Elevator Horny Goat - Elevator Brewery & Draught Haus

Brenden

Ohio

3.54/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Well, I'm expecting some whiskey in this beer, but I never expected this. One might think all this hard-hitting fusel alcohol might prevent much of a head; to be sure, it's not very much, but it manages better than I'd expect. A bit of a creamy off-white cap does manage to linger and even drop bits of spotty lacing. Most beers with this much booziness don't manage all that well unless they're phenomenally attenuated, so give some credit here.
Holy whiskey, Batman. Actually, the nose does let some of the porter quality come out with some roast from the malts (which one would assume there's plenty of to form this beer's backbone). A bit of vanilla comes through with lots of wood as well.
Everything at first gets absolutely decimated by the raw fusel booziness. Give it a chance, though, and you'll discover there's beer here. Otherwise, you might be convinced this beer really is a whiskey. Anyway, a bit of peat comes through with a very lightly earthy/smoky note along with lots of drying oak.
Well, the alcohol doesn't thin the body as much as one might think, but a bit. Otherwise it's a solid medium body, appropriate for a porter, with a reasonable creaminess to it off a bit of a crispness and moderate carbonation.
If you're looking for whiskey, give this beer a shot. You may be just a little disappointed by the lack of subtlety, and a bit more skill would ensure that the flavors meld better, but it's a pretty good beer by standards.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 12:51:15 | More by Brenden

ItismeDamonLee

Ohio

4/5  rDev +13.3%

05-17-2013 18:30:19 | More by ItismeDamonLee

jminch

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +6.2%

05-11-2013 22:03:18 | More by jminch

apasternak

Ohio

5/5  rDev +41.6%

05-08-2013 22:17:49 | More by apasternak

Crookdrain

New York

2.75/5  rDev -22.1%

05-02-2013 01:12:34 | More by Crookdrain

OB1

Ohio

4/5  rDev +13.3%

04-30-2013 03:33:37 | More by OB1

cmoses

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +34.6%

04-23-2013 15:12:58 | More by cmoses

AlphaKingKegger

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +6.2%

04-16-2013 04:13:18 | More by AlphaKingKegger

Mark88

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +20.4%

04-09-2013 02:17:14 | More by Mark88

Ohiovania

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -0.8%

03-21-2013 05:33:10 | More by Ohiovania

sgoro

Illinois

3/5  rDev -15%

03-20-2013 23:17:52 | More by sgoro

deuce9259

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -0.8%

03-19-2013 23:23:57 | More by deuce9259

tectactoe

Michigan

2.88/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

Thanks to cneville for this extra. He warned me that sometimes this one's on, but sometimes it's off. I guess we'll find out what batch this bottle is from! Pours a dark brown-ish color with almost no head formation aside from a light, grey-tinted ring of bubbles that forms only there the beer and the glass meet.

Aromatically, it's pretty heavy with deep, sweet, dark fruits compacted with a solid amount of cocoa-like sweetness and a brown sugar coating. As it opens up a bit more, raisins become more apparent, as do hints of black licorice and anise. Very mild whiskey and wood aromas, surprisingly weak for a porter aged in old whiskey barrels. This one is really more sweet than anything; some apple skins and grapes bring up the rear as well.

I take a sip and am overwhelmed with whiskey. It's amazing to me how the whiskey and oak notes could be so buried in the aroma, yet so overpowering in the taste. Up front, I'm hit with a weird, almost tart, apple skin astringency (infection maybe?) only moments before I'm launched into a sea of whiskey-soaked oak. Boozy, woody, and musky with the slightest hint of roasted malts. The flavors take on the role of a beer that is dark, syrupy, and dense, yet the mouth feel doesn't comply - it's rather thin and weak given the style. The body coupled with the carbonation is similar that of soda - not very much like a beer. Mild cocoa powder shows up in the aftertaste, but is still relatively quiet when compared to the whiskey and oak bomb.

Well, it was drinkable. Kind of. Just way too much whiskey character to be consistently enjoyable. And the whiskey profile was so "standalone-ish" rather than integrated well into the other flavors. And the fact that it might have been infected probably didn't help. Weird, tart apple skin flavors that seem out of place. I wish this one tasted a little more like it smelled.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 16:06:15 | More by tectactoe

hustlesworth

Ohio

3.59/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

A- hazy dark chestnut brown with copper highlights. Meager looking tan head settles quickly and doesn't leave much lacing.

S- chocolate and woodsy with definite oak and vanilla aromas. Whiffs of alcohol are prevalent even when cold. Nutty, caramel, toffee and dessert like. Overall a powerful, well rounded vaporous bourbon barrel nose.

T- dry coffee up front becoming chocolatey with big vanilla, oak, and bourbon flavor.
It's a very heavy whiskey taste which I don't mind, but it mostly drowns out all the other flavors whereas a stout might be better able to stand up against it. Some dry grainy and coffee flavors near the end with a flash of hops in the finish.

MF- nice body for an aged porter, smooth and creamy while maintaining drinkability. Dry tannic oaky feel on the palate gives the impression of whiskey. Carbonation is tight and zippy like the little pins & needles you get when your tongue falls asleep. Wait.. What?

D- dominated by oak and whiskey flavors, this should please most fans of barrel aging however the beer itself just isn't big enough to shine through.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 02:54:35 | More by hustlesworth

JimmyFlatRock

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +6.2%

03-16-2013 23:58:42 | More by JimmyFlatRock

mtbdonn

United Kingdom (England)

3.5/5  rDev -0.8%

03-02-2013 18:21:48 | More by mtbdonn

zimm421

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -7.9%

02-28-2013 19:29:04 | More by zimm421

Brown120

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -7.9%

02-18-2013 19:43:04 | More by Brown120

Mullinger1980

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +27.5%

02-07-2013 21:01:22 | More by Mullinger1980

Envelopes

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -7.9%

02-06-2013 14:54:27 | More by Envelopes

donovado

Ohio

2.5/5  rDev -29.2%

01-26-2013 23:59:11 | More by donovado

jhamilton214

3/5  rDev -15%

01-22-2013 20:39:15 | More by jhamilton214

TaylorK

West Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +20.4%

01-13-2013 11:30:52 | More by TaylorK

thagr81us

South Carolina

3/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Big thanks goes out to cmrillo for sharing this one after a ticking session this evening! Thanks brother! Infected! Served from bottle into a Ommegang Three Philosophers chalice. Poured a reddish brown with a half finger light tan that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, dark chocolate, vanilla, and tart cherry. The flavor was of sweet malt, tart cherry, vanilla, and dark chocolate. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was an average brew. I was really disappointed to find that this one was infected. It seems like a young infection though, so there is still hope out there for some bottles. The tart cherry was really noticeable upon first investigation in the nose. So be warned. Hasn't come over to the flavor as much, but it is on the way.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 02:55:18 | More by thagr81us

RockOnKatie

Ohio

3/5  rDev -15%

04-28-2012 01:39:49 | More by RockOnKatie