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Burton Porter
Burton Bridge Brewery
- From:
- Burton Bridge Brewery
- England, United Kingdom
- Style:
- English Porter
Ranked #114 - ABV:
- 4.5%
- Score:
- 79
Ranked #26,456 - Avg:
- 3.39 | pDev: 18.58%
- Reviews:
- 37
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 08, 2023
- Added:
- Jan 07, 2003
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by Offa from California
5/5 rDev +47.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +47.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Bottle conditioned from the brewery. Deep chestnut. Big tan head steadily shrinks to thin lasting foamy top. Aroma mild figs and dark toast. Taste lovely gently earthy dark toast and hint of charcoal with dark figs and prunes. Dryish- mild sweetness with very gentle bitterness to back it up , beautifully balanced and well rounded. Gentle but lots of character which lasts. A wonderful, easy drinking session porter that has lots of lasting character while being light and very easy to drink. Finish has dark figs and raisins Outstanding. One of the best porters I've ever had. I could drink this all day.
Jan 08, 2023Reviewed by CwrwAmByth from England
3.81/5 rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
3.81/5 rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Poured from a 500ml bottle into a pint glass. Purchased from Discount Supermarket, now slightly passed its best before date though it wasn't when i bought it.
Pours a black/dark brown colour with a pretty decent murky brown/white head.
Smells quite sour and tangy, bit of hops too.
Tastes pretty tangy. Very smooth and well balanced overall, going down easily.
Overall a most quaffable pint.
Feb 06, 2012Pours a black/dark brown colour with a pretty decent murky brown/white head.
Smells quite sour and tangy, bit of hops too.
Tastes pretty tangy. Very smooth and well balanced overall, going down easily.
Overall a most quaffable pint.
Reviewed by PartyBear from England
3.67/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.67/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Thick black body with a medium fast fading off-white creamy head, and light carbonation. Slightly sulfur scent and acidic hint. Their are touches of dark forest fruits, sitting alongside a mild roasty maltiness. The initial taste has a slightly sharp acidic feel with a yeasty flavour, this is followed by some rich malts and a bitter coffee taste. The feel is medium to full bodied, with a silkiness. Taste better than it looks, well worth a try.
Apr 12, 2010Reviewed by allboutbierge from Austria
3.65/5 rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.65/5 rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I don't think it was worth the money, but enjoyable all the same.
Lots of what to do about this being a REAL ALE and even with inx on how to pour. Follow to the tee.
Warm aromas of charcoal and sour ness, a little sour cherry, and roastiness in the nose. Flavor is a bit more subdued that one would hope for. Some souriness and even a bit of diacteyl...mild caramel and roasted butterscotch.
Doesn't really have the body one would expect out of a top flight porter. Not chewy, rather thin and quaffable.
Aug 29, 2009Lots of what to do about this being a REAL ALE and even with inx on how to pour. Follow to the tee.
Warm aromas of charcoal and sour ness, a little sour cherry, and roastiness in the nose. Flavor is a bit more subdued that one would hope for. Some souriness and even a bit of diacteyl...mild caramel and roasted butterscotch.
Doesn't really have the body one would expect out of a top flight porter. Not chewy, rather thin and quaffable.
Reviewed by wl0307 from England
3.21/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.21/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
(Notes of 11/06/09) Tasted by a pint at the John Russell Fox, a JDW pub in Andover; served by a non-sparkler pour.
A: dark russet brown with mahogany hues, coming with a superbly lasting dark beige foamy head and low carbonation.
S: quite simple on the nose - the light dusty notes from the foam come on a par with mild dark grainy malts plus a breezy touch of musky red grapes. All in all, fruity and slightly stale, quite like what one'd expect from Burton Bridge, actually, although I suspect the staleness has more to do with the condition of this cask...
T: intriguing - a faintly musty (cobweb-like even) hint follows the semi-sour grapey fruits that makes up the main flavour (and stays as such for a while), before a very light black malty taste with faint hints of burned walnuts catches up, yielding to a lightly dry and herbally bitter finish. A "soothing", roasty edge stays constantly on the side as well.
M&D: a decent level of sourness stays throughout the drink, which is a good thing for a Porter Ale, but the malty theme is not pronounced enough for me, only leaving the dry hops to add a bit more complexity in the end. Also, if the beer was fresher it would've been better I guess, as the carbonation is slightly too soft to give the overall flavour a "lift".
Jun 26, 2009A: dark russet brown with mahogany hues, coming with a superbly lasting dark beige foamy head and low carbonation.
S: quite simple on the nose - the light dusty notes from the foam come on a par with mild dark grainy malts plus a breezy touch of musky red grapes. All in all, fruity and slightly stale, quite like what one'd expect from Burton Bridge, actually, although I suspect the staleness has more to do with the condition of this cask...
T: intriguing - a faintly musty (cobweb-like even) hint follows the semi-sour grapey fruits that makes up the main flavour (and stays as such for a while), before a very light black malty taste with faint hints of burned walnuts catches up, yielding to a lightly dry and herbally bitter finish. A "soothing", roasty edge stays constantly on the side as well.
M&D: a decent level of sourness stays throughout the drink, which is a good thing for a Porter Ale, but the malty theme is not pronounced enough for me, only leaving the dry hops to add a bit more complexity in the end. Also, if the beer was fresher it would've been better I guess, as the carbonation is slightly too soft to give the overall flavour a "lift".
Reviewed by nokes from Canada (ON)
3.21/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.21/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I really tried to pour it gently, just like it says on the bottle. Really, I tried. Ended up with quite a substantial fairly pillowy tan head with surprisingly good retention. Was pretty clear until I reached near the bottom, when all that bottle-conditioned goodness stained the head and clouded the beer to near opaque...as one would expect.
Smells okay...a bit of roasted nuts with a hint of chocolate. Not very strong on the nose, though.
Taste is kinda interesting. A touch of bitter, then sour, then the faint chocolate and the nuttiness comes through and the bitter hangs around just enough to let you know it's there. It's all pretty reasonable, except the sour bit which somehow didn't feel quite right.
It felt pretty okay in the mouth. Not too thin, not too thick, and even though the sourness was slightly heavy-handed (though not enough to be offensive) it's a drinkable beer.
It's okay. I wouldn't shy away from it, but I wouldn't go looking for it, either.
Jan 19, 2009Smells okay...a bit of roasted nuts with a hint of chocolate. Not very strong on the nose, though.
Taste is kinda interesting. A touch of bitter, then sour, then the faint chocolate and the nuttiness comes through and the bitter hangs around just enough to let you know it's there. It's all pretty reasonable, except the sour bit which somehow didn't feel quite right.
It felt pretty okay in the mouth. Not too thin, not too thick, and even though the sourness was slightly heavy-handed (though not enough to be offensive) it's a drinkable beer.
It's okay. I wouldn't shy away from it, but I wouldn't go looking for it, either.
Reviewed by Jeffo from Netherlands
3.39/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.39/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Got this at De Bierkoning in Amsterdam.
Into my pint glass.
APPEARANCE: Dark brown and relatively opaque. Pours a 1-finger thick tan head that slowly dissipates into a healthy film. Leaves some good lacing down the sides and looks good the whole way.
SMELL: Roasted malt and dark fruit. Some mild nuttiness or earthiness is there as well. Not really strong or impressive enough. Average at best.
TASTE: Roasted malt again and a relatively bitter-sweet-smoky aftertaste as well. The aftertaste becomes even more bitter as it warms and a hint of bitter chocolate shows up too. Pretty nice, but it could be off putting for some.
PALATE: Medium body, smooth finish and relatively dry going down. Carbonation is on the lower side.
OVERALL: A good pint, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it again. Could definately session it if I ever found it in a pub, that's for sure. The bitter-sweet aftertaste could be too much for some, but I thought it was a nice touch.
Dec 20, 2008Into my pint glass.
APPEARANCE: Dark brown and relatively opaque. Pours a 1-finger thick tan head that slowly dissipates into a healthy film. Leaves some good lacing down the sides and looks good the whole way.
SMELL: Roasted malt and dark fruit. Some mild nuttiness or earthiness is there as well. Not really strong or impressive enough. Average at best.
TASTE: Roasted malt again and a relatively bitter-sweet-smoky aftertaste as well. The aftertaste becomes even more bitter as it warms and a hint of bitter chocolate shows up too. Pretty nice, but it could be off putting for some.
PALATE: Medium body, smooth finish and relatively dry going down. Carbonation is on the lower side.
OVERALL: A good pint, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it again. Could definately session it if I ever found it in a pub, that's for sure. The bitter-sweet aftertaste could be too much for some, but I thought it was a nice touch.
Reviewed by ecoastman from Canada (ON)
3.61/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
3.61/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Drinkability - This beer is very easy to drink since it does not have any strong notes or carbonation. It could make for a good session beer. It doesn't "wow" me but I could certainly drink a few of these in an evening if not much else was offered in a pub.
Appearance - Very deep, dark brown and opaque. Carbonation is light with a good head to start which thins quickly in retention. Poured very carefully as instructed by the bottle so not to upset the sediment from bottle conditioning.
Smell - Mildly sweet, chocolate-raisin, nutty, caramelly.
Taste - mild flavours and similar to what you smell. Good balance in bitterness. A tiny bit "tin-like" metallic finish for a bottled beer.
Mouthfeel - Medium weight but slightly watery. Goes down with smooth carbonation and a dry finish.
Dec 03, 2008Appearance - Very deep, dark brown and opaque. Carbonation is light with a good head to start which thins quickly in retention. Poured very carefully as instructed by the bottle so not to upset the sediment from bottle conditioning.
Smell - Mildly sweet, chocolate-raisin, nutty, caramelly.
Taste - mild flavours and similar to what you smell. Good balance in bitterness. A tiny bit "tin-like" metallic finish for a bottled beer.
Mouthfeel - Medium weight but slightly watery. Goes down with smooth carbonation and a dry finish.
Reviewed by EatsTacos from Canada (YT)
2.57/5 rDev -24.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
2.57/5 rDev -24.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Pours a near black with a huge foamy off-white head that laced the glass very well
The nose is pretty strange for a porter, sour, some roasted/burnt malt. Not very appetizing.
The taste is burnt malt at first with a moderate bitterness. There is some faint burnt coffee taste and a light smokiness in there. Mouthfeel is medium maybe even high for a porter. Pretty moderate to low carbonation.
Not extremely drinkable, and pretty disapointing. I won't buy this again.
Nov 25, 2008The nose is pretty strange for a porter, sour, some roasted/burnt malt. Not very appetizing.
The taste is burnt malt at first with a moderate bitterness. There is some faint burnt coffee taste and a light smokiness in there. Mouthfeel is medium maybe even high for a porter. Pretty moderate to low carbonation.
Not extremely drinkable, and pretty disapointing. I won't buy this again.
Reviewed by CanuckRover from Canada (ON)
3.09/5 rDev -8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5
3.09/5 rDev -8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5
Great looking. Very dark with ruby highlights. Slight cloudiness, I wasn't quite as careful as I should have been on the poor. Nice big tan head with decent retention. Good lacings.
Aroma is very ho hum. What's with the sourness???
What an odd tasting porter. There's some roasty bitterness in the malt, but there's a metallic sourness that runs roughshod over everything. My best guess would be the Burton water, there's certainly a sulphuric taste to it. It's interesting, but I wouldn't go back for another.
Nov 11, 2008Aroma is very ho hum. What's with the sourness???
What an odd tasting porter. There's some roasty bitterness in the malt, but there's a metallic sourness that runs roughshod over everything. My best guess would be the Burton water, there's certainly a sulphuric taste to it. It's interesting, but I wouldn't go back for another.
Reviewed by shamus from Canada (ON)
3.26/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.26/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Dark, nice tan head, thick, lot's of carbonation. Nothing special in the smell. Tastes fine , but nothing special.
I don't have a lot to say about this. it is fine but nothing I'd go out of my way for. A serviceable porter. No magic here. A foot soldier in the army of beers.
Nov 09, 2008I don't have a lot to say about this. it is fine but nothing I'd go out of my way for. A serviceable porter. No magic here. A foot soldier in the army of beers.
Reviewed by walshclimb from Nevada
4.13/5 rDev +21.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
4.13/5 rDev +21.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Dark brown body with chestnut hightlight if you hold it up to the light and a thick tan head that leaves a nice continuous lace up the entire glass. Smells is subtle malt with a hint of smoke. IF - dark malt and maybe a little tar with a pleasantly bitter aftertaste that is relatively long lived. The body is a little light for a porter, almost somewhere between a porter and a dark ale. Tasty and very drinkable.
Mar 16, 2008Reviewed by neenerzig from Ohio
4.03/5 rDev +18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.03/5 rDev +18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had this on cask last night at The Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood. Drawn out of the cask into a pint glass. This beer is a fairly dark brown color with a few amber highlights when held to light. Has a frothy tan head an inch thick when drawn. Head slowly settles to a nice 1/4 inch and eventually 1/4 of an inch or so after I started sipping. Very good retention. Great lacing too. Has a very earthy malt aroma with coffee, chocolate, and vanilla, also maybe a bit of fruit too. Has a solid malt back bone with flavors of coffee, chocolate, and vanilla certainly present. I also detected just a very slight bit of sourness. Very little hop bitterness too. Has a very smooth and creamy mouthfeel with mild to moderate carbonation. Pretty good drinkability. A bit different in some aspects from a lot of other porters I have had but still quit enjoyable.
Eric
Mar 02, 2008Eric
Reviewed by sstackho from Canada (ON)
2.6/5 rDev -23.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
2.6/5 rDev -23.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
500mL bottle purchased from LCBO in Toronto. Best before date of January 08 (though consumed a couple of months earlier), which seems early for a bottle conditioned beer. It pours fizzy and dark like a root beer, but with a stronger head. Little aroma to speak of. First taste is rather thin, along with some carbonation. Further tastes are thin and tinny (although this came from a bottle). Quite disappointing. I would really like to speak to the LCBO worker who decides what beers to bring in for their special seasonal releases - just to try to understand what their point is behind this one.
Feb 09, 2008Reviewed by irishkyle21 from Canada (ON)
3.56/5 rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.56/5 rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This is rather different from other porters I have had, not a bad thing thought. I can see why it has such mixed reviews but I liked it. Burton Porter pours with a huge rocky head that holds up very well, great lacing. Has a murky reddish brown color.
Is there something wrong with me? This smells of sourness, winy and chocolate. Strange indeed.
Tastes of earthy hops, coffee, sour fruits and roasted malt that lingers. A good beer but not the kind of porter I would buy a case of.
Sep 26, 2007Is there something wrong with me? This smells of sourness, winy and chocolate. Strange indeed.
Tastes of earthy hops, coffee, sour fruits and roasted malt that lingers. A good beer but not the kind of porter I would buy a case of.
Reviewed by ThatWineGuy from Canada (ON)
2.75/5 rDev -18.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
2.75/5 rDev -18.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Bottle conditioned, exp 01/08. The label said to serve cool and pour gently, and I complied. Zero head, no ring, no lacing, very flat appearance of prune juice, lifeless really. A sublte aroma of sweet toffee and caramel. A gentle coffee flavour, a touch of sweet vanilla, but continuing quite flat in the mouth. The bitterness was more pronounced with the aftertaste, which was very agreeable despite the rather odd flatness. A second - faster - pour produced an errant bubble or two but still no head, with plenty of yeast observed stuck on the bottom of the bottle, not much of it separated into my glass at all. In bright sunlight, I can see miniscule bubble action, although lazy, near the surface but the beer itself is perfectly opaque, dark and motionless. This time there is a bit of roast coffee bean in the mouth, quite mild and light. I found that the bitterness saved the day in terms of overall drinkability; I kept wondering if this wasn't a good introduction to the style for people not familiar with it. I managed to enjoy this but will not be rushing out to get more anytime soon.
Sep 16, 2007Reviewed by Flyer from Wisconsin
2.97/5 rDev -12.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4
2.97/5 rDev -12.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4
Pours opaque brown-black, with purplish highlights. Virtually no head. Aroma of port wine and grapes. I was disappointed in this beer at first, because it certainly didn't fit my expectations of a porter, and I was expecting something "bigger." But it grew on me a little bit. It has a mildly sharp sweetness up front, with that nice ale mustiness hitting the back of the palate. It tasted almost like a tart tripel, though it drinks something like a wine. It's not traditionally malty, and not very hoppy. Not great, but enjoyable in its own way.
Jun 03, 2007Reviewed by Viggo from Canada (ON)
2.63/5 rDev -22.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
2.63/5 rDev -22.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Pours a slightly hazy brownish red, big fluffy off white head forms, lots of sticky lace, settles down pretty quick. Smell is weird, spicy, almost like a tripel, some toffee and chocolate notes, pretty bland, bit of vanilla. Taste is caramel and chocolate, tiny roast, vanilla, very weak and watery flavour. Mouthfeel is very light bodied, thin, low almost non existant carbonation. Weird beer, first bottle I had was dead flat, this one is slightly better.
Jan 29, 2007
Burton Porter from Burton Bridge Brewery
Beer rating:
79 out of
100 with
39 ratings
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