutty-sweet, lightly roasted-bitter, and subtly sweet chocolate malt. The finish is moderately bitter, but only just.

M: Smooth and immensely drinkable.

O: If this is what porters used to taste like, then the world has lost something rather special. Very, very drinkable and definitely recommended. Tasty.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 06:51:50 | More by AgentMunky

beerpadawan

California

3.43/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A Baltic 7-up?

The cork seemed too eager to depart its nesting place; a gentle nudge and it was sprinting on to its destiny in a much larger vessel.

The head is off-white whilst 6 inches tall; it settles into the more expected light tan-caramel color. The inky beer smells of sweet malt, with some roasty notes.

Held in mouth, it prickles with exuberance.

The flavor at mid-quaff is just a touch watery, but the beer finishes well with some of the "delicate fruit notes" and chocolate/coffee promised on the label.

I cannot find a statement of the ABV on the label, but Telegraph's Web site says it is 5.7, not 7.5 as indicated on this entry. It has a pretty light body overall and there is no alcohol warmth that I can detect, so I'm leaning toward 5.7.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 07:36:19 | More by beerpadawan

ccrida

Oregon

3.68/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle, batch no. 103. Ruddy brown, small tan head, light lace.

Smell is coffee, a touch of caramel. I kept waiting for it to open, but it never did...

Taste is also coffee heavy, less caramel and coco. Really enjoyably vibrant acidity. Waxy phenols, a little sweet ethanol character.

Mouthfeel is a touch over-carbonated. Lighter bodied.

Drinkability is good, a flavorful porter given a brightness from the acidity. Less priming would be better.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 03:42:41 | More by ccrida

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Recent bottle from Lakeview Liquors, Chicago. Solid serviceable porter. Exploding cork, very carbonated as told by overflowing glasses. Black with lots of creamy bubbly white head. Medium roast aroma, mild coffee taste. Good drinkability that went with fish, cheese. Smooth mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 05:08:13 | More by northyorksammy

mactrail

California

3.15/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Usual dark brew but with a big foam up, though not excessive. Quite a lot of carbonation in the mouth. Dark caramel with a little bitter hops. Not much aroma but a pleasant nose of roasted barley. Malty in a light-bodied way. I don't get any sour taste, but it does seem lightly oxidized with a wet cardboard finish. A little burnt raisin toast. Ovaltine, that's what it tastes like.

Quite drinkable if you like this mild, murky sort of porter. Label says Batch 80. 22 oz bottle from Mega Liquors in Hemet, Calif.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 06:53:31 | More by mactrail

spunk509

Wisconsin

3.08/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - light brown - almost like a robust porter. Although the cork did pop, it didn't fly as high as for others. A milt head coating. Not overcarbonated.

S - Bad. I love sours, but this beer smells sour. There's a hint of slight roast in the background, but I get sour more than anything else.

T - Sour. I don't know if this bottle went bad or what, but this doesn't taste like a porter. It's almost like the Shorts PB&J stout, but that's supposed to be part sour. I would like it if it wasn't supposed to be a porter.

M - Fairly average. Decent body. A little light.

O - A below-average porter. Disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 22:37:14 | More by spunk509

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

When I released the cork stopper it hit the ceiling.
While I poured this deep brown beer into my glass it was producing evermore tan dense foamy head. Very turbulent carbonation. Nicely clear and with great amounts of lacing.
Aroma has a good roasted malt smell perhaps some toffee to boot.Taste is malty of course some roasted malts toffee malts. There is a sutle coffee grounds and ash taste.
A thinner mouth feel for a porter. The excessive carbonation explodes on the palette perhaps giving the beer a lighter or thinner feel.
Not that bad really excess carbonation and foam cap but other then that not half bad.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 13:40:09 | More by micromaniac129

musicman575

California

3.4/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Cork exploded out of the bottle. This beer has the most aggressive foam (I'm gettin' impatient) I've ever seen - it grows like snake fireworks. Beer is a dark and thick hazy orangeish brown. Smells like a usual porter with a metallic smell and taste that subsides with the head. Once you get past that there's a hint of pear and bing cherry. Doesn't have as much of a bite as some porters. Coffee, burnt sugar, and leather, flavors are prevalent, but subdued. Something like grass and rubber in the aftertaste. I don't know if it's just because I live in California, but I think more hops would go nicely.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 05:43:58 | More by musicman575

weazal

California

4.13/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

SMELL: Sweet molasses and chalky dark chocolate. Distinct smokey nature...maybe slightly burnt, but not too bad. Intriguing.

TASTE: Big, filling mouthfeel with a swath of sharply tingling carbonation attacking the roof of your mouth that subsides into a tinny, sweet and sour finish. A vein of sourness runs through the the entire experience, creating a deceptively easy drinking experience and enjoyable contrast to the full mouthfeel and big carbonation.

The dark, roasty nature from the aroma carries through and dominates the tasting experience. Very similar experience to biting into a plum. Sweet, tart, succulent.

For a beer with a good amount going on, it's surprisingly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 09:39:32 | More by weazal

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Huge fluffy head keeps rising, over carbonated as well, touch clear with a rosy dark brown color.

Nose has light roast, charred malts, little burnt coffee, slight sour infection just started to come in the background, touch of caramel, creamy porter aromas.

Taste has light roast, caramel, touch of coffee, vanilla, some lighter bitterness, touch of spicy hops, hint of sour infection in the background as well, bit of chocolate, super dry finish with light bitterness as well.

Mouth is med bodied, too much carbonation (probably result of the onset of infection).

Overall not bad, light roasty easy drinking porter, would be even better without the slight infection onset.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2011 16:54:27 | More by jlindros

WillCarrera

Illinois

1.88/5  rDev -46.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A- Pours a dark, oaky brown color. The first thing I'm noticing is that the carbonation is way off, even a verrry careful pour produces a massive, out-of-control, thin looking tan head.

S- Picking up roasted coffee and some bready malts, but also a sort of sweet/sour odor, might be infected.

T- Lots of coffee and malt, but here is where things really go wrong, there's an overpowering sour fruit flavor, combined with the coffee it produces a pretty unpleasant bitter/sour coffee ground flavor.

M- Medium to light bodied, over-carbonated, thin watery feel.

O- The sour flavors pretty much wreck an already problematic beer, I'm not sure if the bottle was infected (which is what I would bet on) or just a bad idea, but I've noticed that this seems to be a consistent problem with this brewery. I actually can't believe they bottled this and then charged money for it. Avoid this one.

From Batch No. 64 in case anyone is wondering

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2011 00:25:50 | More by WillCarrera

mithrascruor

California

3.3/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle poured into a tulip glass (already had it out).

Appearance: Pours a nice black color. Slightly reddish at the edges in the light. Decent light tan head with some lacing, though it becomes a film quickly.

Smell: Mild aroma with some malts and a bit of grain (oats?).

Taste: Quite sweet - not sickeningly so, but definitely lots of sugars present, particularly at the finish. Otherwise, it is sort of a watery malt flavor.

Mouthfeel: Light- to medium-bodied with mild carbonation. Generally smooth.

Drinkability: Low-ish ABV, but too sweet, and the taste is a bit watery, making it a bit tired for drinking after a while.

I wanted to like this, but it is just so-so. My faults on the taste aren't particularly "bad" ones, but they make it somewhat unappealing. I'd like a bit more body and a bit less sweet.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2011 01:18:29 | More by mithrascruor

DaveHS

California

3.58/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A-Pours deep ruby/mahogany with nearly 2 inches of rocky mocha colored head. Reduces slowly, leaving moderate sticky lacing.

S-Chocolate malt, toffee, not much else.

T/M-Smooth and roasty. Very simple. The mouthfeel is pleasantly creamy and mouth coating. Flavor profile is one dimensional. A bit roasty with some chocolate malt. That's about it.

O-I expected more given the price. It was alright.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 22:58:30 | More by DaveHS

felipe2toes

California

3.55/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours black with thin tan froth for a head. Head recedes quickly to some crust, but not much lacing.

Smells of chocolate and coffee and brown sugar.

Tastes of chocolate and roasted malts, with some faint sour fruit notes. But not much complexity.

Very thin mouthfeel, but some decent carbonation

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2011 23:46:18 | More by felipe2toes

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

2.1/5  rDev -39.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A-pours a dark brown liquid with some cloudiness to it and tons of over responsive thin tan colored head.

S-the nose is very sweet and seems a little off. there might be slight infection here. hints of roasted malt with a touch of burnt coffee. lots of malt sugars, toffee, yeast, rotten plums and a touch of vinous property.

T-still can't tell if this has an infection or lacks a real porter quality. slightly more roasted malts and vinous properties up front. some touches of sweet chocolate with, lots of fruity sweetness with plums, slightly rotten, and notes of citrus

M-medium to light body, soft on the palate and very light, a little thin in the finish with an agressive carbonation.

D-not very good, lots of issues, overly sweet and the sweetness doesn't seem right. potentially a slight infection or just a miss.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2011 23:40:46 | More by cpetrone84

brentk56

North Carolina

2.8/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Way too much head lays on top of the coffee colored liquid; on the flip side, though, the retention and lacing were good

Smell: Vinous, red grape aroma dominates, with just a hint of roasty malt underneath

Taste: Although there are hints of black bread and chocolate on the front, the vinous flavors take over and add a sour dimension by mid-palate; after the swallow, there are hints of coffee and oak underneath but they are subsumed by the sour flavors

Mouthfeel: Overcarbonated, with a medium body underneath

Drinkability: Another disappointment from Telegraph, frankly; the beer was a noble experiment but it just doesn't work out

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2011 01:19:48 | More by brentk56

1759Girl

California

3.48/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Surprising for its style. At first, I wasn't thrilled but as it warmed and the aroma opened, I warmed to it also.

Appearance- Had I not been on a root beer float kick as of late, I could not say with this much certainty, but I can definitely say this looks JUST look root beer. Same exact coloring. Same exact frothy light brown head and lacing. REALLY wish I had a scoop of icecream!

Smell-Burnt malt, and whisky barrels. Slight caramel.

Taste- A little sour. Originally too sour for my liking, especially because it lacked complexity. Let this warm up and you'll get a wider palette of whisky, sour, burnt malt, and yeast.

Mouf- Think and overly carbonated. My only real complaint with the beer.

Drink- easier after a few minutes of letting it warm up. Pretty average drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2011 17:59:27 | More by 1759Girl

OBeerMeGreatOne

California

2.93/5  rDev -16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bottle with Batch Number 49 on the bottle. Pours a nice, deep, dark brown with a giant light tan head. The lace retention is very nice. The smell is of pale malts and dirt with a hint of grape and chocolate. The taste is a bit acidic. Banana up front, earth (mineral-style). The mouth is super thin and highly carbonated. It wasn't a drain-pour, just not...good. Sad to say that I'm not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 22:03:44 | More by OBeerMeGreatOne

Murchmac

California

3.38/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Not a bad beer, just as watching reruns of friends isnt too bad, but not something you'd do more than once.

Pours a black with brown highlights and thin lacing white head.

Doesnt smell like much.

Doesnt taste like much. Some sour tastes, some roast, some chocolate, but not enough of any to make a difference.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2011 05:54:07 | More by Murchmac

hooliganlife

Missouri

3.7/5  rDev +6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

pours a dark cola with a massive cocoa head

lots of roasted malt with a subtle dry red wine scent. light sweetness with a moderate dark chocolate and cocoa smell. lots of sweet dark fruit.

very vivid with a strong red wine character up front. lots of dryness and oak slightly over power the sweet roasted malt. a dry bitterness flows throughout and in the finish.

very dry with a moderate carbonation. light sweetness on the gums.

decent overall with great wine flavor. my only real beef is that a 750ml bottle is a lot as this is pretty flavorful. kills the drinkibility a bit.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2010 22:36:57 | More by hooliganlife

emmasdad

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I remember passing on this one on an earlier trip to San Diego, but after reading a little bit, I decided that I needed to try this one. Pours a dark brown, with a big tan head. Some light funk on the nose, along with chocolate and lightly roasted malt. On the palate, milk chocolate, horse blanet and coffee. This one might need some more time.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2010 07:47:28 | More by emmasdad

popery

California

4.33/5  rDev +24.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Well, this isn't a normal porter. The flavor is dominated by fruity dark malt notes. It smells sorta like a light, sour plum wine blended with warm caramel. There's also a perfumey chocolate aroma in there. It's light on the hops and closer to English versions of the style than American. That style-defining ashiness (style-defining for me, anyway) is mostly absent, or, maybe, just really well done. The fruitiness is somehow reminiscent of ashy roasted malt, though I can't quite put my finger on it. I'm going to chalk it up to barrel-aging magic. The flavor is lightly sour with some fruit and caramel sweetness. The finish is particularly fruity with some pleasant acidity.

I'm not great at picking out specific ingredients, but this beer probably leans toward lactobacillus. The sourness is yogurty, and there's no real funk to speak of. Some oakiness come through, particularly in the drying vinegariness. Most likely, the flavor is entirely too clean to be historically accurate, but it's a nice, safe version of history and probably tastier for it.

The beer, itself, is a very dark brown that appears to have ruby highlights when held up to the light. The head is beige and aggressively foamy. Carbonation is relatively light, and the beer has a very smooth feel. It's a rich beer, full of interesting flavors and fun to drink. This might not appeal to most folks, particularly if they're looking for a standard porter, but it's good stuff and manages to deliver on its historical promises more than most beers with similar hooks.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2010 07:07:09 | More by popery

BevMoAndrew

California

3.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Note: The profile doesn't acknowledge that this beer was aged in Zinfandel barrels.

Served into a Bruery tulip glass at about 40 degrees.

Shows a solids black in the glass with a slight ruby tint when put to the light and a light tan froth that dissipates quickly. The nose is pretty, but totally not what I expected... sweet red/black fruit jam (Raspberries, Blueberries, & Black Cherries), Black Pepper, Oak, slight Vanilla, Espresso, Dark Chocolate, Maple Syrup, & Cloves. The flavors are dominated by Smoke, Burnt Coffee, Chocolate, hints of Cherry pie filling, & subtle Vanilla. I'm actually really happy that the aromas and flavors are opposite from one another, but share some common elements. In other words, what was pronounced on the nose was subtle on the palate and visa versa. The mouthfeel of this beer is a little bit leaner than I would have liked and the finish is shorter than it should be, but it's a 5.8% abv beer. Overall, the beer is very good, but nothing that is worth traveling great distances to find. However, the nose reflects the characteristics of the Zinfandel grape perfectly and is my favorite part of the beer. If I had a roast beef sandwich, I'd probably like the beer a little bit better....it's help contrast it's burnt flavor. If you're a fan of porters and see it on the shelf, I'd recommend picking it up.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2009 02:36:59 | More by BevMoAndrew

seanbhudson

California

3.25/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

APPEARANCE:
Pours an opaque dark brown color with huge tan head that has good retention. Little to no lacing.
AROMA:
Light to moderate aroma of chocolate and caramel. Light roasted malts. There is also a light sour dark fruit (plum) almost vinegary.
FLAVOR:
Chocolate and caramel. Very little roasted malt flavor. Hints of oak. There is also a bit of harsh astringency.
MOUTHFEEL:
A medium bodied beer that has a bit of a thin feel for a porter. Lively carbonation.
DRINKABILITY:
A relatively easy drinking porter except for the slight acrid taste.
NOTES: BBCSD-0908-Danielle
I like the fact that this porter wasn't over-roasted but the sour /acidic taste is not what I want or expect in a porter. I prefer more chewy malts.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2009 20:33:55 | More by seanbhudson