Contorter - Ale Asylum

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep black with ruby highlights around the lighted edges. Tan head lingers nicely on top for quite a while. Light chocolate and roast in the nose without much else, maybe a light hop note in the middle of the bready base. Smooth is the selling point on the bottle and the website description, and it is very smooth with little to stop it from going dryly off the back of the tongue quickly. Roast is light and lingers a bit on the tongue, but the thin body detracts from the overall taste. While a decent porter, it lacks enough depth to keep me interested beyond a bottle or two. Had the same beer on tap recently and it seemed to have a bit more too it then for some reason.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 01:15:40 | More by FightingEntropy

hreb

Washington

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cold 12oz bottle poured into pint glass. Beer pours a crystal clear brown but in the glass is very nearly opaque, and topped with a very thin tan head. Ale asylum keeps using this word "unfiltered". I do not think they know what it means.

Aroma is of coffee and molasses. Taste is similarly rich, with just the edge of bitterness and a light fizzyness. Molasses flavor dominates, but there's chocolate too. Not nutty or roasty, but faintly sweet... with no gross aftertaste. Mouthfeel is appropriately thin and not overcarbonated. A real classic porter. A solid and consistent A-/B+!

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2011 02:39:46 | More by hreb

camil1mj

Michigan

3.03/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a bottle from the bar in the Madison Marriot.

A: Dark. Thin foamy head.

S: Chocolate and malty. Pleasant.

T: Average porter. Much like the smell it has strong flavors of malt and chocolate.

M: Very typical to the style. Thin and not too heavy.

O: Good run of the mill porter. I would not seek it out, but would not turn it down.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 22:34:01 | More by camil1mj

UconnHusky

Connecticut

3.18/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a pint glass out of a bottle:

A: Very dark body (near black) with a very disappointing non existent head...no signs of lacing.

S: Chocolate malts and roasted coffee. Overall, very pleasant.

T: Touch of licorice combined with a combination of sweet roasted malts and nice burnt coffee. Touch of hop bitterness tops it off.

M: Thin bodied that didn't quite live up to expectations.

Overall a basic and conservative porter that will easily be forgotten.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 03:22:13 | More by UconnHusky

orangesol

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into a globe.

A - Pours deep brown, bordering on black, with a thin film of off-white head, dissipating down to next to nothing, leaving light sheets of lacing down the glass.

S - Smells of dark chocolate malt, coffee, chocolate, and toffee. It has an overall earthy sweetness with a bit of smokiness coming thru as it warms up to room temperature. Good not great.

T - This one has a very thin, watery, feel right off the bat. Dark chocolate malt mixes with some dulled coffee, chocolate, and toffee to form a flavorful core but the feel really hurts it throughout. Finish is quite thin with some lingering malty sweetness. Not bad but the feel really brings it down.

M - Heavy body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Thin, watery, feel with some lingering sweet dark roast in the finish.

D - Decent stuff. I have had better but it was still pretty solid. I just wish it wasn't so watery. I really think I would have liked this one a lot more.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 19:38:51 | More by orangesol

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

4.38/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This beer poured a black colored with a small tan head. The smell was very strong of coffee. The taste had alot of coffee flavors, but was also heavy and malty, a bit of a carmel flavor as well, but the coffee flavors stood out the most. Nice full flavor, espically for a porter. Overall a found it a good beer, and a really good porter.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2011 21:37:20 | More by vette2006c5r

Tncapehart

Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A. Nice looking porter. Pours dark brown, near black. Tan head fades fast and leaves little lacing.

S. Coffee, malt, and a hint of caramel sweetness.

T. Coffee and espresso bitterness. Would have liked more of the caramel sweetness that was faint in the aroma.

M. Medium bodied. After taste lingers for a bit with...what else, coffee.

D. I won't drink more than one of these but nice on a cold winter night.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 03:43:45 | More by Tncapehart

jera1350

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Lovely black color that is semi-viscous. I would give this a higher score, but the head is pretty minimal. What is there is tan in color.

The smell is wonderful. Very chocolatey, with a nice roast character and some coffee.

Like the nose pretty much. A bit more of a roasted coffee character than chocolate however. Pretty tasty stuff.

The carbonation is nice and soft and the body is about medium. Feels pretty thick for a beer under five percent alcohol. Dry finishing on the tongue.

Drinks terrifically. I could easily put a couple of these back. Represents the style well. All around, this beer is really well done with the exception of the head which I can live with.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2010 01:54:11 | More by jera1350

BieresDesMoines

Iowa

3.85/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep brown basically black with a small head and some lace. The aroma is some coffee, a little cinnamon, some roasty malt, some candy sweetness, a mild hoppiness, and something odd I can't quite put my finger on. The flavor is much like a delicious coffee drink with some mild sweetness, some fruitiness, a nice bitter hoppiness, with a good creamy character.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2010 06:00:52 | More by BieresDesMoines

Wasatch

Utah

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks goes out to beerwolf77 for this brew.

Pours a nice black color, nice carbonation, little fizzy tan head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with some very nice chocolate/toffee notes. The taste is sweet, malty, nice touch of chocolate/toffee. Medium body. Drinkable, this is a very tasty English Porter.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2010 01:44:26 | More by Wasatch

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The final Foofaa offering at the Brass Rail. An old-timey English Porter.

A: The porter is a dark cola color, more brown than black on close inspection. The predominance of brown hues is especially evident at the edges of the glass.

S: The nose has quite a combination of coffee, chocolate, and toffee floating around. Sweet but not cloying. Malts dominate with little in the way of hoppiness.

T: My first sip immediately registered 'English Porter'. The ale is subtle, refined even, lacking the hoppy arrogance of its American cousins. With hops out of the waydark malts are content to lounge around. Toffee and chocolate malts reign supreme, a sweet bready ale. Coffee and powdered cocoa come along later, jazzing up the flavor a tad. The malty sweetness, almost syrupy, is most evident at the end of each sip.

M: The ale is very straight-forward, a porter's porter with no pretenses. The solid malt body, with its coffee and toffee sides, is quite pleasant.

D: I'm impressed with this one, a good porter that relies on malty craft to deliver solid flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 14:30:29 | More by akorsak

Duff27

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Dark dark brown. No head, hardly any lacing.

S- Roasted chocolate malts.

T- Chocolate/coffee. Nice burnt, bitter aftertaste.

M- Seems a bit thin for its style to me.

D/O- Drink two and call it a night...for this beer anyways. Would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2010 02:24:22 | More by Duff27

daledeee

Iowa

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Very nice looking beer. Poured a dark brown with a small tan head. Nose was great with smoke and malt

Taste is malty, sweet with some chocolate and a mild hop finish. Mouth feel is not very carbonated but clean. Drinkability is good with a nice clean finish as well.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2010 00:46:00 | More by daledeee

AmberMan22

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a mud-brown (mud being a good thing here) with a singed tan head. A nice pattern of lace is forming down the side of the glass as I drink, and almost no light shines through the beer.

Smell is wonderfully malty. Deep, rich, roasty, chocolately. Tinge of bitter on the end.

Taste doesn't disappoint -- hugely wonderful amount of dark sweet, toasty malt. Coffee flavors peak through with perfect balance. Maybe a hint of vanilla in there. Like the smell, it finishes with a touch of hop bitterness.

Really solid brew from Ale Asylum. The first two I've had from them have been fantastic, which makes me glad to be in Wisconsin right now.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2010 21:28:05 | More by AmberMan22

KI9A

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Bottle into tulip. Pure blackness, thin head.

S: Chocolate malt.

T: Heath candybar toffee, roasty malts, cream.

M: Silky as hell. Coats mouth with goodness!

D: Big drinkabilty. I love Porters, and, this is a wonderful. A bit carbonated, and, no "sourness" associated with traditional English porters, but, a fine beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2010 01:30:21 | More by KI9A

WJVII

Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass this brew has an oil like black color with a thin body and a bubbly (not creamy) light brown head that left moderate lacing. The aroma was of sweet caramel, subtle chocolate, and burnt malts. The taste was overly carbonated upfront, astringent to the tongue, and full of the burnt malt flavor. There was not much to come out from under the deep dark malt taste. Some slight notes of coffee and chocolate, but difficult to get to behind the heaviness of the roast. This was a little thin for the style. Not the best I have had, but worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2010 00:34:44 | More by WJVII

alexgash

Connecticut

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

12 oz. bottle.

Inky dark brown body with a small, bubbly, sandy brown head. Not much lacing. Roasted malts, light coffee, and dark chocolate dominate the nose. Some minor notes of vanilla and charred wood. Grainy bitterness up front. Chocolate and peaty malt sweetness follows. Slight notes of coffee and oily, woody fruit. Moderate body with a lively feel. Not bad.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2009 04:57:03 | More by alexgash

wspscott

Kentucky

3.95/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle in pint glass

A: Pours very dark, almost completely black. A thin tan head leaves lots of lace.
S: Lots of chocolate with some dark caramel/toffee, no hint of hops.
T: The chocolate takes a back seat to some roasted grain along with what may be some black patent malt. A little bit of english yeast fruitiness in the background.
M: Creamy mouthfeel with a little bit of tannic astringency. A little too much carbonation to be "english".
D: Goes down very easy, a nice session beer for a cold winter night. A good example of an english porter. Well worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2009 00:19:16 | More by wspscott

robbyc1

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Rootbeer color cloudy look, nice tan head nice lacing.

Nose has chocolate malt all the way, very nice.

Good chocolate malt flavor, goes away fast, not much aftertaste, although it is very balanced, a bit watery. Roasty and deep, but the
feeling is that there chould be more, straightforward and good.

Lighter than expected, but solid, maybe a bit more carbonation than needed.

Very drinkable as a session porter, just not very complex, maybe a good dinner beer where the food shines over the beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2009 22:48:34 | More by robbyc1

blackearth

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on tap at Ale Asylum in Madison, WI. Pours a black body with a tan head that lasts. Aroma of dark roasted malts. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a low carbonation. The main flavor is sweet roasted malts with a very low bitterness in the finish. Very good drinkability.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2009 16:43:57 | More by blackearth

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a deep, unfiltered brown, with a finger of smooth milk chocolate head. Thin layer of retention skims the surface, leaving some light spotty froth back. The aroma is RICH with roasted chocolate malts and coffee, which possesses a sweet and smokey texture. Citric and floral hops give this some green tones in the nostrils.

The taste is much the same, with chalky chocolate malt sweetness giving way to plenty of hops, roast, and coffee. I'm also getting a good bit of citrus coming out as this warms. Earthy hops and burnt gains really linger strongly past the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, maybe a bit thinner, with some sharpness to the body but this was pretty easy in the mouth for the most part.

This really brought the roasted feel hard, with the type of burnt grains and coffee character that I really like in the style. The body could have used a touch more presence but for the most part, this was a one dark, tasty, and nicely drinkable Porter.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2009 18:39:57 | More by Kegatron

bound4er

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - A firm pour produces a one finger tan head that quickly disappears. Dark brown in color. Leaves a small amount of lacing.

S - Roasted malt aromas with faint coffee and chocolate.

T - Roasted malt flavors up front - turns nicely bitter on a coffee infused crisp finish.

M - Medium bodied with good carbonation.

D - This beer slides down pretty quickly. Having three or four in a night would not be a stretch, especially given its ABV.

Ultimately this beer gets lost amongst two world class Porters I have access to - Great Lakes Edmund Fitz and Founders. Still a worthy effort from an up and coming brewery.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2009 01:47:40 | More by bound4er

Fartknocker

Wisconsin

4.65/5  rDev +22.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a globe glass

A- Completely dark and opaqu with a mocha brown head.
S- Very malty with a hint of chocolate
T- Again, very malty with none of the burnth or bitter flavor that I have had with some porters. Very smooth
M- nice carbonation, not too thick or thin
D- Very smooth for a porter, could drink all night.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2009 02:55:47 | More by Fartknocker

cdkrenz

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Extremely dark brown body with a very dark head too. His head is nice standing about an inch tall and fading slowly.

S - Long roasted malt aroma with hints of sweet chocolate. The aroma is inviting.

T - It has a burnt flavor that I really enjoy. The long roasted grains really allow for a good tasting porter with sweet accents at the beginning and the end.

M - It has a subtle coarse texture throughout that assists the beer's flavors.

~ The Contorter is another good beer from the Ale Asylum. My hats off to the folks in Madison for turning out a good, drinkable porter.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2009 18:37:15 | More by cdkrenz

MadTown1000

Virginia

2.73/5  rDev -28%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Strong chocolate smell out of the bottle. Pours an almost solid black with just a tinge of ruby-red transparency when held up to light. In a pint glass, it foams up to about an inch and a half of solid-looking brown-white foam, which settles over the course of a couple of minutes. The smell is not nearly so strong out of the glass as out of the bottle.

Taste, unfortunately, does not live up to expectations. The first note is bitterness, which the chocolate coming up next, followed up by heavily-roasted malt, and ending with more bitterness. A lot of fizz on the tongue as well. I wouldn't want to have many of these in succession... I might have another beer, but it would be ANOTHER beer. I generally like my porters sweeter and more full-bodied than this one - not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2009 00:58:13 | More by MadTown1000