Black Creek Porter - Black Creek Historic Brewery

OldGrowler

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +29.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I can't believe this is a Toronto beer, let alone linked to Trafalgar Brewing. The full-bodied coffee/choco/malty flavour and slight bitterness equal one satisfying mouthful. Yet its smooth, great lingering mouthfeel. The aroma is malty and something else ... meaty? Very drinkable. I would buy this for a party, as it can be enjoyed singly or en volume. Oh -- not a porter though, lol.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 06:06:35 | More by OldGrowler

Foddz

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +27.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: Deep mahogany with barely any head. Only just barely translucent enough for a direct light source to shine through. What little head there is persists as a soapy film on top for a decent length of time after the pour.

S: Coffee, roasted malt, dark toffee, and perhaps a hint of charcoal and vanilla. Pleasantly complex while remaining subdued.

T: Coffee, roasted and burnt malts, a little smokiness to it towards the back end of the initial taste. Toffee flavours come through as well. Lingering aftertaste is somewhat burnt, roasted malts. Mild hops bitterness adds a pleasant floral spice that rounds out and compliments the flavours surprisingly well.

M: None too substantial on the tongue, but with enough presence to leave one satisfied. The roasted malt flavours gets the saliva going, leaving a lingering stickiness in its wake. The subtle dryness the hops and alcohol impart are magnified by the burnt notes, leaving one wanting another sip.

O: Very tasty and complex porter. Maybe a little rough around the edges for some palates but I like the bold mixing of flavours this beer provides.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 03:45:45 | More by Foddz

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +26.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled version, which is hopefully a million miles away from the barrel-aged version I had a year or so back.

Cola coloured body with a finger of tiny head that slowly subsides and leaves some excellent lace patches on the glass. Nose is extremely pleasant with cocoa, coffee, chocolate and oats. Gentle flavour contains everything noted in the nose, with the cocoa perhaps proving the most dominant. A very pleasing and sessionable combination, and far removed from the cheap Hungarian table wine that the first one reminded me of. Medium-light body and a smooth carbonation.

I like this one - it makes a nice addition to the scene and is a damn solid porter. It doesn't even seem to have suffered from being bottled at Trafalgar.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2010 16:14:46 | More by bobsy

pieman25

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I was perusing the LCBO nearest to me, and found this stuff. I could only afford one bottle of it, but I was very impressed with this beer.

Appearance: Poured into my pint glass, it had a decent amount of tan/light brown head that dissipated rather quickly. It was a dark brown colour, not much light showed through, but when you held it up to the light you could see some ruby red shining through it.

Smell - not much other than roasted malt.

Taste - A good deal of roasted malts, as well as some coffee and sour notes, followed by just a slight touch of spicy hops to finish it off. I think it could have used a bit more hops to be honest, but I was more than satisfied with the taste of this beer - complex and delicious, but rather drinkable.

Mouthfeel - The beer had little to no carbonation in it, and had a fuller body than some other porters I've had - I think possibly heavier than guinness (not that it's much of an accomplishment), but not any heavier than most porters.

Overall - I would recommend this beer, it's a delicious beer with a good body to it, and the only things that I feel could use improvement would be hops levels and head retention. This is a darn good beer that is well worth trying at least once, and I would certainly try it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 03:46:54 | More by pieman25

Stocean1

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured two fingers into a pint glass, decent retention, patchy lacing, deep brown in colour, light chocolate head

Smell is coffee, burnt malt, chocolate and vanilla

Taste follows the nose and is really well balanced

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with plenty of carbonation. Smooth but could use some more body and a little less carbonation. Slight bitterness.

Overall, a decent porter that is worth another taste.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 14:57:56 | More by Stocean1

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes...

A - Pours a dark ruby red colour, with a mahogany hue, finger of head with little retention and no lacing.

S - Sweet caramel, espresso and a hint of dark cocoa.

T - Tasty chocolate flavours, espresso undertones, nice leafy hop presence that lingers on the finish. A tad mild, but still flavourful.

M - Medium bodied, smooth and finishes wet.

O - Admittedly pretty pleased with this porter. Nothing mind blowing, but definitely tasty and easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 15:32:01 | More by andrenaline

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.73/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Got this one at the LCBO this past summer.

From a 500ml bottle into a snifter

APPEARANCE: Light brown pour yields a small, off-white head with lousy retention. Head fades quickly to a splotchy wisp and ring. Dark bistre brown body, very clear, with no carbonation evident. A ring remains until the end but leaves no real lacing down the glass. A touch too light and transparent for the style.

SMELL: Roasted and dark malts, dark chocolate and some chocolate fudge. Pretty nice really, and plenty forthcoming.

TASTE: Dark malts mostly, with caramel sweetness and dark chocolate up front. Burnt toast and some bitter dark chocolate again at the swallow. Bigger and lingering finish of bitter dark chocolate, roasted and malty sweetness and burnt malt notes. Definitely lots of chocolate in this one, and more burnt notes in the flavor than the nose had led on. Very flavorful for the style as well. Good stuff.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Semi-creamy on the palate, goes down fine and finishes slightly dry. A little light on the palate perhaps.

OVERALL: Other reviewers have been pretty harsh on this one. This is a solid English porter. The nose and flavor are very forward and there's lots in there worth contemplating. A very enjoyable 5% beer, no question. This is one I'll be looking for next year when I'm back home. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 19:30:54 | More by Jeffo

mfgeorge

Ontario (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Brewed at Trafalger Ales, who don't have the best of reputations, however as far as I know Trafalger has absolutely no input into this; just their equipment was used.

Pours dark brown with a very thin head. Smell is of roasted malt and coffee. Taste is heavy on the roast, which I always like, a nice balance of tartness from the hops with a bit of bitter coffee in the finish. Low carbonation with a slight creaminess yet somewhat thin as well, but not 'watery' like previous brews I've had. It's definitely a 'plain' porter, but does it well.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 20:33:50 | More by mfgeorge

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a dark clear black color porter with a large off-white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma consists of aromatic coffee with nice dry roasted notes. Taste is well balanced between some dry roasted malt notes with some really nice aromatic coffee notes. Body is a bit light for style with good carbonation. Better then expected form this new brewery.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 16:27:07 | More by Phyl21ca

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle to Founders tulip.

A - Medium brown colour with a small amount of cream coloured head and some good lacing.

S - Roasted malts, chocolate, some hazelnut. A light hop presence.

T - Roasted malts, chocolate, some nutty flavours. Slightly dry overall with a bitter finish.

M - Light to medium body. Moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 17:23:39 | More by TheSevenDuffs

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle, best before Aug 2011 - thanks to tbeckett for the Hogtown hookup...

This beer pours a clear, dark cola hue, with one thin finger of fine, foamy pale beige head, which settles slowly, rendering a drooping painted meniscus of lace around the glass. It smells of lightly roasted bready, biscuit malt, some oily nuttiness, baker's chocolate-dipped dried orchard fruit, and some dusty hops. The taste is more chocolate biscuit malt, a bit of distinct, mildly tart cherry, mixed bar nuts, a soft, almost lactic sourness, and very sedate earthy hops. The carbonation is running on empty, the body medium weight, and quite smooth. It finishes clean, the malt still sweet and understated, but now dealing with a slight surge in leafy, bitter hops.

I gotta say, I like this porter, with its nod to the inherent sourness of the historic style (I guess when the brewery calls itself 'Historic' in its name, it's nice to see that represented in the end product, intentional or not), and the balanced, tasty malt. Nothing ground-shaking, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2011 22:23:12 | More by biboergosum

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown colour with tan head that quickly dissipates without much lacing. Smells of roasted malt and coffee. Flavour is quite nice, some mild bitterness and the roast really comes through. Carbonation is good despite having almost no head on the beer. A nice porter. I suspect ratings would be higher for this if everyone had it in bottle instead of on cask.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2010 04:30:45 | More by kwjd

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Black Creek Porter is actually more of a dark brown; transparency is easily observed as are warmer, more vivid tones when held into the light. Whatever head formed off the pour has long evaporated and shows no signs of coming back. It still looks alright though.

Supposedly, Black Creek Porter is based on a collection of recipes dating back to the 1800s. This doesn't surprise me, given how bare, unembellished and elementary the thing smells. Brown malts, lightly smoked and roasty, make up the entirety of the aroma without, some dark fruit exempted, a trace, trickle or smidgen of anything exciting to dress them up.

Although the original recipe is brewed in small batches and fermented in oak barrels for the Black Creek Pioneer Village this bottled version is brewed at Trafalgar Brewing. How a brewery with such a terrible track record of quality control earned the contract is beyond me and, to no one's surprise, the beer suffers from their signature flat, syrupy texture.

But otherwise it isn't so bad. The malt bill, despite being quite thinnish, amounts to a solidly roasted flavour with hints of coffee and hazelnut that is agreeable and toothsome enough to entertain for the full pint. A very modest bitterness concludes things lickety-split, ending prematurely the cocoa-like flavour that I'd of liked to linger.

Black Creek Porter has obviously made huge strides since it was first debuted. While it still has a ways to go, at very least it makes a serviceable, half-way decent beer. This has been my second bottle of it and while I can't justify purchasing another, I feel confident enough in trying something else from this brewery and will be expecting positive results.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2010 00:57:14 | More by biegaman

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle randomly picked up at the uptown Waterloo LCBO. I visited Black Creek way back when in public school - interested to find they have a brewery.

Poured into a nonic. Dark brown, chestnut round the edges when held to the light. Thin head quickly recedes after pouring. Sharp carbonation creates the visual effect of a pint of Coca Cola. Good lacing on the glass, however.

Nose is roasted malt, coffee, caramel, oats.

Actually, tastes pretty fine, about where a porter should be at. Similar notes to the nose, good malty base, finish gets a bit thin and tinny, but other than that, it'll do. Smooth and flavorful.

Mouthfeel is a bit thin, but it's easy to drink and has reasonable carbonation.

A decent porter. Clearly they've fixed whatever major problems the early cask editions had going on. Nothing truly unique to back up the bottle's claim that one will "taste Ontario's brewing heritage," but still it did the trick. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 05:11:32 | More by JohnnyBarman

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Have enjoyed many a Black Creek porter before tonight and always considered it an excellent OCB beer, but this is the first time I've tried it back-to-back against Black Creek stout. It doesn't measure up nearly as well as I expected.

Beautiful clear beer, a very dark amber with decent head. Mouthfeel is enjoyable, but thinner than the stout. Aroma of black molasses, with roasted malts predominating more in the taste. A sweeter flavour than I’d choose, albeit with dryness in the finish.

Not as well balanced as its stout cousin, but still definitely a beer and a brewery I will continue to support!

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 01:34:04 | More by hopsolutely

scott451

Ontario (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Best before May 2012. Poured into a pint glass. A very dark ruby with a meager bubbly tan head which soon diminishes to a ring.

Smells of coffee and toasted malts. Strong toasted malts. Charcoal. A very mild hop finish.

Medium light body. Not bad overall. Coffee and toast flavours kind of interesting.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 01:46:51 | More by scott451

Noxious26

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle with crown cap poured in a pint glass. Thank you to my wife for bringing this back from Toronto!

Clear, dark brown with ruby highlights. Tan head is 1/4 inch on the pour, but quickly recedes to a thin ring around the edge. Patches of lacing here and there.

Malty sweet nose. Malt, nut, slightly burnt.

Lightly burnt malts and sweetness off the start. Almost like a burnt marshmellow, but more caramel flavour and not quite that sweet. Finish is lightly burnt malt with a hint of floral hops.

Medium bodied, but actually a little thin for a porter. Mild carbonation.

This is a weird little concoction. It's actually kind of like a hybrid between an English Brown Ale and an English Porter. Not quite black enough and not enough body to be a true porter. But it's rather tasty and I enjoyed it. I originally gave lower marks because it doesn't fit the style at all, but in the end I felt that wasn't doing the beer justice. This is their take on an English Porter and while it may not be true to guidelines, it is a rather nice little brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 03:32:55 | More by Noxious26

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before September 2012. I liked Black Creek's stout, so the porter seems like a logical follow-up.

Pours a deep mahogany brown colour, with scarlet highlights when held to the lamp. It is topped with one finger of dense, smooth beige-coloured head that wastes no time thinning into a foamy, creamy cap on the surface. Some lacing remains above the collar. The aroma is heavy on the roasted malts, with hints of toffee, molasses, walnuts, and a difficult-to-distinguish note somewhere halfway between cocoa and coffee grinds.

Good flavour, but I'd be lying if I said it was especially memorable. Once again the roasted malts steal most of my attention; their nutty, light sweetness comprising the backbone of the overall taste. Some acidity; it imparts a slight tang that I don't find especially endearing here. A slight hint of spent coffee grounds also comes to mind, with some leafy, earthy hop dryness becoming increasingly prominent in the finish. The dryness lingers only briefly. On the thinner side of medium-bodied, with mild carbonation and a very smooth mouthfeel. Easy to drink, and definitely not a chore to do so.

Of the three year-round brews I have tried from Black Creek (the pale ale, the stout and this porter), this one is my least favourite. It's kind of tasty I guess, but it's definitely nothing particularly special, and I have a feeling I'll forget about it within a month or so.

Final Grade: 3.35, and a B-minus shows at least some promise. Skimming through my review history, the only other English porters I have tried previously seem to be Rickard's Dark (lol) and Fuller's London Porter. It can't be that surprising that I must rank it lower than the famed FLP, which is one of my favourite 'drinkable dark ales' of all time. That being said - it's certainly not a BAD beer - it's just not a very inspiring one. If you are into sessionable dark beers, Black Creek Porter is worth a try, but in my humble opinion their stout and brown ale (Rifleman's Ration) are better selections that basically meet the same criteria.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 20:40:36 | More by thehyperduck

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

500ml Bottle

Appearance - The beer pours a black/brown colour with an average size fizzy light brown coloured head. I can't see much carbonation due the darkness of the beer and there is some fair lacing on the sides of the glass. The head lasted for 4 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Chocolate, malts, vanilla

Taste & Mouth - The beer has a below average amount of carbonation and I can taste chocolate mixed with malts and a bit of vanilla. There is also a touch of nuts and a bit of a metallic flavour. It ends with a chocolaty aftertaste.

Overall – A decent scent and taste, but the mouthfeel is lacking. It needs more carbonation and it seemed really light and thin. It's drinkable but for the price there are better options to be had.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 19:39:05 | More by spinrsx

mrmanning

Ontario (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from the Lick bo. Deep brown with a light brown whipped topping. The beer is here. Coffee is here, but so is chocolate and roasty notes. Medium bitterness with light sweetness reminds me of black coffee with a sugar cube. Except the coffee is hot and this is not. A porter of a beer if there was one. Medium bodied with good bitterness reminds me why I wake up in the morning.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 17:13:56 | More by mrmanning

NForr

Quebec (Canada)

3.18/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3

I tend to visit the LCBO in Ontario as it has a much different selection then what we have available in Quebec. Picked this one up on one of my recent trips.

A - Dark brown color, clear. Head dissipated quickly. A little bit of retention along the glass.

S - Smell was really nice. Strong Coco aroma, with lots of coffee mixed in there. I also got some vanilla and Annis.

T - Taste was good, a little sweetness from the malt, but a good amount of bitterness to balance. Strong taste of dark chocolate, with a little bit of coffee from the nose.

M - Mouthfeel was disappointing. I felt that it falls flat - I was hoping for something more robust, but instead was very thin and lacking carbonation.

O - Overall, the nose and tastes were nice, but the body of the beer wasn't enough for me to ever really want to try it again. That being said, this could be a pretty good session beer as it was not very filling.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 04:14:57 | More by NForr

bryehn

Ontario (Canada)

3.1/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours very dark, with amber and mud brown tones visible when held up to sunlight. The head is rather small but has a rich and creamy look to it. Not much lacing, but a bit of a collar.

The head is inconsistent. I've had this beer several times and other times it's poured with a thicker head or left a fair amount of lacing.

I get a fairly deep wood aroma with hints of smoke and wafer cone. I also find deep fruit tones like raisin or fig in here.

The mouthfeel is nice. Not too thick, but relatively creamy with a mild carbonation. I find Black Creek Porter to be a smooth-drinking beer.

The taste has definite coffee and chocolate notes, creating a decent bitterness that balances the traditional porter syrupyness fairly well. I also get vanilla hints in here from time to time.

I swear this beer looks and tastes slightly different every time I try it, however I always seem to enjoy it and keep tossing one in my basket during visits to my local LCBO outlet.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 17:46:19 | More by bryehn

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.1/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Bottle form the LCBO, best before date of August 2011. Into a pint glass.

Pours dark brown, some ruby red and mahogany highlights. A couple fingers of tan head, almost resemblant of cappucino; thick and creamy. Moderate retention. Nose is mostly coffee and some roasted notes. A creaminess, andmaybe a hint of milk chocolate. Taste is thinner and more subtle in all respects. Lesser coffee, slight roasted notes and maybe some milk chocolate again. Carbonation is quite high, too much for my liking. Body is quite thin. Not bad, just generally mediocre overall.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 03:59:59 | More by liamt07

Glory

Quebec (Canada)

3.08/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

You KNow what I just poured this beer in my glass and it comes out so flat it's pretty unreal ! I don't get this one.
No foam, no lacing no nothing little signs of bubbles al around the rim of the glass buts thats it !
The color is nice tough a dark brownish robe. You get to see through next to a light..Its a great color for a porter..but whats up with the carbonation level !!..Give me a little something !!

The Smell is nice, Smoked malt, a little molasse and dark fruity chocolate and candy sugar. Theres also some dark licorish hints.

Its a nice taste same as the smell...
Burnt caramel, smoky malt, star anis...not really but something similar...cough syrup...yeah sort of. Not bad but were is the GAZ!

The taste of burnt malt sticks to the palate for a while and I like that.
But sorry folks the lack of carbonation has handcuffed me to review this beer pretty badly

Cheers lads

WS

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2011 23:17:50 | More by Glory

Rijtjeshuis

Ontario (Canada)

3.05/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

L ~ dark brown, almost black in color. The head is a major disappointment: it rises to only about a finger off of a hard pour and collapses without any lacing to almost nothing quite quickly. Clarity appears to be be very good. When held to garnet-red highlights are revealed.

S ~ not a whole lot going on with the nose, here. I get some faint roasted malt with a hint of nuttiness, maybe some very faint coffee and nutty (almost doughy, like walnut) notes in the background there. But overall it was pretty weak.

T ~ again, there's not a whole lot going on here. In fact, I found that it leaves the feeling of cola without syrup. There was very minimal roasted malt flavors, with similarly very weak coffee and nutty tones. There's moderate hop bitterness, and maybe a slight bit of earthy hop flavor.

F ~ high carbonation and lighter body play up the fact that the flavors themselves are insubstantial. I really think that Black Creek's Pale Ale had more body.

I wasn't really a big fan of this one, obviously. It was drinkable, because it was watery, but there weren't any really strong or interesting flavors to keep the tippler interested with it. I like some of these Black Creek brews, but this one is a resounding "meh"

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 00:31:01 | More by Rijtjeshuis