Bad Moon Porter - DuClaw Brewing Company

hdofu

Maryland

4.9/5  rDev +28.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This is the reason I am into porters. I tried this as part of their beer sampler at the Bel Air Location, and it was the most memorable of the beers. The color of this beer was a black like onyx. The smell was of rich dark chocolate, it had a an intense mocha tastes with a creamy feel to the tongue. It paired excellently with the cheesecake for desert. It goes down easy and is very drinkable. The next time I get over there I will be getting a growler of this.

Serving type: on-tap

02-11-2008 20:01:20 | More by hdofu

RBorsato

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tasted at the Alchemy Release Party at the Arundel Mills Location on 5/19/05.

Dark brown with a light brown head. Balanced coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt aromas and flavors with just a light touch of sweetness in flavor. No hop character stands out but considering the IBU's noted it would seem that they should. Medium bodied, robust, and smooth.

By far, DuClaw's best year-round beer...

From the DuClaw Website:
Style: Robust Porter
Color: Black
Hop Variety: Fuggle & Goldings
Grains : Pale Malt, Chocolate Malt, Crystal Malt, Black Malt, Special Roast Malt.
Bitterness: 32 BU's
Gravity: 13.5 plato
Alcohol Content : 5.1% abv

Serving type: on-tap

06-02-2005 19:47:20 | More by RBorsato

meathookjones

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Grabbed the growler from the Arundel Mills location. Opaque black body with tall light brown fluffy head that left a nice scattered webbing of lace on the glass. Big roasty and smokiness comes on strong. Some coffee and a mild dark chocolate also peek through the big roastiness. As expected the flavor comes up big in the roasted malt with a light smokiness as well. Some coffee and dark chocolate. Light sweetness helps balance out the smoke character. Lingering smoky aftertaste. About medium body maybe a little light with a very creamy smooth feel to it. Greatly drinkable stuff, plenty of flavor and easy drinking. Definitely the best staple beer for DuClaw.

Serving type: growler

08-01-2005 16:11:31 | More by meathookjones

sideshowrob

Maryland

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This was a special version of the Bad-Moon Porter, it was cask-conditioned and flavored with vanilla. Yum.

Appearance is identical to other BMPs. Dark color, nice head

Smell was fantastic. The vanillia (bean or extract?) really adds to the nose, and shines above the background. Likewise, the vanillia really adds a layer of complexity to the taste not present in the regular version of this beer. Mouthfeel remains unchanged, which is a good thing.

BMP is normally one of my favorite beers at Duclaw, but if this version was on, I'd order it over Venom any day.

Serving type: cask

08-13-2007 23:33:35 | More by sideshowrob

Hefe

Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I get this one all the time at the DuClaw in Arundel Mills.

Appearance: Dark and inky with a thick tan head.

Smell: Roasty, malty, with a hint of coffee in the nose

Taste: Full bodied, with a big whack of fruity maltiness. Coffee, dark chocolate, and tobacco abound. Rounds out with a touch of burnt caramel and a nice hoppy bite.

Mouthfeel: Did I say full bodied? Yes sir, big and lush, with a touch of an oily quality.

Drinkability: For such a big brew it goes down a lot better than you'd think.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2003 00:30:15 | More by Hefe

Higravity

Michigan

4.35/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

An absolutely brutal porter. This is possible my favorite beer from these guys. Dark dark beer with a off white head that hangs out for a bit. I was really enjoying the roasted toffee, coffee, nutty cocoa smell of this as it was light but present and not over powering. The taste is spot on, light caramlized sugar that is surrounded by the bigger flavors of chocolate, toffee and nutty finish. Solid body firm but poundable. Good stuff give me a growler to go.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2006 20:26:38 | More by Higravity

JerseyKirk

New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pitch black in color. Nice khaki colored 1 finger head.

S: Smells like coffee, cream, cocoa, dark chocolate and dark roasted malts.

T: Tastes like coffee, cream, cocoa, dark chocolate and dark roasted malts...same as above.

M: Nice and crisp beer that has a long dry coffee finish.

O: Great. However, this beer tastes a lot more like an Irish Dry Stout than a porter. Based on the style though this loses a point here but otherwise it's a great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2012 00:26:49 | More by JerseyKirk

kylehay2004

Florida

4.3/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Half finger dark tan head on a clear but dark brown body. Excellent lacing. Aroma is full of coffee and espresso with a subtle dark fruit sweetness. Flavor follows nicely with Coffee, roasted malts and like dark chocolate moving to a light cherry and toffee sweet finish. Semi dry finish with light to moderate carbonation and typical thin porter body. Very flavorful compared to do many porters out there. A must try IMO.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2012 02:13:32 | More by kylehay2004

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From their website:
Bad Moon Porter
Style: Robust Porter
Color: Black
Hop Variety: Fuggle & Goldings
Grains : Pale Malt, Chocolate Malt, Crystal Malt, Black Malt, Special Roast.
Bitterness Units: 32 IBUs
Gravity: 13.5 plato
Alcohol Content : 5.1% abv

Although its dark tan head and almost opaque black body are quite attractive, it's the deeply-roasted mocha nose that reaches out and grabs you! It's richly roasty like fresh black coffee, with a thread of fruit running through it and a dollop of oily, dark milk chocolate slowly melting in the center. And the flavor follows suit by delivering a rich, almost-burnt-coffee that seems sweetened with a spoonfull of table sugar. There's a dark chocolate character to it as well; and a delicate note of juicy, berry-like fruitiness that helps to enliven its character. A solid bitterness ropes it all in; and it finishes dry with a long lingering bittersweet-chocolate note. It's certainly robust, and some might even consider it aggressive... but it's certainly worth trying!

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2003 03:14:08 | More by NeroFiddled

cubedbee

Maryland

4.22/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at an Orioles game. Pitch black with a cap of beige head and some lacing even in the plastic cup. Smell is very appealing and strong roasted malts with a slight hint of cappuccino. Taste is a nice roasty malt with a coffee/dark chocolate backdrop and a clean hoppy finish. Medium bodied and creamy smooth, this is a pleasure to drink. Definitely the best the ballgame has to offer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2005 12:44:32 | More by cubedbee

ckollias

Maryland

4.22/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this draft beer out of a pint glass at Duclaw in Bowie, MD.

A: Dark black with a thin light brown ½-finger head that quickly dissipates and leaves a wispy lace.

S: Nice smoky roasted malt flavor – hints of coffee/mocha, chocolate, and cocoa powder.

T: Smooth rich ale with a nice smoky roasted malt bitterness. Has great chocolate and coffee overtones, with a nice malt background.

M: Medium body and carbonation

O: This staple beer from Duclaw has been good every time I have had it. It is smooth, well balanced and very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

06-18-2011 02:41:38 | More by ckollias

jwc215

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From growler purchased the previous day:

Pours black thin a thin tan head that stays. Some trailing lace sticks.

The smell is of roasted coffee and chocolate - very robust.

The taste is of roasted coffee, chocolate, some grainy notes and some caramel. Smoky notes, sweetness and an earthy bitter touch blend for a nice balance.

Medium-bodied with medium carbonation.

A very nice porter - aromatic, nicely balanced and pretty smooth. Very good.

Serving type: growler

07-27-2008 13:56:23 | More by jwc215

Gavage

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: dark black in color with a thick 2" fluffy head that lasts through the drink. Thick lacing coats the glass too.

Smell: mild roasted coffee and hints of bitter chocolate.

Taste: heavy roasted malts, coffee, bitter dark chocolate, and some molasses. Hints of burnt toast flavors float in the background.

Mouthfeel: nicely smooth at the start and finish. Dry throughout. The flavors linger on the tongue for a while too.

Drinkabilty: easy drinking, even though this tends to lean towards being more of a stout than a porter. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2006 13:19:28 | More by Gavage

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served as deep brown color with modest tannish head. Smell is a good combination of roasted malt and coffee. Taste matches the smell and adds some chocolate notes along with a dark fruitiness. Finishes slightly bitter with presents itself as a nice ending for this beer. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2006 01:37:38 | More by tgbljb

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On nitro-tap at DuClaw.

A: This beer appears a near black shade with a creamy, white one inch head.

S: The aromas are quite subtle, with some roasted malt and chocolate.

T: The beer is pretty tasty, but again, the flavors are a bit subdued. I would prefer more roasted malt flavors and a creamier, denser beer. The nitro-tap creates a pretty velvety smooth feel, but I wish this beer had a fuller body.

M: The feel has a slightly watery feel, but makes up for it with a silky smoothness, mostly due to the nitro-tap, I'm assuming.

D: Overall, a pretty good beer. It wasn't amazing or special, but I'll probably order it again at some point in the future.

Serving type: nitro-tap

08-02-2010 23:56:53 | More by Huhzubendah

Terp96

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I purchased two growlers of this for the Super Bowl and only drank one during the game. The second I drank last night and it was just as good.

A nice looking porter, this one pours a very dark brown. Not much light gets through compared with many of the other porters out there.

Smell is malty and a tad bit smokey. The roasted malt is definitely present and lets you know what you are getting up front.

Taste is good. Toasted malt with some smokey undertones. Not overly malty and it even has a nice dry, somewhat hoppy finish.

Mouthfeel is the only mark against this one. It is a little thin. It isn't supposed to be thick but the body does not back up the initial aroma.

Drinkability is very good. Like I said, I put away a growler of this each time and didn't get that sickening sweet malt aftertaste. This one is pretty well balanced and a solid session brew.

Serving type: growler

02-12-2006 01:31:52 | More by Terp96

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've had many pints of this over the years but with it soon being taken off the taps, I figured it was time to finally review this. On tap at the Arundel Mills location.

Pours black with some ruby highlights around the bottom and a 1/2 finger of creamy light tan head that retains nicely around the edges and a thin layer across the middle that leaves good lacing behind. The aroma is roasted malts, chocolate, caramel, and a big ole' whiff of coffee.

The taste is an assertive roasty mix of chocolate and caramel sweetness up front, followed by coffee bitterness and a hop bite to finish things off. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a nice creamy and easygoing feel.

I'm sad to see this one go on hiatus as I think it fits the DuClaw staple lineup's need for a dark beer perfectly. Full flavored character and easy drinkibility make this a go to whenever I visit one of their locations.

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2008 16:50:52 | More by Kegatron

stephenjmoore

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Very dark body with a hint of amber highlights on the top and bottom. Thin tan head that leaves behind some bubbles as it settles.

S- Roasted malts with a hint of chocolate malt. A slight aroma of coffee comes through as well.

T- Very roasty with a dash of coffee and hops.

M- Medium bodied, smooth.

O- Nice, solid porter.

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2012 23:05:36 | More by stephenjmoore

Hopfenpeter

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

poured into a pint glass the beer is black in color with a beige, tan creamy head. Very inviting! The small head sticks around for a couple of minutes.
The smell has o smoked character, like you would expect from a Rauchbier. It has hints of coffee.
Up front you can taste a nicely crafted coffee and dark chocolate flavor, induced with those roasted malts, which give that smoked feel to the beer. In the middle the taste becomes a little bit sweeter. Caramel and brown sugar are noticable. A nice finish at the end with a slight bitterness to round everything up.
A good and drinkable porter!

Serving type: on-tap

05-08-2011 03:58:58 | More by Hopfenpeter

davidt

Virginia

3.8/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This American Porter is dark brown with a moderate head. The rich and pleasant aroma is malty sweet with a hints of coffee and chocolate. The taste is lightly sweet, toasted malt with some roasted coffee. Bad Moon Porter has a very creamy, thick mouth feel. The after taste leaves you with expresso and faint hops. This is a very nice Porter.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2007 17:08:51 | More by davidt

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Bowie location. Very dark brown to black with no head. Roasty and chocolate aroma is very appealing. A bit of roasty, coffee like flavors, however no very complex or deep, when compared to the aroma. Enough hop flavor and bitterness to balance well. A bit thin. Overall not bad, but from the aroma I was expecting much more. Still, probably one of their more solid brews.

Serving type: on-tap

07-29-2006 18:08:37 | More by Bierguy5

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this on 2012-11-04 at BWI airport Duclaw pub.

A - Dark brown with 1-finger tan head and very light lacing.

S - moderate aroma of chocolate, expresso and medium roasted malt.

T - medium roasted malt with a bit of char. Light chocolate and coffee. Slightly sweet. Mildly bitter and sour dough finish.

M - Medium body and medium carbonation. Thinish.

O - Good but not remarkable

Serving type: on-tap

11-04-2012 16:28:21 | More by Tucquan

nickfl

Florida

3.68/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A poured with a small head of tan foam on a black body, good retention and lace.

S roast malt, light coffee and some smoke.

T sweet malt up front with a bit of coffee. Some toffee in the middle and a toasty, dry finish.

M medium light body, moderate carbonation, and a bone dry finish.

D not bad, it is definitely a porter rather than a stout,but not overly complex.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2012 02:20:25 | More by nickfl

MaltyGoodness

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the BelAir location

Pours a rich dark black with a mocha head that fades.

Smells of rich roasted grains and a hint of coffee.

Sweet tasting up front followed by a nice rich chocloatey roasted flavor with a mild coffee aftertaste.

Body is quite thin. Could use more meat on it's bones to match the fairly robust flavor. Unsatisfying.

Fairly easy to drink. With a few minor changes it could be a great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2005 03:30:35 | More by MaltyGoodness

Deuane

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A--Dark brown/black with a a thin tan head and no lacing.

S--A lighty roast and maybe a hint of molasses, nothing outstanding.

T--Nice, rich roasted flavor...hints of coffee, cocoa and burnt malt

M--Smooth and easy to drink. Nothing overpowering or outstanding, solid but nothing that wows or disappoints.

D--Solid, but I don't think it is a beer with much character. Some nice roastiness but then it leaves you down. A good beer that has potential to be better

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2007 13:34:54 | More by Deuane