December 6th, 1855 EIP - Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Clear, translucent, ruby brown with a big, fluffy, pillowy, light brown head and

S: Coffee, chocolate, roasted malt, charred wood, nutty.

T: Wow that's nice. Super toasty and nutty. An interesting hop presence. Smoky and woody. A bit cloying close to room temperature.

M: Big flavor and super smooth. The body is perfect for this style. Thick and creamy with decent carbonation.

O: If this is what was drunk in the 19th Century they had it good. And now that most are drinking the corporate swill it seems we are going backwards as a human race as far as beer is concerned. This is a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 06:15:29 | More by Gatch

juicebox

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +14.2%

06-02-2013 12:00:16 | More by juicebox

tzieser

Arizona

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-27-2013 05:57:10 | More by tzieser

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

$9.29 for a 22 oz bomber from Blanchards in Boston.

A: deep dark copper color, beautiful creamy head
S: full, intense nose, deep roasted malt with creamy qualities, almost no hops noticeable
T: wow!, the taste is not represented by the nose, extreme hops but malt is definitely there too, for a 6.0 ABV/93 IBU beer it's surprising how much the malt is present, deep roasted/dry malt with strong slight astringent bitterness, a bit more bitterness than I usually like but I like the beer overall
M: chewy, roasted malt up front with definite back-of-the-tongue sharp bitterness
O: a very interesting style and I'm glad Dann and Ron brought it back

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 02:21:15 | More by wisrarebeer

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%

04-29-2013 06:34:55 | More by Kelp

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.89/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a shaker pint, the beer is a dark, hazy, chestnut highlighted brown-to-black coloring with a thin, frothy, foamy, off-white head. Aromas of heavy roasted coffee, both bitter and a bit smoky. Flavors are very heavily roasted, with a solid profile of coffee, both bitter and rich. Very heavy coffee profile. The aftertaste is bitter and roast, with a hint of bittersweet chocolate note. Dry, bitter, mid-lingering finish. Solid brew, and fun to see what brews used to be like back in the day, as they say.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 01:12:45 | More by GarthDanielson

hreb

Washington

4/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

This is a 22oz bottle in what seem to be the newer packaging, bottled in November 2012, reading simply "Once Upon A Time 1855 East India Porter". Beer pours *super* weird -- I was expecting a porter of some sort, but this is almost golden in color. Well, it's a brownish red, but super hazy (and I have not been unkind to the bottle since I purchased it a few days ago). If I was grading this against typical standards for either a porter or an IPA it'd definitely get dinged for appearance, but who knows what 1855-era East India Porter is supposed to look like.

Aroma is much more typical for a porter, with standard roasty notes up front in a big way, and a much subtler suggestion of citrusy hop goodness. Flavor wise, however, East India Porter is the perfect label. It's super roasty in the mouth, as much as any traditional porter, or maybe a dry stout, though mouthfeel is more carbonation-heavy like an ale (I suspect the original 1855 version would not have been gassed and bottled). And then there's a hoppiness which is almost on par with an East Coast American IPA (I wouldn't call it an English IPA, though). It just lacks the citrusy brightness and any of the floral quality of an IPA. I thought it might compare to a CDA/American Black Ale, but no, the extra roast and nuttiness changes the equation qualitatively.

An interesting treat and I don't mind drinking it one bit.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 00:54:30 | More by hreb

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.68/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to Aaron for sharing. The beer is cola brown with a thin, broken, beige head. The aroma offers coffee, roast, brown sugar. Ok flavor. A tad harsh. Coffee bitterness with lingering charred roast. Moderately low carbonation. Pretty good. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 20:21:03 | More by Huhzubendah

nmann08

Maryland

4/5  rDev -3.8%

03-03-2013 20:10:50 | More by nmann08

hopley

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

03-02-2013 01:35:08 | More by hopley

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.76/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

First had: bottle from Craft Beer Cellar, Belmont, MA

Poured into a Pretty Things wine-style stem glass. Deep dark brown color with a small but lasting beige head. Dark roasty malts in the nose, coffee, piney hops. Notably bitter in the taste, roasty dark malts, a generous dose of piney hops, coffee beans, solid earthiness, ash, with a bitter and almost harsh aftertaste. Body was about medium, actually quite robust compared to other beers of the style. Good overall, but for me, just a little too bitter for a porter.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 13:21:42 | More by Rifugium

grittly

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

02-22-2013 17:55:48 | More by grittly

AnitaBrewski

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -3.8%

02-16-2013 20:22:44 | More by AnitaBrewski

mdfb79

New York

3.8/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

From 02/09/13 notes. Bottled shared by nimbleprop; thanks Mac.

a - Pours a very dark brown mahogany color with one finger of medium tan head and moderate carbonation evident. Looks pretty nice.

s - Smells of roasted malts, coffee, milk cholxate, light floral hops, light pine hops, and some cream. Hops aren't too strong but overall, a pretty nice nose.

t - Tastes of of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, cream, toasted malts, burnt malts, and some light pine hops. Less hops than the nose; I like the taste a touch better.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Smooth and creamy, and pretty easy to drink beer.

o - Overall a pretty nice English porter. Normal chocolate and roasted characteristics with a little bit of a twist with the hops. Easy to drink, would have it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 17:44:29 | More by mdfb79

mrovelli

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +14.2%

02-02-2013 00:39:59 | More by mrovelli

Thren

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

02-01-2013 21:30:13 | More by Thren

kaelingirl

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

01-25-2013 22:22:17 | More by kaelingirl

Scotchboy

Idaho

4.11/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Awesome bomber sent to me from dope (thanks!) split with my bro with my portion going into a New Belgium Globe.

A: Dark brown/tawny pour with ample light tan head and lacing.

S: Strikes me as 'English' and unique at the same time; toasted caramel and toffee for sure. Big bready notes, with a hefty hop backbone thats more earthy than I'm used to.

T: This beer SHINES here; more malt-driven on the palate, with notes of chocolate, toffee, toasted sugars, darker caramel, bread and toast. There are some roasted notes too, and grainy coffee emerges as it warms. Hop bitterness on the finish reminds you that this thing is still hopped-up; earthy and herbal. Really unique, but enjoyable.

MF: Medium mouthfeel and moderate carbonation.

O: Really pleasant and unique. My first offering from Pretty Things as well. Cool beer with a cool back story.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 14:59:25 | More by Scotchboy

brureview

Massachusetts

4.48/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I drank it at a slightly higher temp( from the cellar) at about 56F. A little cooler- about 54 gives a better( and recommended temp) tasting.

Poured a deep dark chocolate color with a three finger head. First sampling in a tulip, good, but a pint glass is best for this style.

Aroma: lemon vanilla, chocolate and coffee.- not strong but pleasant.

The mouth feel is tangy, and not too carbonated. It is smoother at the lower serving temp.

This is a solid porter. It tastes like a classic porter-rich, malty, chocolate, lemon, and coffee.

A very drinkable and classic porter. Highly recommended. It may be my one of my favorite porters.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 03:16:49 | More by brureview

Jason

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

01-11-2013 04:11:05 | More by Jason

comrade_tony

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

01-11-2013 02:01:28 | More by comrade_tony

Auror

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

01-09-2013 18:12:29 | More by Auror

trevorpost

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%

01-08-2013 02:44:48 | More by trevorpost

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pretty things stemmed beer glass.

A: a murky nutty brown with deep ruby highlights. A finger if toasted head after a regular pour, dissapates nicley, with nice lacing... Looks yummy.

S: earthy toasty grain, brown bread, earthy hop, an almost coffe light roasty toasty note. Smells hearty and warm.

T: light note of chocolate along with some seriously roasty and toasty grain notes which remind me almost of coffee. A nice earthy hop right in there with that toast as well, very tasty, with some very nice balance and complexity.

M: medium body with lush carbonation, grainy and dry, with a bitter finish.

O: this is a very interesting brew, and one that i really enjoy, both because of the taste and as well because of the story and history behind it. Unique and intriguing a great porter to keep you warm on a cold night.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 06:24:23 | More by PeterIngemi

acurtis

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%

11-25-2012 18:48:49 | More by acurtis