Mayflower Porter - Mayflower Brewing Company

Dools9

Massachusetts

4.31/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Sampled at the Mayflower Brewery...

A: Dark black, hints of amber along the edges of the glass. Off white, creamy head.

S: Lots of heavy roast, dark chocolate, mild black coffee, some tobacco.

T: Big roasted malt, slightest bittersweet chocolate taste, light lingering bitterness and a good smack of black coffee.

M: Lighter bodied, a bit thin, smooth drinking, soft on the tongue.

O: Very, very solid. Good representation of the style. Always awesome to have a world class porter readily available. Hell, the brewery is a 20 min drive for me!

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2012 00:30:15 | More by Dools9

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Lunch for this bottle. Served in a SAVOR wine glass.

Pours black with a good light mocha head and plenty of lacing on the way down. Thin cap for a bit. The nose is really nice with plenty of chocolate along with a good roast balance. Slight coffee in the background. The flavor isn't as well melded. Too much roast there. Medium body with moderate carbonation. Pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 13:52:16 | More by Thorpe429

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared by Lunch. Thanks Paul.

The beer is dark brown, nearing black, with a quarter inch of beige head. The aroma brings roasted malt in the English style, toffee, dark fruits, hints of chocolate. The flavor brings toasted malt, roast, alcohol, toffee. Pretty tasty. Medium to light bodied. Overall, very drinkable and tasty. Would happily throw back a pint of this on another occasion.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 01:08:00 | More by Huhzubendah

greybeardloon

Rhode Island

4.13/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4.5

packaged September 29, 2011 (I think--the date is pretty smudged on all of the bottles)

A: Dark red with a thick head that collapses pretty quickly. I don't get much lace.

S: Deep roasted malt with some chocolate. Not the most complex smell, but it's clear and well-defined.

T: Lots of roasted malt that comes off as quite sweet. There's some molasses and chocolate in there. At the end, the peaty smoke comes through and cuts through the sweetness nicely. Maybe the fainest hint of metallic hops on the finish, too. This is a very tasty porter.

M: Disappointingly thin. The mouthfeel really doesn't complement the taste.

O: This is a delicious porter, and it's easy to drink lots of it.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 01:55:00 | More by greybeardloon

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.5/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Standard dark brown appearance, with a lighter brown head around the neighborhood of 1" deep. Mild aroma, leans English, brown ale smell.

Taste, pretty mild as well, has that lack of hopping and wet wood thing going on with the yeast esters that scream cliche English pubby type of thing. Minute amounts of toffee, caramel to this one, didn't pull much if any chocolate, coffee or molasses out of it.

Not a complex or nuanced beer, its pretty straightforward, if you're an old school English brown ale fan, you'll be all about this. Really tame. The further you go east, the more likely this beer will be raved about it seems. Decent stuff, thanks to whomever threw this in as an extra, a nice change of pace, decent palate cleanser for when drinking the heavier beers.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 21:30:44 | More by Beerandraiderfan

nanobrew

California

4.58/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I am not a big reviewer, but I took one sip of this and said "wow, this is great, I think I should review it". So here I am drinking this beer at my computer reviewing it.

Poured into my Duvel tulip

Appearance: Nearly black pour with a slight brown tinge. The head is a dark tan and is fairly sturdy. as I drink the beer the head fades to just around the edge of the glass.

Smell: This is loaded with a milk chocolate aroma, with a slight hint of coffee.

Taste: First thing that hits is a slight roast, definitely a chocolate tasting porter, again with faint coffee. I also pick up a slight vanilla flavor towards the end.

Mouthfeel: The flavor is well balanced with sweetness, maybe a little bit more mouthfeel would be nice, it gets a little thin towards the end.

overall: This is a excellent porter. It is more of a sweeter porter, but I enjoy it a lot. I think I will keep this beer on my wants for extras.

thanks to cbeer88 for sending me this beer!

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 18:02:55 | More by nanobrew

Gushue3

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Thanks to my dad for picking some of this up without me knowing for a few days.

A
Pours dark brown with a 2 finger heat thats just slightly brown. Head turns foamy and has great retention. Above the black body is tons of lacing around the glass.

S
Real big roasty malt with a sweeter coffee bean scent. some hints of dark chocolate round out the scent and this is really nice. Subtle hop scent.

T
nice roasty sweet malts with some coffee and bakers chocolate. Not too sweet or overpowering but well balanced.

M
Honestly its way too light of a mouthfeel. The heavier side of light thats somewhat watery with a medium carbonation feel. Big time downer on what is a great beer everywhere else.

O
Definately a great porter. great overall except the mouthfeel. This would probably be great a little colder and thicker.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 03:34:14 | More by Gushue3

Sensaray

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottled 9.29.11

Pours dark brown with red hues when held to light. Tan 2 finger head.

Chocolate, toffee, dark malts and a very light coffee emerge from the aroma. An extremely pleasant aroma. Slight sense of a dark fruity smell.

Chocolate and coffee emerge and meld in the taste to form a nice tasting brew. A nice spiciness as this happens leading to a slightly more roasted close. Good aftertaste kind of like chocolate covered coffee beans, but more chocolate. The coffee never is dominating. Toasty at times as well.

Mouthfeel is smooth, good carbonation, medium light body.

Overall very good porter.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 19:30:09 | More by Sensaray

BedetheVenerable

Missouri

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12oz brown pop top, nice label, sadly no date to be seen. Big thanks to J Lindros for this one!

Appearance: Pours an attractive dark walnut with garnet/cola highlights when held up to the light. Capped by a tan head with good staying power.

Smell: All about the malts here, there are dry toasted notes, some medium roastiness, chocolate as well, and some lightly fruity esters from the yeast. Pleasant.

Taste: This is a seriously tasty porter. Plenty of dry roast, but it's not quite burnt, and it's backed up by some semi-sweet caramel and hints of dusty cocoa powder. Plenty of dark toast here in the background as well. Hint of dark fruitiness, (I'm assuming) thanks to the yeast. I can't put my finger on exactly HOW, but this definitely seems like an American take on the English style...I don't say that in a pejorative sense, but I wouldn't likely confuse this as an English offering. One of the most solid takes on the style I've had in awhile, regardless.

Mouthfeel: Light side of medium; quaffable.

Overall: Really nice offering, and certainly worth the asking price if it's below $10 a sixer (I have no idea what this costs out east). I can't quite put my finger on WHY I don't absolutely love this, but I don't. Nonetheless, a really tasty porter.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2011 03:23:53 | More by BedetheVenerable

corylew

Oregon

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

This is everything a man wants in his porter. Beefy roasted malt, nice balanced hop flavor, lighter in body without sacrificing big strong flavor. You show me a man who doesn't like this beer and I'll show you a man who should take his popped collar and go order some Bud Lites. It looks good, smells good, tastes good. Mayflower did it right when they picked out this recipe.

Serving type: on-tap

09-19-2011 03:47:52 | More by corylew

jondeelee

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Mayflower Porter smells deep, rich, and loamy, and the intensity of these aromas immediately sets it apart from most of its kin. Notes of coffee, toasted nut, chocolate malt and milk chocolate, and hints of anise abound, along with a sugary caramel-like thread that spirals in nice counterpoint to the darker, more bitter aromas.

On the tongue, the brew begins with an immediate shot of coffee, ash, tobacco, and near-black malt, then slowly, over the course of a few seconds, allows a few sugars to enter the mix and sweeten things up. Caramels and light vanillas enter here, as well as dark fruit esters such as fig and black cherry. These flavors last throughout the mouthful, abiding slowly in the aftertaste, which is largely a continuation of the main flavors. Mouthfeel is medium to medium-light, with a noticeable creamy quality, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, this is an excellent porter, though I suspect many will find the flavors more stout-like in their pronounced bitterness. Still, the brew is nuanced, finely crafted, and quite delicious.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 03:03:59 | More by jondeelee

rowingbrewer

Massachusetts

4.85/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This beer pours a dark brown color with a nice 1 1/2 finger tan colored head. the smell is slightly roasty with a good hop presence. the flavor is a little hop flavor up front, kind of floral, followed by a slightly sweet roasty malt flavor and finishes with a tiny hop bite. the mouthfeel is a little fuller than i would expect for this style, but the carbonation is just right, overall this beer is absolutely phenomenal.

Serving type: on-tap

06-25-2011 01:32:32 | More by rowingbrewer

mdaschaf

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Review from notes

A: Poured a dark brown, almost black, with a foamy one finger head that was tan in color. Very slow dissipation with pretty lacing for the style.

S: Heavy roasted malt with some caramel and a little bit of molasses. There are also hints of coffee and chocolate.

T: Really well done flavor profile, the roasted malt is not as in your face as many porters and balances nicely with some coffee and chocolate. There was a hint of vanilla sweetness too.

M: Medium bodied with a nice level of carbonation that gave it creamy mouthfeel. Slightly dry finish.

O: Had been sitting on this one for a while and now wish I had opened it earlier! Will have to grab some more of this next time I am back up in MA.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2011 20:44:27 | More by mdaschaf

jale

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to BearsOnAcid for this.

A: Pours dark brown with a finger of light brown head.

S: Light toasted malt

T: Light smoked malt followed by slight sourness. A hint of bitter coffee and just a hint of malt.

M: Just a tad on the lighter side for the style. Good carbonation.

O: Goes down well. Would drink another.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2011 20:09:38 | More by jale

ChugginOil

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks once again to Ty for bringing this from Boston!

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a SA Perfect Pint.

This pours a deep nut brown and settles a very dark ruby hued brown. 3 whopping fingers of head sit briefly before returning to the mass. Spotty lace.

The nose bring scents of roasted malt, cocoa, hazelnut, and , smoke. All collide nicely. The aromas are a bit subtle.

The taste mimics the nose almostly completely. Im tasting some smokey coffee, nuts, and chocolate. The blend isnt subtle but isnt in your face. A good medium. A bit of molasses os noticed on the backend along with a smidgen of hops.

The mouthfeel is full, lightly carbonated, and smooth. Diggin' it as the aftertastes ressonate throughout my palate.

Overall, a great traditional porter that stays true to its roots. Very impressed with this brew as it is one of the lighter colored porters I have had and doesnt compromise flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 22:35:08 | More by ChugginOil

uustal

Rhode Island

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

Pours a tar like black with a small, quickly dissipating light brown head. Aroma of sweet milk chocolate and faint roasted coffee notes. Flavor begins with sweet chocolate notes. A bit of roasted coffee, molasses and a nice smokiness round out this perfect example of a porter. Great smoothness. Well rounded and again, just a classic example of a simple porter profile.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 22:13:14 | More by uustal

rebelthrower

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours black with a bit of brown/red around the edges when held to the light. Head was about an inch, mocha in color.

S: A bit malty not really impressed here.

T: A bit of chocolate/mocha and malts. A little smokey. A nice malty finish with the mocha lingering.

M: Smooth and crisp. Good carbonation too. Finished a bit dry.

D: Very drinkable. A good little above average porter.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 19:21:39 | More by rebelthrower

birchstick

Missouri

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - pours black with some nice chocolate brown on the edges. Not too much of a head on it

S - smells peaty, smoky, chocolaty. Nice smell

T - starts off with some nice sweet, chocolate malts. This then moves on to a light roasted malt and coffee flavor, which fades to a bit of a smoky peatiness to it. Ends with a bit of dark chocolate. Really nice flavor profile here.

M - a little lighter than I hoped, but still decent body. A little dry from the roasted character

D - this is an outstanding porter. Really nice flavor profile that is balanced and delicious. I would drink this often if it were available around here. Good introduction to this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 19:49:57 | More by birchstick

shangwang

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

reviewed from notes. served in a Guiness pint glass.

picked this one up during a recent visit to New England.

Starts off with great smells- roasted coffee beans, baker's chocolate, and surprisingly a little booziness for the lower ABV. Standard porter appearance- dark black with little opacity, tan head with little lacing. Medium mouthfeel, actually a little waterier than I expected. Tastes similar to smells- some coffee and chocolate in the background with a distinct roasted maltiness and hints of annis. Bitter smoky finish that doesn't linger. I enjoyed this one- a solid porter that goes down easily.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 21:01:49 | More by shangwang

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance was dark brown, almost black, with a nice head and sparse but enjoyable lacing.

Smell was smoky and woodland fresh, like being near a winter stream that's not yet succumb to winter's grip. Fresh break bakes in the nearby cabin and you enjoy nature's goodness.

Very typically porter tasting, with dry but still sweet roasty malt domination, coffee and chocolate accents, with light notes of brown sugar and molasses.

Feel is medium but still rich and smooth, a very pleasant aftertaste of sweet coffee and roasted malts leaves you quite satisfied.

This is a nice porter. Well worth it to pick up a sixer of.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2011 00:40:58 | More by AlCaponeJunior

GbVDave

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into an imperial pint. Special thanks to Reagan1984 for this from our recent trade!

A: Pours with a totally appropriate Porter thinness. Black with traces of black cherry at the bottom and edges. Head quickly disappears and leaves a thin tan collar behind.

S: Heavy on the roast. Burnt malt, campfire, pan seared caramel, and bittersweet chocolate.

T: A virtual mirror of the smell. Very burnt, smoky, and chocolate-y.

M: Start off like a typical English Porter. Thin and bitter. Gains a ton of smooth mouthfeel as it comes up to proper temp. Nice amount of playful roast lingers on the tongue for quite a while.

D: Very much to the style. Sessionable abv, smooth (eventually) but not creamy mouthfeel, and loads of roast. Very nice!

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2011 22:01:28 | More by GbVDave

KajII

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

[Best served in a English pint]

Poured a dark brown with an averaged sized frothy light brown head that was mostly lasting and had excellent lacing. The aroma was light of roasted caramel malts, a sort of barnyard scented yeast and strong notes of coffee and dark chocolate. It tasted slightly sweet and quite flavorful with notes of coffee and caramel at first and then a bitter sweet chocolate/coffee flavor engulfed the taste buds and stayed with you for a nice little while. Mouthfeel was medium to full in body and a little oily in texture with a nice soft carbonation. Overall a nice straight forward Porter.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2011 19:10:58 | More by KajII

sendsilk

Florida

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I received as an extra in a recent trade. I think it was from AleLovinRusskie but I could totally be wrong. I will check and update this.

Okay, I totally screwed up. Opened it, poured it with the intention to immediately review, than started answering BM's about 1/2 hour ago. It's 2/3 gone and I've just been enjoying drinking it while I type away so no complaints from me. I would gladly take another one of them but it seems unlikely anytime soon.

Nice dark complexion, good carbonation and great taste. you know how it is with porters, some are surprisingly good and some are shiite. Okay, someone send me some more and I'll give it another whirl. And I promise, I will remember who sent it to me and give you your credit on BA.

Good stuff!

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 04:23:34 | More by sendsilk

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

another bottle from my most recent trade with jlindros. thanks jared!

12oz bottle. sampled march 7/2011.

pours very dark brown, nearly black, with a small cap of fine tan head. the head quickly drops to a ring around the glass and leaves spotty lace. at its thinnest it starts to show a beautiful crystal clear garnet colour.

aroma is good. dark and milk chocolate. coffee. bit of dark fruit. lightly toasted biscuit and multi-grain bread. bit of cracker. light alcohol. earthy and woody. light herbal character.

taste is great. dark and bittersweet chocolate. touch of milk chocolate. coffee. dark toasted multi-grain bread. biscuit and cracker. light alcohol. bit of dark fruit. touch of alcohol. medium-light bitterness level, more chocolaty than hoppy. earthy and a bit woody. a bit herbal too.

mouthfeel is good. medium bitterness level. medium carbonation level.

drinkability is great. nice balance. good depth. tasty!

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 03:29:26 | More by grub

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle, thanks to grub for sharing.

Pours a slightly opaque dark brownish orange/red, medium sized light tan head forms, settles down to thin ring around the glass, some lace spots stick to the glass, looks alright.

Smell is neat, quite malty, some biscuit, caramel, light wafer and some coffee roast, a bit of chocolate, light fruitiness, some sweet orange peel, interesting sweetness, almost molasses/treacle like.

Taste is nice, really interesting roastiness, chocolate wafer, toasty and biscuit like, graham crackers, caramel and light fruitiness, some brown sugar, a bit of vanilla, cookies, light espresso roast, maple syrup in the finish, a bit weak going down but solid flavours.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low to medium carbonation. Pretty smooth going down, almost a touch more American brown like than English porter, but I dig it. Thanks Russ!

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 03:12:35 | More by Viggo