Porkslap Pale Ale - Butternuts Beer & Ale

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

1.83/5  rDev -43.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

12oz can into a pint glass after work. My 1st from Butternuts.(LOL)

Into the glass, Porkslap pale is darker than normal with a brown, pumpking orange with somewhat of a build that dies super quick. The foam is burnt sugar white and has a ring around the collar.

Smell is mainly malt and butterscotch, melted caramel and faded hops. Nothing else though.

Taste is a caramel lovers dream, very sweet with malts up front, the can does say "all malt" on it, so perhaps I shoulda known better. A bit of a grassy tone with old pine needles. Very upsetting.

Feel is real thick, especially for 4.3% of beer. It looks thicker than average for a pale ale. Kinda syrupy, a small sweet aftertaste. No bitterness. From the largeness here, this was probably never a contender to begin with.

I really am going to go out of my way to avoid this stuff in the future. Not to my liking. Bleeh.

Serving type: can

10-26-2010 21:52:12 | More by onix1agr

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.15/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Porkslap? Count me in!! Got a couple of cans o' 'Slap from buddy Artied2. Lazy Saturday afternoon; time to give 'em a go.

Pours a medium copper color into the pint glass. Has some very light haze, with little to no head at all, just a few rim-bubbles. Practically no lacing, either. Aroma has some soft, toasty malt along with a bit of floral hopping. Feel is a little rough on the tongue, with the body being a notch or 2 below medium.

Flavor has a touch of caramel, and some subtle malty sweetness. Afterwards, hints of sourish, tropical-like fruit come into play, plus some green apple and pear. Then come some flavors akin to mouthwash, leaning towards medicinal. Now that's putting me off. Without that, it might be a decent, easy-going sessioner. But with the Listerine, well.... Glad I only opened 1 of the 2 cans. Will save the other for later, if ever...

Prosit!!

3.15
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3

1105

Serving type: can

01-10-2009 20:30:17 | More by Bierman9

Durge

Connecticut

3.23/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A light copper color with a fair white head and decent lace. The aroma suggests a tart citrus hops but fairly mild and yeast/wheat tinged. The taste is a crisp and refreshing combination of light malt and grapefruit/floral hops. A touch of charcoal thrown in to this fairly thin offering but overall it's OK and certainly goes down easy enough. Worth a try if you have a gap in your choices but nothing memorable, except for those pigs on the can!

Serving type: can

02-08-2008 05:59:39 | More by Durge

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a very lightly hazy dark copper to amber in color with moderate to significant amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall beige head that quickly reduces to a small patch of extremely thin film and a very thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light amounts of caramel malts with even lighter notes of earthy hops and ginger.

T: Very similar to the smell, there is a light flavor of caramel malts with just a touch of sweetness followed by some earthy hops and ginger notes. Light to moderate bitterness that lingers slightly.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Crisp and smooth with some light dryness in the finish.

O: Pretty easy to drink and could easily be sessionable for me... I like the addition of the ginger giving it a slightly spicy hint.

Serving type: can

10-19-2012 22:21:19 | More by dbrauneis

ngeunit1

California

3.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a bright slightly hazy orange-yellow color wit ha finger of frothy white head. The head fades fairly quickly down to a ring around the glass leaving behind a few spots of lace.

S - Aroma is a bit bland. There is a bit of sweet malt and some pine hop, but it is not too powerful.

T - Starts off with some bread flavor with some caramel sweetness in the background. Faint hops in the background. Through the middle some more biscuit flavors some out and just a touch more of hops. The finish is a mix of bread and a bit of grassy flavors that linger a tad.

M - Medium-light bodied with moderate lively carbonation. Feels a bit empty and dry. The finish is kind of bland and uninteresting.

D - Very drinkable, but also pretty uninteresting. Flavor feels a bit off and unbalanced and could have used something to make it a bit more interesting. Not bad by any means, but not very memorable.

Serving type: can

04-24-2011 03:02:01 | More by ngeunit1

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

From a 12 ounce can, this brew pours as a very clear amber liquid. The head is initially about a finger, but quickly falls into a wispy shadow. The aroma is centered on a floral hoppiness, backed with a caramel and toast. Not bad, but not really outstanding either. The taste is pretty good, and a little more flavorful than the aroma would indicate. It starts a little fruity, with a solid malt flavor. The hops are modest, and come into play in the finish. It’s a bit metallic (nothing to do with the can), and a little distractingly carbonated. The body is somewhere between medium and light, but the finish is a little weak. Not a bad beer, all in all. The price (about $5.00 for a six pack) made it worthwhile. I wouldn’t go out of my way for this beer, but I wouldn’t turn one down either.

Serving type: can

09-15-2006 00:13:52 | More by Suds

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz Can

Appearance - Slightly hazy amber/copper colour with an average size fizzy beige coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some fairly good lacing. The head lasted for around 4 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Malts, caramel, hops

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste malts, caramel/butterscotch, and some very light hops. The beer really has a lot of buttery flavour going on. It finishes with a malty sweet aftertaste.

Overall - While it was a very drinkable beer, there are some other really great beers I'd rather be drinking. It reminded me of more of an English Pale ale than an American one as well.

Serving type: can

08-17-2011 17:15:24 | More by spinrsx

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.03/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Butternuts- Porkslap

A- Reddish copper brown with a small sticky head. Good lacing!
S- Grainy, with a touch of earthy hops.
T- Very grainy, nutty, with a woodsy earthy hop flavor. All very subdued.
M- Watery with an acidic/ bitter finish.

Overall- Not much going on in this one. Use it for drinking games.

Serving type: can

02-19-2008 20:25:57 | More by NJpadreFan

kmpitz2

Tennessee

4.08/5  rDev +26.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz can purchased at the brewery. Before getting into the review, I want to say how inviting Chuck was when we visited. There is no tap room or public area, but we were invited in to look around, sample the beers, and chat. It was the best part of our tour of the beer to be found around Cooperstown.

The brew pours a solid iced tea color with a full coat of whitish head over top that breaks in the middle to a patchy coat. Clarity is very nice and there is a solid cascade of bubbles in the brew. The nose is slightly toasty and bready, with spicy ginger. There is a kiss of earthy hop in there as well. Taking a sip, I find the bready and toasted malt character hits up front, moves to a ginger sweet and spice and rounds out nicely at the end with a solid bitterness and a very nice earth hop. There is good flow between the flavor components, keeping everything detectable while still having blending of them at the transitions. Mouthfeel is moderate with a moderate carbonation; pretty well where I expected it. Overall, I really enjoy this brew. The first can was enjoyed while tossing some boccie balls around our campsite, and really was nice on a warm summer day. It is simple, but not boring.

Serving type: can

07-28-2007 22:50:02 | More by kmpitz2

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

2.28/5  rDev -29.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Poured from a can into a tumbler pint, the beer is a hazy, muddled, dirty-water orange-brown coloring with an extremely thin layer of off-white head on the surface. Aromas are mild, and somewhat jumbled, with a hint of roasty character, some tangy and slightly sour malt, and a musty overtone. The nose is just a mess. Flavors are watered down, with a slight malt sweetness that has a splash of hops at the tail end of the palate. There isn't much else kicking around the tongue on this one, and the beer is so watered down that the flavors are gone in the blink of an eye. The aftertaste is so subtle, with a little bit of hoppiness kicking around for a minute. The finish is weak and quick, leaving nothing behind. The limp-wristed finish is appropriate for the utter lack of flavor throughout the drinking experience.

Serving type: can

01-08-2012 22:44:32 | More by GarthDanielson

grub

Ontario (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

quarterly tasting party feb 21/07 with northyorksammy, Derek, crwills, biegaman and me (grub). everyone threw in a few bottles and we had an interesting mix of beer. crwills contributed this one, so thanks craig!

12oz can.

pours deep amber with thin off-white head. no lace.

aroma is nice. big malt with light grapefruit hops. bit of caramel.

taste is a bit odd. there's definitely some clove, and a mineral presence. medium bitterness. grapefruit with a little pine. the hops make a really odd combo with the spice.

mouthfeel is ok. medium carbonation and good body. the clove mouthfeel is odd.

drinkability is ok. well balanced, but the spice is just throwing me in this one.

Serving type: can

02-23-2007 03:23:48 | More by grub

dsa7783

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +22%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Single, twelve ounce can just copped from Buy Rite on Oak Tree in South Plainfield... Just to let you know, this is not a gimmick beer... This is a really great tasting, light-bodied APA worthy of praise... Pours a hazy, tawny, ruddy, copper-colored hue with a minimal head...
Faint aroma replete with a nice mixture of hops and malts...
Taste, likewise, was a delicate balance of malts and hops, with a subtle bread and butter essence, including nuances of nuts, almonds, caramel, and a hint of vanilla...
I love beer in cans, and this one certainly doesn't dissapoint...
Recommended...

Serving type: can

08-04-2008 23:43:05 | More by dsa7783

tigg924

Massachusetts

2.58/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: brown in color, medium carbonation, clear, 1/3 inch head

Smell: toasted malt, honey, and bread

Taste: toasted malt, honey, and bread

Mouthfeel: semi-sweet, light body with high carbonation.

Drinkability: A watery and weak pale ale. It goes down easy enough. If I was camping I could drink a six but nothing to get excited about or reach for.

Serving type: can

07-06-2010 16:11:09 | More by tigg924

flexabull

California

3.6/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Can courtesy of leftmindedrighty. Thanks again!

As I've mentioned many times, I love the idea of canned craft beer...

Pours a light and clear amber color, with a faint white head.

Aromas are of caramel, sweet malts, and a touch of grassy hops.

Taste is light, with a slightly sweet creamy malt flavor. Finish is crisp, a bit dry, and with a slight floral hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel is full in the mouth, with light carbonation.

Drinkability is a good. A nice simple easy drinking pale, reminds me a bit of a British style Pale. Very session worthy.

Serving type: can

09-29-2007 00:41:38 | More by flexabull

prototypic

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to csmiley for his generosity.

Appearance: It's a little hazy and amber in color. Head was white and about a finger deep. It disappeared quickly and left a light coat of lace sticking to the glass.

Smell: It's earthy up front and features some grainy characteristics. Malts are noteable and provide a bit of a sweet smell. Hops are stronger than you'd think and are mostly floral, perhaps attributing to the earthy smell. It's straight forward and a little light on the nose. Tough to pick up much past that.

Taste: It's malty and sweet on the first sip. Hops kick in very quickly and provide some bitterness, but not much. There's definitely more of a floral quality to them which results in a more earthy flavor. It's more malty and sweet than hoppy. It's a little grainy and tastes slightly watered down. Sweet and slightly yeasty finish.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: It's light bodied and has a decent feel. It's a little crisp and goes down pretty easy. Carbonation is good. Drinkability is above average, but it's lacking in flavor which limits it quite a bit.

This is a pretty good pale ale, but it hardly stands out. There's too many great beers of this style on the market to warrant repeat purchases. It's far from a bad beer though. It just could stand a healthy addition of hops and a beefing up of the nose. All in all, worth a try.

Serving type: can

05-26-2008 03:20:57 | More by prototypic

ClockworkOrange

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A 12 ounce can from a variety pack. Poured into my nonic pint glass. This ale appears a cloudy amber color with about an inch of creamy light rust colored foam. Smells and tastes of lightly toasted grains, whatever hops are present are earthy and grassy. Thin bodied with ample carbonation. Take it or leave it.

Serving type: can

05-19-2009 04:44:07 | More by ClockworkOrange

wagenvolks

Texas

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

12oz can into a beer mug. Thanks to indiapaleale for the hook-up via the Nice Cans BIF.

Porkslap pours with a rich amber hue that glistens with copper at the edges. Attractive lacing on the spittle-tan head, as the foam retreats slowly to a thin veil. Sluggish carbonation throughout the body, which shows a slight haze from the yeast. Smells like an English Pale Ale, with candy-sweet toffee malts and butterscotch diacetyl notes pulling through first. Very malty, and the hops do little to balance things.

A bit of a hoppier flavor than the aroma suggests, but toffee and caramel malts are the main players here. Finish is clean and crisp, but tastes (and feels) a bit watered-down. A lingering grassy bitterness on the end fades quickly, replaced by an Aspartame-like artificial sweetness. Mouthfeel is on the lighter side for the style, and the carbonation could stand to be turned up a notch. Overall, I can't say I've been too impressed with Butternuts line-up. I'd still like to try their Moo Thunder, but Porkslap, Henneweisse, and Snapper IPA have all been let-downs. Still, I greatly appreciate the opportunity to these beers via a great BIF package from indiapaleale...Cheers!

Serving type: can

03-05-2010 03:15:32 | More by wagenvolks

lackenhauser

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev +22.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pretty standard pale copper color. Very nice caramel like aroma with a small dose of hops. Minor nuttiness to it as well. Nice hop bitterness upfront, then the caramel like sweetness begins to show. Might not be to style but works for me. Nice blend of the 2. Somewhat dry bite in the finish. Good body for style. Quite the enjoyable pale ale. I look forward to more of these now that they are available locally. Good effort.

Serving type: can

04-17-2010 23:56:54 | More by lackenhauser

Jayli

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a slightly hazy, dull copper with a one finger of creamy white head. The head recedes quickly and leaves spotty wispy lacing on the glass. Nose is of floral and earthy hops with touches of caramel and toasted malts. Taste is a bit grainy, meshed with caramel and toasted malts. Finishes with some grassy turning to piney hops. Medium body, medium carbonation, goes down easily and has a pretty dry finish to it. This is a decent beer - and hell, you have to try just for the name!

Serving type: can

06-15-2009 16:23:46 | More by Jayli

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours medium orange with a big billowy head. Some nice lace. Nice note: Yeast is in a nice little pile in the pint. From the can to the glass.

Some toasted dry grain aromas Not getting much beyond that.

Toasted malt, some ok (but mild) hop bitterness, some bread rust bitterness, some herbal notes. But mild. Finishes fairly dry and lightly bitter.

Medium body, good carbonation.

I, uh, am not sure what to think. This would be campfire beer for me. No flavors that would get in the way of food, but nothing special. Just ok.

Serving type: can

07-22-2012 17:10:05 | More by OtherShoe2

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.05/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Much darker than I was expecting: Autumn harvest orange color, with a mildly off-white head that drew down from its 1 - 1.5 finger status within a few minutes.

S: Candy sugar won out over the citrus at first, but then the a tingle of orange and apricot regained its footing. Faint, yet present.

T: Doesn't really taste like much of anything. I got sugar water and fruit juice. No really malt backbone or hop profile to speak of. A bit disappointing.

M: The lacing was sticky and ridiculous, and the carbonation was fine, but I could have used a bit more citrus.

O: Not horrible, but not really memorable either. I know this is only an APA, but, please, somebody squeeze a grapefruit into this or something....

Serving type: can

05-07-2011 20:21:45 | More by Chaney

CrellMoset

Virginia

3.33/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Can courtesy of dkachur - thanks! Poured into a traditional American pint glass.

Appearance: An ever-so-slightly hazy copper-colored beer with a one-finger white head of average retention that leaves some geometric splotches and fingers of lacing.

Aroma: Wow, almost nothing here at all. Only the faintest hint of pale, empty grainyness. Blek.

Taste: Buttery, pale malts with a slight hint of roast and even a few heavier notes. The malt profile is solid, and accompanied by a moderate bitterness and a grassy, leafy hop presence. The butteryness of the malt foundation is a little offputting, though everything else is fairly nice.

Mouthfeel: Medium to thin bodied, with a fair amount of carbonation. Nothing too impressive, but nothing bad either.

Drinkability: A fairly average, light pale ale, fine in some departments and lacking in others. Tweak the malt profile on this one, add a few more hops, and let this one ferment a little while longer and we might be talkin'.

Serving type: can

12-17-2008 23:53:51 | More by CrellMoset

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.68/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled on September 3, 2010. The copper pour is much cloudier than I anticpated with a thin, white head that leaves lacing for a few minutes. The aroma includes barley malts and some sweeter notes. The taste includes caramel malts and ginger with a bitter hop ending.

Serving type: can

09-04-2010 00:50:11 | More by puboflyons

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

2.15/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Body is a somewhat dull flat orange color, no carbonation bubbles. Topped by three fingers of level white froth. Decent lacing.

Aroma features bits of pine and orange, but there is also a touch of industrial cleanser and overripe fruit or vegetables.

A squirt of sweetness runs down the tongue, chased along by a mix of citrus, veggies, and cleanser. Finish/aftertaste is metallic lemon.

Ok mouthfeel. Combo of off flavors kills drinkability. At least the pizza overwhelmed the middle can.

Never tried this due to its mid 90s gimmick beer appearance, but took a chance with the variety pack. Seems my early instincts were good. Hoping the other three beers are more enjoyable.

Serving type: can

10-29-2007 23:35:10 | More by RonfromJersey

alleykatking

Indiana

1.73/5  rDev -46.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Poured from 12oz can...

A- Pours a pumpkin orange color with hints of brown toward it. One finger off white head shows poor retention. Some light spotty lacing on the sides of the glass.

S- This is a interesting aroma..as in intersting because it is nothing that I figured it wouls be. The aroma opens up with caramel malts which seems to overcome most of the rest of the nose. Hints of bready notes and butterscotch throughout the whole nose. Very faded or just light grassy hops in the ending. This reminds me of Mishawaka Brewing Company's Four Horseman Ale almost perfect (although its been a while since I have had it).

T- Bready caramel malts start this one off. This makes not only the underbody but almost the entire flavor profile for 90% of the beer. Some light butterscotch notes linger here and there. Ending has some light (or just faded) piney flavor. There is something off about this beer besides the balance. I can't put my finger on it though.

M- Medium mouthfeel. Carbonation is low for the style. Caramel malts are left all over the palate coating it in a sweetness. Aftertaste is mostly caramel malts, hints of light alcohol, and faded piney hops. This beer is out of balance with which the caramel malts dominate the beer altogether. There is a strange off flavor to this beer that I can't quite put my finger on...almost a homebrew like off flavor but I don't know for sure. Light alcohol drying on the palate.

O- I thought this beer was a horrible tasting beer. This is the first time I have had a super malty pale ale that was as I have read seems to be what they are going for. Light ABV means you could drink this one all night long but I don't know why you would. A horrible offering in my opinion. Glad I did get to try this one though.

Serving type: can

03-17-2011 04:27:02 | More by alleykatking