Gatekeeper - Indigo Imp Brewery

JoePat

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev +24.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very dark brown almost black with a tan head that dissipates quickly.

Chocolate, slight roasted malts, fruity esters, and a little something that I just can't place. A little ash?

Flavor is very similar to a good porter with a little twange just under the flavor. The ash I smelt comes through in the flavor as well but very light. I get a little acidic flavor at the end but it is a very smooth and almost sweet flavor.

The mouthfeel is a bit on the light side for a porter but with the almost certain infection it is expected.

The light acidic finish goes well with the porter sweetness making a more drinkable porter.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2010 01:10:30 | More by JoePat

hustlesworth

Ohio

1.95/5  rDev -39.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A- a thick and viscous lookin brew, nearly black with ruby highlights and topped by a thin tan head. The surface of the brew bubbles and swirls, this one does indeed look alive.

S- coffee and cocoa with a fruity tartness and unexpected fruit blossom type floral character. A quick swirl of the glass reveals a deeply roasted bitter chicory coffee edge with underlying carob sweetness.

T- boing! overly sour and not cool. Tartness overwhelms nearly all other flavors leaving only weak coffee standing, ashamed and alone. Blah. Sour like bile.

MF- finely bubbled carbonation and ok body I guess

D- thankfully my last imp probably ever. Their open fermentation style just doesn't agree with me or with the porter style. Drain pour.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 01:50:57 | More by hustlesworth

Erockss

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev +8.4%

02-09-2013 19:34:05 | More by Erockss

tjkramer95

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev +0.6%

12-27-2012 02:23:53 | More by tjkramer95

Envelopes

Ohio

3/5  rDev -7.1%

10-26-2012 14:46:47 | More by Envelopes

PDXHops

South Carolina

1.2/5  rDev -62.8%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

This is thankfully my last (for now) bottle of open-fermented Cleveland goodness from Ryan011235. Poured into a Maudite snifter, Gatekeeper is a decent looking beer, deep brown with an initial fizzy head that settles into a thick skim that's in no hurry to leave. No lace.

Flashback city, as this smells almost exactly like I remember my first homebrewed stout: sure, there's some roasted malt in there, but the overwhelming aroma is that of "uh oh". What do you know, it tastes pretty much the same as well. (Although I had the good sense to tidy up my sanitation after a couple of homebrew batches. I would have been embarrassed to serve that putrid mess to anyone. Then you've got the Imp, who actually routinely put this kind of crap in the public's hands on purpose. But I digress...) Sourness and astringency completely overwhelms any roasted malts aside from a hint of espresso in the finish. The watery feel, while unpleasant enough, is far from the worst problems with this beer. Atrocious.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 00:11:27 | More by PDXHops

avaccani

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev +0.6%

10-06-2012 01:14:59 | More by avaccani

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Very lively ale. Probably a bit too much. The carbonation interferes quite a bit with the flavor delivery at the start. But it tones down slightly pretty soon into things. Molasses and sweet malt tones. But again, lots of carbonation. Too much for me, really. A nice brew with some good character, but too much bubble getting in on the mix. I feel like this would be a Belgian stout, if it was intentional with the carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 23:55:01 | More by RblWthACoz

acurtis

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev +0.6%

06-08-2012 00:06:06 | More by acurtis

djrn2

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev +0.6%

06-07-2012 23:54:19 | More by djrn2

Bung

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. Picked up in Columbus. Dark brown pour, light tan head .

Aroma, malt and milk chocolate.

Taste, chocolate, malt up front, fades to a tart cherry. A nice roast, light coffee, heavy cocoa finish.

A little over carbonated, light side of medium. A little dry, but drinks pretty easy still. Obviously abv is not a problem.
Thought this was pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 01:44:32 | More by Bung

JCrazy84

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +26.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a deep brown, darker than black coffee. Small, darker head.

Smell: Smell is coffee, with a few caramel notes.

Taste: Taste is very heavy coffee, with some caramel backing. There is also this lingering taste that I can only describe as campfire ash, but it adds a dimension that I enjoy.

Mouthfeel: Thin, but I don't like heavy porters. If I was in a porter mood, I would drink this all night.

Overall: I really enjoyed this brew and would buy it again for a porter friendly crowd.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 22:20:08 | More by JCrazy84

Tyrawlings

Ohio

3/5  rDev -7.1%

02-16-2012 19:18:51 | More by Tyrawlings

ONUMello

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass
A: Very dark brown with a thin fizzy head that quickly disappears.
S: Aromas of coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt.
T: Just like the smell: coffee, chocolate, roasted malt.
M: A bit thin, but rich and pleasant.
O: Far from the best porter I've had, but decent and one of the better Indigo Imp beers I've had recently.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 04:29:54 | More by ONUMello

DrBier

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -7.1%

01-01-2012 00:36:10 | More by DrBier

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a light brown to black in color with a light chocolate brown head. In the aroma, chocolate, coffee, and notes of caramel sweetness. In the taste, caramel sweet coffee and chocolate. A nice hop bite and medium to bigger bodied mouthfeel, with a dry coffee and note of caramel sweetness in the aftertaste. A nice rich porter.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 17:16:46 | More by OWSLEY069

nubz77

West Virginia

3.58/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Since this was from a small brewery I'd never heard of, I didn't have high expectations, but I'm willing to try just about anything. I was pleasantly surprised.

Dark brownish color, and the smell is of nice roasty grains. As others have said it's a little on the thin side though. The best aspect in my mind is the excellent balance between the roasted coffee/burnt sugar flavors from the malt, and the hops, neither of which dominates.

Easy session beer, I'd definitely have one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 15:01:16 | More by nubz77

goblue3509

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark cola like color with a one finger coco color head which eventually recedes to skim and leaves a small amount of lace on the glass. The aroma is of a big roasty smell along with hints of coffee. The taste follows the nose with a few differences. The backbone is of a big roasty malt, in the middle are hints of dark chocolate and coffee. At the very end thier is a sublte sourness from the yeast. The taste is good and interesting. The mouthfeel is good maybe a little thin. Overall this is a solid beer, it makes a good session beer with enough flavor to keep me interested. I would say this is a good try.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 17:21:25 | More by goblue3509

BeerBuckeye

Ohio

3.2/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - Pours a dark brown, a little thinness, a small head with little lace retention.

S - Lots of malt, notes of baker's chocolate and coffee, some caramel and dark fruits as well. It's a full smell, but not exactly robust.

T - Roasted malt and some chocolate, a bit of sweetness present, not a lot of coffee or anything. Honestly, it tastes a bit thin for my taste, not a lot of complexity here.

M - Again, fairly thin mouthfeel.

Overall - It was just a decent porter. Nothing remarkable. Missing a lot of components that makes up a solid porter.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 16:39:50 | More by BeerBuckeye

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Indigo Imp Gatekeeper

Pours a dark brown color with an off white head and little in the way of lace or retention. Roasted malts in the aroma, with mild coffee notes as well. In the flavor, roasted malts again up front with a deep black coffee flavor which gives way to a mild tangy nearing tart aftertaste. The presence of wild yeasts and open fermentation has a small footprint on this beer, but its there. Big roast, coffee, cocoa and a mild sour tang. Gatekeeper makes for a nice beer, and interesting enough to keep the sips coming.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 05:02:13 | More by Stinkypuss

Mississipping

Mississippi

3.28/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a very, very dark brown, almost completely black.  When held to light, the tiniest bit of light penetrates only through the top.  A medium brown head with very tight bubbles sit on top and stubbornly sticks around most of the glass.  Minimal lacing left behind.

S: Roasted malt, bakers chocolate, and only a hint of coffee, caramel, dark fruit, and hops.  The smell is really pretty nice, but it's typical and not very robust.  You really have to be looking to find each of the various aromatic qualities.

T: Much as the smell suggests, roasted malt and chocolate up front with just the faintest touch of vanilla, caramel, coffee, and hops.  The aroma was pretty subdued, and the taste is even more so.  At the finish, the roastiness amplifies a bit and lingers with the hops and a slight grassiness.  There is something that seems a bit off in the aftertaste.  Not completely off-putting, but just odd.  

M: Lighter side of medium bodied with medium carbonation.  Creamy and velvety, but feels slightly watered down.  

D: Overall, this porter is pretty drinkable, but it's not one that I would drink a lot.  It really looked great, and I loved the exception retention of the darker head.  The smell, taste, and mouthfeel just weren't there to back it up, though.  Not a bad porter, but rather typical and toned-down.  I also enjoyed the burst of roastiness at the finish, however, it was accompanied by an off-flavor that really counterbalanced my enjoyment.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2011 15:51:59 | More by Mississipping

breathinghope

Ohio

3.15/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Any brewery with label art that features an imp drawn in the style of Mike Mignola (of Hellboy fame) automatically scores points with me. As a result, I had high hopes for Indigo Imp's Gatekeeper when I purchased it. In addition, being an Ohio guy tried and true, I definitely wanted to support a Cleveland brewery if I could. I wish, wish, wish I could have followed through on drinking this with words of awe and wonder, but it just ain't happening.

The Gatekeeper is billed as 'a robust Porter' brewed in a classic style with Black and Caramel malts. Its appearance upon pouring had me hopeful, as this baby is dark and smooth. Head was caramel forth, fingertip thick, with some obvious sediment having been poured into the glass. Hurray for unfiltered, bottle-conditioned beers! Smell was promising, too, with hints of burnt sugar.

Initial mouthfeel wasn't bad - as I'd pointed out, this beer poured smooth, and my initial sip echoed that. However, afterward, there was... well... not a whole lot going on. I got those hints of caramel and slight sweetness, but the rest of the overall sensation (and this was throughout the bottle as I drank it from a wide-brim Chimay glass at the suggested temperature) was kind of thin. It tasted like a pretty decent Porter that had simply been watered down, rendering it slightly tasty but overall, rather forgettable.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 17:44:58 | More by breathinghope

srandycarter

California

3.15/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Near black, tan head leaves to ring fast. Some cling lace.

S - Earthy, burnt chocolate/coffee. Malt wafts up into it.

T - Not much in the front, ends with bbq smoke.

M - Medium body, fair carb, not enough malt to even get some balance.

D - Good to try one. One is enough.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 04:33:39 | More by srandycarter

prototypic

Ohio

3.18/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Gatekeeper pours a very dark chocolate fudge color. Looks onyx. No light cuts through at all. Impressive. A nice mocha tan head covers it and rises to a finger and a half in depth. It takes its time receding, and leaves a nice, sticky coat of lace behind. I’m impressed.

The nose is on the weak side, but isn’t bad. It features a pretty solid mix of roasted and chocolate malts. The chocolate variety smells like bittersweet dark chocolate. Not sweet at all. Roasted coffee is definitely in the mix and complements the malty scents pretty well. Alcohol is buried. It’s simple and straight forward, but isn’t bad.

The flavor is very consistent with the nose, but seems even a little shorter on flavor. It does have a decent base of chocolate and roasted malts. It does have a light, bittersweet dark chocolate flavor. I’m not getting any real sweet flavors. Coffee is there, and works alright with the other flavors. Unfortunately, the flavors just don’t seem to carry through. They all seem to trail off toward the end. It’s not bad, it isn’t quite good either.

Gatekeeper has a lighter body that feels a little on the thin side. Carbonation feels a little active and buzzy. It’s average overall. A little more body and fewer bubbles would help. I guess it goes down it easy, but I’m not enjoying it a great deal.

Gatekeeper is an okay American Porter. It’s not bad, but lacks in just about every category other than appearance (and carbonation). It needs a little more aromatics, more flavor, and more body. Having said that, it really is alright. I think it’s worth a try if you can find a single bottle. But, if you’re in the market for a great American Porter from Ohio…this is not the one you’re seeking.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 02:35:53 | More by prototypic

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep chocolate dark ruby roasted malts and a thicket of caramel tan head, leaving behind fine speckled lacing. Aroma has dark mild chocolate with roasted chest nutes and a hint of dark coffee and mild fruitiness. Flavor is a soured dark robust porter after having open fermentation performed, milk dark chocolate notes with a slight twinge of soured yogurt. Low carbonation hints of funky and soured ale notes bring out dark chocolate undertones and mild oak barrel notes...actual enjoyable hints of oak dark malts and apple fruitiness. This is an experimental brewery nothing like it around here except for Jolly Pumpkin with all open fermentation why not in Ohio, I'm liking these sour ales because of the open fermentation just adds a mature level to these brews, I'm glad my palate is ready for this stuff...it's been excellent each and every bottle. There's got to be a market out there for these style especially after open ferementation effects take on.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2011 13:34:07 | More by WVbeergeek