Elemental - Renaissance Brewing

laituegonflable

Australia

3.48/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a very dark murky brown, cabernet-coloured tinge when held up to the light. Nice frothy beige head, quite dense webs but sinks to a 3cm crown, leaving some nice ebbs of foam lace on the glass. Seems to be fairly bubbly, certainly a decent-looking dark beer.

Nose is fairly astringent. Certain quantity of charcoal on that as well as some damp coffee grinds, red bean and brown sugar. Slight meaty undertone adds to that sour character, bit of bacon to it and some saltiness, like a curing agent smell. Pretty good nose but not extremely enticing as a drink.

Taste is far more interesting, with a more pronounced dark malt character. Starts out slightly bitter and ashy and gathers speed as it plunges into the murky burnt blackness. Never reaches the depths though, there's a shallowness to the flavour, like the burnt flavour is there but not in great abundance. Fair amount of smoke and dark cocoa, some milkiness in there and burnt toffee. Hint of boot polish and leather as well on the mid, but finishes more sweet than bitter, with a nice dark spice that adds piquancy. A decent dark beer for my taste, not sensational though.

Mouthfeel is a bit thin and watery in the mouth. Improves as it goes down, but the lack of body contributes to the shallow flavour sensation.

Decent drinking, certainly sessionable as far as dark beers go.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2010 04:14:12 | More by laituegonflable

belgbeerdrinker

Colorado

3.55/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a: dark color with brown highlights, medium head settles to a veil, carbonated trickles evident
s: mix of crisp (carbonated) and roasted malts
t: roasted malts throughout tempered with a softness, subtle bitter coffee finish
m: nice balance of roasted malts and carbonation make for a smooth, medium to heavy body
d: enjoyed this brew because of its balance and coffee taste wasn't overpowering. recommended

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2008 03:11:54 | More by belgbeerdrinker

MrKennedy

Australia

3.55/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle from Beermasons, into a Kent Old Brown handle.

Starts to gush and foams out of the bottle a bit. Pours a deep brown to black with a light tan foam on top. The head was more than half and it gradually dissipated.

Smells very roasted. Almost acrid to start with. Roasted malt and roasted chocolate plus licorice. A little off putting to begin with but these subside and a nice chocolate aroma comes through to work with the licorice.

Rich flavour of roasted malt, chocolate and licorice. The latter only there early. Plenty of intensity on the flavour scale.

High carbonation doesn't compliment the rich flavours. If it was a lot lower, this would really shine. Still some softness early and roast bitterness late that gives it a nice feel.

Good beer, shame about the carbonation. Plenty there, a shame the carbonation didn't help it be the beer it could and should be.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 05:52:43 | More by MrKennedy

Macca

Australia

3.63/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This pours dark brown with a solid tan head.

Aromas of milk and dark chocolate. Some dark sugar. A touch of coffee.

Quite astringent on the palate. Burnt malt dominates for me in the beginning. It seems to mellow as my palate gets used to it. Chocolate starts to pokes its head through the burnt characteristics and it all rounds out nicely.

Medium bodied at best. High carbonation.

A good porter but not awesome. I think it would be a good food beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 12:43:28 | More by Macca

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.66/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a traditional looking dark brown color with a tan colored head on top. The retention was decent but not much lacing at all. The smell of the beer gives off some big roasted notes as well as some hops too. The taste is bitter, more of a hop bitterness than a roasted one. There are flavors of chocolate in there as well. The mouthfeel was a little bit too carbonated in my opinion for the style. Overall it's a decent porter, not one I'd have to seek out again but it was nice to try.

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2013 03:56:04 | More by Knapp85

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.74/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

500ml bottle. Weirdly difficult to read name, with an obscured main title. Only a sign of the weak sauce to come...

This beer pours very dark brown, verging on black hue, with bright reddish highlights, and one of those stupidly overwrought, immediately rising and overflowing at every juncture towers of thin, yet powerfully foamy beige head, which sets in for a serious spell, before eventually settling, to reveal some strangely sparse blobs of cloud form lace around the glass.

It smells of roasted chocolate malt, a bit of caramel/toffee sweetness, some creamy milkiness, sugar cookies, and ashy, earthy hops. The taste is grainy, toasted bready malt, caramel biscuits, semi-sweet cocoa powder, oily bar nuts, a bit of black licorice, a slightly off milkiness, and earthy, crackling leaf hops.

The carbonation is, as already noted, way the fuck out of control, still burbling up out of a half-empty bottle at this point in the game. Really, Renaissance? I know the first thing to check for in a non-bottle conditioned scenario (as far as I can tell here) is for infection, but the flavour is actually quite all right, so no problem there. Aside from this distraction, the bubbles are normative enough, the body a decent medium weight, and so-so smooth, a hoppy edginess taking its pound of flesh. It finishes on the drying side, the roasted character starting to fully assert itself, the chocolate notes aiding and abetting, and the hops looking the other way.

Once past the presentation chaos, this turns out to be a generally agreeable old-world porter, with the roasted, multi-pronged sweetness, subtle dairy notes, and nudging alcohol all making for an enjoyable tipple, once, well, you know...

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 02:07:09 | More by biboergosum

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.76/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A - black with just a hint of light peaking through the edges, half finger of head dissipated to a few random islands
S - chocolate and roastiness, hints of cream, burnt sugars, and mild leafs
T - bitter bakers chocolate with burnt coffee and dark toffee maltiness, touch of creamy dairy, finishes slightly musty and earthy
M - medium body with a prominent cocoa chalkiness, yet still relatively rich and somewhat sweet, finishes with just a touch of bitterness
O - has an old timey label and a flavour to match which I enjoyed, its rich and bold while maintaining its relatively light porter character, worth seeking out

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 01:51:18 | More by joemcgrath27

ADZA

Australia

3.9/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours a jet black coca cola colour that lets no light thru at all it has average carbonation which leaves a nice creamy one finger head that leaves spontanious lacing down the glass,it has nice aromas of chocolate,coffee,blackberries and roasty malts,it tastes pretty much the same with some nice chocolate,coffee notes coming thru quite prominently and it leaves you with a nice full roasty maltish mouthfeel quite pleasant indeed and would put this porter up there with the best ones.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2009 14:48:16 | More by ADZA

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.9/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours black with a large, tan head.
Nose shows dark chocolate, peppery hops, roasted coffee beans and roasted malt.
Equally roasty flavours, focussing of coffee and roasted malt rather than chocolate though. Very smooth stuff, but becomes a little more bold in the dry finish.
Could use a richer body.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 01:12:36 | More by CrazyDavros

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.91/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a deep black color porter with a small dark brown foamy head with average retention and some light lacing. Aroma of black chocolate and cocoa is pretty intense and enjoyable with some dry light bitter roasted malt notes also perceptible. Taste is also dominated by rich smooth dark chocolate notes with quite a bit of cocoa and dry roasted malt notes with subtle hints of coffee. Hops are very neutral. Body is full with nice smooth texture and medium carbonation with no apparent alcohol. Very well brewed.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 14:10:43 | More by Phyl21ca

StJamesGate

New York

3.91/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Black that goes purple-garnet in light with absurd piles of pocked burnt umber foam.
Oily coffee, treacle, charcoal on the nose - sweet.
Big coffee grounds hit with licorice, dried blackberries, and char and branchy and evergreen hops to end.
Malted milk ball finish and lingering roasty bitterness.
Medium, fizzy, dry.

Sweet malts and OTT roastiness battle it out. A medium-at-most body lightened by the ridiculous carb is the only thing that makes this a porter. It's got layers, but best beer in NZ?

Above average porter with too much fuss.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 20:52:19 | More by StJamesGate

brendan13

Australia

3.93/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a very dark brown, verging on black with close to an inch of dense light tan head that slowly falls away. A fair bit of lacing is left down the glass.
S - Cocoa powder & roasty coffee aroma initially. With a swirl and deep inhalation some vauge fruity & floral notes come through.
T - Much like the smell - full of cocoa and roasted coffee with subtle fruit and floral hints,
M - Medium bodied, lowish carbonation and quite a dry finish.
D - A very tasty porter. Something I'd drink again.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2009 13:59:05 | More by brendan13

mulder1010

Australia

3.95/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500 ML bottle poured into a Shiner Bock Pint Glass

A-- Poured black, with just a bit of red on the sides of the glass. Got a huge head from the pour and looks to have at least medium carbonation. Head is a Brown Sugar color, very well constructed and held a 2 finger head for quite a while. Looks more like a root beer float.

S-- Fresh Licorice is the dominant smell, followed by coffee and dark sweet berry chocolate.Very big smell and quite earthy and a bit of a pungent smell.

T-- Still get a bit of the licorice but strong roasted coffee is very prevalent, more like overdrawn cold espresso. Quite bitter and still earthy. Very rich dark chocolate is also there, as well as blackberries and raspberries

M-- Coffee taste sticks around for a while but the rest of the flavor is a little flat and disappears very quickly, a little bit thin. Needs more hops. The coffee and chocolate flavor hides it well and in some ways overdo the hop presence. Could use a bit less carbonation.

D-- ABV, 6%, is very well hidden. Very easy to drink and the 500 ML bottle is a good idea. Australian brewers should do more of this bottling size. One in a sitting is enough for me. Well made beer and a good take on an English Porter.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2010 15:42:04 | More by mulder1010

avalon07

South Carolina

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

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and a mostly opaque texture. There was an inch of tan-colored, foamy fairly long-lasting head. Very good lacing.

S: A robust aroma of chocolate, malt, and a hint of coffee.

T: Tasted basically like it smelled: Chocolate, roasted malt, and some coffee in the finish. There's a slight hoppy bitterness, but nothing overwhelming. A nice flavor.

M: A solid amount of carbonation with a smooth, if slightly thin, finish. Medium-bodied.

D: A well made, enjoyable, drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 14:25:26 | More by avalon07

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

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

Nearly jet black, 1.5 fingers of tan coloured head, good lace on the glass as well. Smell is full of chocolate and roast, coffee with earthy hops and a bit of black liquorice here as well. Taste is also well roasted with chocolate, coffee flavour and bitterness, some earthy floral hop is present but light, medium bitterness, faint black liquorice and finishes lightly hoppy. Lightly carbonated, light-medium body, drying feel. Really solid stuff here, solid porter and something that was really drinkable, another above average offering from Renaissance.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 14:57:53 | More by peensteen

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4.01/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours pitch black, finger of head with solid retention and solid sheeting lacing.

S - Rich cocoa, dark chocolate, hints of vanilla, and leafy green hop notes.

T - The chocolate notes dominate, dark cocoa, vanilla and leafy green notes, much like the nose. Chalky cocoa lingers alongside hints of leather and toffee.

M - Medium bodied, smooth and a touch of dryness.

O - A tasty brew that is full flavoured and fits the basics of the style. Well worth seeking out and glad the LCBO included this in their release.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 02:28:43 | More by andrenaline

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Absolutely terrific porter. Black with record lasting head. The pleasant roast yields to a rich roasted flavour that seems to get better with each sip. Full mouthfeel, bittersweet chocolate, a substitute for after dinner coffee. Try this for transitioning your buddies from Bud. marvelous craftmanship.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 05:02:11 | More by northyorksammy

sammiles

Australia

4.05/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked this up at Purvis Cellars, Melbourne.

Looked good before I even poured it. Was still happy after I poured it, nice almost completely black - what I always hope for. Good amount of lacing. Getting the roasted coffee and chocolate smell which is nice, true to the style. Taste does not let does not let down either, maybe a little too much as expected. Could maybe do with a bit more complexity on the finish but overall a very sessional and delicious porter from NZ.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2010 11:13:17 | More by sammiles

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.05/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep heavy black colour, just tinged with lighter brown at the edges, and a full and frothy head of mocha-coloured foam. Lacing is excellent. Body is quite full, evidenced by the wonderful static carbonation when it's swirled. Overall a very nice looking beer indeed.

Dusty refined character on the nose. Some roasted grains, and a decent organic cellar mustiness. Hints of barrel and wine cork, and even a light smokiness. It's very sophisticated, well-integrated and incredibly tasty.

Taste is very similar - a nice dusty roasted character on the fore, never verging into the territory of being charred, before a soft, sweet and mellow nutty character comes through on the back. Mouthfeel is soft, but not too thin. Could use something more, but it actually goes rather nicely with the rest of the palate.

A very drinkable porter, one with subtlety and finesse. It's not the strongest, or most robust beer you'll ever drink, but its structure is very good, and it stays interesting and drinkable to the last drop.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2010 22:14:17 | More by lacqueredmouse

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

An impressive beer from New Zealand!

Pours a dark brown, near-black, with a respectable coffee-coloured head that dissipates fairly quickly. A delightful aroma of roasted chocolate malts with espresso or coffee bean undertones; lots to enjoy. The flavour is also well balanced with enough complexity to be interesting and to justify the 6% ABV. Elements of cocoa, chocolate and coffee with roasted malt highlights throughout the body. Surprisingly there is also a bitter hop backbone that leads into a delightfully dry and lingering finish.

A "robust porter" that I'd highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 01:55:35 | More by hopsolutely

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

500ml Bottle from the Ottawa LCBO for 5$

Appearance - Black/brown colour with a large size fizzy dark beige coloured head. It's too dark to make out the amount of carbonation showing and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for around 3-4 minutes.

Smell - Malts, coffee, chocolate

Taste & Mouth - There is a below average amount of carbonation and I can taste dark chocolate and malts. There is also some vanilla mixed with coffee and a light smokiness. It ends with a chocolatey aftertaste.

Overall – I've had 2 beers from this brewer and they have both been winners. The chocolate flavour tastes like a very high quality chocolate. Well worth the price and worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 23:32:33 | More by spinrsx

willjansen

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Very dark, murky brownish-black... very much like muddy water, but somehow still appealing. Nice, fluffy tan head that is persistent and leaves nice rings denoting each swig line. Nice...

Smell - Srong notes of powdery cocoa, backed up by a nice wall of complexity consisting of hints of subtle berry-like fruitiness and perhaps oats. Alcohol reveals itself slightly as well, but very much in disguise.

Taste - Roasty chocolate flavors explode on the palate with a pleasant hop bitterness in the finish. Complexity not as apparent on the platate, but coffee and chocolate are well-balanced with hops and nothing is out of place for the style.

Mouthfeel - Watery, slick mouthfeel, but appropriate for the style. Low-medium, yet agressive, carbonation - great flavor delivery for this porter.

Drinkability - Excellent example of a porter in my opinion... very well constructed - complex, yet simple enough for a porter. Highly drinkabile brew, and a great introduction to renaissance brewing... hope they keep it up.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2008 10:16:48 | More by willjansen

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.09/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

BB October 2013. I expect it was bottled October 2012.

Beer is black and the pour results in a mammoth tan head. Must be very carbonated. Very good retention.

Smell is powerful and nice. Chocolate, cherry, raisin. Roasted malt. Anise. Smell comes through strongly even while pouring.

Taste contains roasted malt, a large dose of anise, cocoa and dark fruit (raisin, prune). Caramel. Sightly bitter, particularly in the finish. Quite tasty.

Medium bodied, on the full side, moderate to high carbonation.

Overall, very good. A very flavourful porter.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 02:38:06 | More by jrenihan

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

4.09/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle from the LCBO. Nice to keep seeing Renaissance brews on the shelves.
. Poured into a goblet.

Dark Chesnut, nearly black. Good sturdy head of off white foam, nice retention.

Rich coffee, cream, licorice, caramel and nuttiness to the nose. Very nice.

Tasty porter, nice blend of flavors. Initally sweet but finishes dry. Coffee, roasted malts, licorice or anise. A touch of hops in the finish.

Lighter bodied, mild carbonation. Very easy to drink.

3/3 with Renaissance. Very enjoyable porter.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 03:56:40 | More by JohnnyBarman

DoubleJ

California

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

What's from New Zealand, a porter, and won a Silver at the Australian Beer Awards in 2010? Renaissance Elemental, that's what. 500 ml of Kiwi porter, on to the beer:

Nearly black with definate red hues towards the bottom of the glass. The head on top is semi-creamy and forms very thick on top. The retention is excellent and covers the glass with lace. Its got a good nose, definate raisin, unsweetened choclate, and light tones of molasses.

Little flavors of marshmallow, baker's chocolate, esters, and a woodsy note make this porter mellow and pleasant. Light-medium bodied, though it does have a little chew to it.

This Kiwi brew has a very strong English influence, and it is one that works well. I'm already imagining what pulled pork would be like with this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 05:38:51 | More by DoubleJ