King Titus - Maine Beer Company

nataku00

California

3.89/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a tulip glass. Beer pours dark brown with three fingers of tan colored creamy and foamy head. Head slowly recedes, leaving some thick sticky lacing.

Nose is roasted malt, milk chocolate, light citrus hop, a bit of fruity yeast ester.

Taste follows the nose, a bit of citrus hop and roasted malt astringency, mellowing into milk chocolate and bready flavors. Some yeast esters make it through on the finish.

Lighter side of medium with mild but ample carbonation to contribute to a fairly creamy mouth feel. Pretty easy to drink despite being a higher abv porter.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 03:15:32 | More by nataku00

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.34/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Bottle from Premier Gourmet, 500ml into a tulip. Bottled January 18, 2013.

Deep brown/black, couple fingers of brown head. Dense retention and great lacing. Nose of dark roasty malts, a good dose of coffee and a great balancing sweetness. Taste has more roast character, creamy chocolate notes, and a nice bit of coffee. Roast and sweet malts in the finish. Medium-full body, brilliant texture. A real winner, fantastic porter.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 02:25:37 | More by liamt07

philbe311

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A - A slightly slow to develop three fingers worth of rich tightly packed decadent medium brown colored froth with a bit of a rocky top... Excellent retention... Once finally settled toward the end of the session, there is a full rich creamy veil of lacing... The color is is the darkest of browns teetering on black, but not quite there... Some micro bubbled sluggish to moderate paced carbonation streaks can be seen at the bottom of the glass... Rings of lacing cling to the glass...

S - A rich roasted malt character... Rich dark chocolate scents... Some cream notes as well... Simple, straight-forward and spot on for the style...

T - Everything the nose alluded to and more... LIght roasted malt to start... Milk Chocolate... Sweet caramel... There is a very welcome and very enjoyable addition of coffee notes which add terrific depth and complexity... All the flavors compliment one another very well...

M -Medium to full bodied... A bit thick... A bit viscous... Slightly chewy... Light carbonation... Sleek... Ultra smooth... Goes down very easily... Even and consistent with every sip...

D - An absolutely exceptional American Porter... I would unequivocally by this one a regular basis if I had the opportunity (which I unfortunately do not)... World class in terms of appearance, flavor, and mouthfeel... The aroma lags slightly and can only be considered slightly above average... However, the net result is a world class American Porter that I will long for in by beer fridge again... Probably my favorite Maine Beer Company offering... If it isn't clear by this point, I like this beer very much... Outstanding...

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 01:54:11 | More by philbe311

themind

New Jersey

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

Picked up the King at a small place in Virginia. This porter is worth the jingle! I enjoyed this very much. Pours a nice small head and the aroma for the most part matches the taste. If you are a fan of porters dont pass this one up.

Bottom Line: Good porter!

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 12:06:09 | More by themind

Chickenhawk9932

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours a deep dark brown bordering black - it allows no light through except maybe a few muddy flickers. Big foamy caramel colored head - excellent retention.

Big roasted coffee in the nose backed by dark chocolate.

Roasted coffee and chocolate pop in the mouth upfront in a strong, rich, bitter bite. Full buttery, chewy malt middle with some sweet caramel notes backed by dark fruit - fig. The strong flavors. Very creamy mouthfeel. Slightly dry oak finish. A very nice porter - lots of big flavor without being too sweet or strong.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 17:32:31 | More by Chickenhawk9932

nimrod979

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Bottled date 01/18/13

Appearance: Pours a near black with a light tan one and 1/2 finger head. Crazy long retention. Spotty lacing throughout. Nice.

Aroma: Rich chocolate, roasted coffee grounds. Charred wood. Not much else, but the aroma is bold.

Taste: Dark roasted malts hit up front. Dry cocoa powder lends a rich chocolatey flavor. Bitter coffee and hops working together to make this quite delicious and balanced. Undertones of charred wood. Like a nice full-bodied dark roast coffee, excellent for me.

Mouthfeel: Med/full body with a perfect carbonation. Rich velvety chocolate swirls over the toungue making this a smooth easy drinking and delicious American Porter. A little dry and a little acidic on the backend but that's okay. Gone before you know it.

Overall: Simple, but does everything that it should. A benchmark in the style as far as I'm concerned.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 23:38:38 | More by nimrod979

UCLABrewN84

California

3.79/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to mhksuccess for sharing this one at his tasting.

Bottled 10/27/12.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy patches of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, and some slight char aromas. Taste is much the same with a cocoa powder flavor on the finish. There is a medium amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with some solid roasty aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 04:38:28 | More by UCLABrewN84

HattedClassic

Virginia

4.51/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance:
Pours a nice dark black beer with tan head that lasts and leaves a lot of lacing.

Smell:
The chocolate dominates the smell with hints of coffee but nothing else.

Taste:
The hops are dominated by the chocolate taste, coffee and roasted malts. In fact, I get a little bit of hop in the aftertaste but other than that I get nothing.

Mouthfeel:
Heavy bodied with almost no carbonation. Almost feels as if I drinking chocolate syrup.

Overall:
I have to admit that this is a pretty good porter and definitely one of the best that I've had.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 00:18:42 | More by HattedClassic

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bottled 12-30-12

Pours a dark chestnut brown color that appears pitch black and completely opaque in the glass. Two finger, frothy beige head that has good retention, slowly settling into a lasting ring. Streaks of soapy lacing left behind.

Deeply roasted dark malt aroma that's smokey and burnt, verging on becoming acrid and one dimensional. Lots of ash, charcoal and burnt toast along with some oatmeal and spent coffee grinds. As it warms, it opens up a bit with notes of toffee, caramel and dark chocolate but the strong burnt roast character still dominates.

On the fuller end of medium bodied and thankfully more flavorful and complex than the nose suggests. There is still a very dry roast flavor that dominates things but it isn't harsh or completely overbearing. Slightly smokey with some charcoal, burnt malt, oatmeal and espresso bean but this is countered mid-palate by a subtle lactic cream presence as well as some dessert like chocolate sweetness. Hints of sweet and dark chocolate as well as some toffee, caramel and hazelnut. There's also a slight gourmet coffee character without tasting like an overwhelming coffee beer. Really well balanced yet retains enough roast to make it bold and the ABV is very well masked. A complex, intense take on the style that remains an enjoyable drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 07:50:28 | More by corby112

jdhilt

New Hampshire

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

Pours a five+ finger brown head that fades very slowly leaving some lace. Black color, no highlights. Medium carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Bakers chocolate nose and flavor is baked chocolate and coffee. Decent porter. $7.75 for a 500ml bottle from Bert's Better Beers Hooksett, NH

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 23:14:58 | More by jdhilt

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

4.04/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a tumbler pint, the beer is a dark, opaque, brown-to-black coloring with a thin, frothy, filmy, light brown colored head that starts around an inch and recedes into a clingy, filmy surface coating. Aromas of dark roasted coffee and bittersweet baker's chocolate blend well on the nose. Flavors are rich and robust, with a blast of baker's chocolate across the middle of the tongue. The richness is all cocoa, and the coffee characteristics provide enough bitter and dryness to cut the cloying. Very strong/big, and very well balanced. The body is robust, but the dryness keeps it palatable, refraining from overpowering. Chocolatey aftertaste, like letting a chocolate truffle melt in your mouth. Slight filmy, lingering finish, but unbelievably pleasant. This is a rich, heavy hitter, and worth looking around for.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 02:51:25 | More by GarthDanielson

brureview

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured in a tulip. warmed to 55F.

Deep dark chocolate brown color, initially with a large head which dwindled to a 2 finger head.

There was some lemon in the aroma, which is characterized mostly by deep chocolate.

Mouth feel slightly carbonated and works well with the beer.

Taste- heavy chocolate, coffee, malty, with some alcoholic bitterness as the beer warms up.

Overall, a solid winter porter. The taste doesn't match the aroma- there is bitter cocoa, and the some alcoholic in the finish, which does not morph into a mellow beer. I was looking for a smoother, pronounced chocolate finish, but the cocoa overwhelms the taste.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 02:11:54 | More by brureview

Lambocalrisien

New York

4.76/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Bottle poured into a pint glass.

A - Pours dark black with a nice 1 1/2 finger mocha/brown head that leaves a nice lacing.

S - Dark roasted malts with subtle hints of chocolate and coffee.

T - Hello delicious Porter! Roasted chocolate malt up front with caramel, coffee and hops through the middle and a really nice finish of bitterness and dry chocolate.

M - Medium body, creamy, nicely carbonated and very smooth.

O - One of the best porters I've had. Maine Beer Company is quickly becoming one of my favorite breweries and they nailed this one. Great balance of roast, chocolate and hops.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 01:56:05 | More by Lambocalrisien

SawDog505

New Hampshire

4.51/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass, bottled on1/18/13. Pours a almost pitch black, with a beautiful light brown head, that leaves thick lace on the sides of the glass. Smell is roasty, bready, chocolate, coffee, and some carmel excellent! Taste is all of those things, more roasted expresso than the nose led on. Body medium large silky smooth, nice carbonation, a touch dry like you would expect, and easy drinking. This is a awesome Porter, wow I am impressed with this company.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 20:14:23 | More by SawDog505

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle poured into a snifter

An ink black body with a fluffy, dense tan colored cap. The cap rose quickly to two fingers, and fell slowly to a thin layer. Some spider web lacing inside the glass.

Bitter black malts, piney hops, milk chocolate, a touch of coffee, and a little bit of dry wood. Muted aroma. There is an underlying metallic note that resonates the wrong way with me.

A little bit of citrus pokes through before a sweep of roast and milk chocolate. The finish is a blend of bitter roast and pine. Not a whole lot of depth and complexity here.

On the lighter side of medium with a creamy feel. It was so creamy, it felt thin...if that makes any sense.

I found this to be underwhelming. The nose and flavors were muted and there was that metallic note that hung a little prominent for my liking.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 16:11:20 | More by ColForbinBC

mdfb79

New York

4.09/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

From 02/03/13 notes. Big thanks to nmann08 for giving this to me; thanks Nate, was a Want of mine. 16.9 of bottle poured into a Cigar City snifter.

a - Pours a very dark brown, almost black color, with one finger of dark tan head that leaves quickly and moderate carbonation evident. Looks like a pretty nice porter.

s - Smells of roasted malts, bitter chocolate, coffee, vanilla, milk chocolate, cream, toasted malts, and burnt malts. Some very nice flavors here, with a lot of roasted notes and chocolate.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, coffee, bitter chocolate, vanilla, cream, sweet chocolate, dark fruit, toasted malts, burnt malts. More coffee here than the nose, and a little less chocolate. Very nice.

m - Medium to full body and moderate carbonation. Smooth and thick and creamy; very nice mouthfeel.

o - Overall a very nice American porter. Loads of roasted notes and some nice chocolate in the nose and coffee in the taste. Looks great and a great mouthfeel, definitely worth checking out. Would like to have it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 16:17:30 | More by mdfb79

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.44/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

High ranked porter here on BA. Baller!

Served in a Port City tulip/snifter combo.

A:Black as night, with a head that was about a couple shades lighter that the liquid below it.

S: Got a nice coffee profile here, along with some deep, dark chocolaty roast. Good stuff.

T: Holy crap, this is a great porter. Nice roast, sweet but not too, and chocolatey and then some.

M: Great feel here: BBQ quality on the beer itself and lots of lacing left on the glass to boot.

O:

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 02:17:36 | More by Chaney

dogfishandi

New York

4.2/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

16 oz. bottle at fridge temp poured into a snifter. Bottled on 11/25/12 (about 2 months old).

Pours out pretty much opaque black with a nice full 2-3 fingers of creamy tan colored head. Keep some good retention with lots of spotty lacing sticking around.

Initially has a pretty chocolatey aroma, as it warms pine hops seem to take over. A bit of dry bakers cocoa. As it warms even further, the slightest bit of alcohol heft becomes noticeable.

Creamy dark chocolates, roasted almost charred malts, pine hops and maybe a hint of citrus are even keel with all the roasted malt flavors. Maybe a bit of oats. Finishes creamy wit a bit of a cocoa flavor and just a bit of hop bitterness.

Creamy, similar to that of an oatmeal stout. Medium bodied. Very smooth drinking.

A solid porter with a bit of welcomed extra hops. One of the better porters I've had, with a more fuller body than most. Well made.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 23:31:10 | More by dogfishandi

argock

Virginia

4.35/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 15.9 oz amber bottle into a clear glass Donegal mug. Bottled on 123012 on side of front label. Purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA) for $5.99.

A: Towering 3 fingers of beige big-bubbled head cap this black hued beauty. Retention is pretty good with numerous streamers of lace.

S: Aroma is very strong of bitter, burned black malts, black coffee grounds, and bitter dark chocolate. Hops do rise up through and provide some pine and herbal, earthy notes.

T: The flavor is unique and hoppy-bitter with some more bitter dark maltiness thrown in. Despite this, the beer doesn't seem overly bitter but right on the upper limit. The pine and lemon-lime and grapefruit citrus bitterness is big thorugh all parts of the flavor, but they are undercut by loads of roasted dark and black malts, which leaves a huge dose of bitter but flavorful black coffee and dark chocolate flavors. I get only a slight amount of balancing caramel sweetness, but there is enough there to make the flavor work -- this brew is such a good balance of use of dark and roasted malts and piney hops.

M: The mouthfeel is much lighter than you expect for 7.5% ABV -- the carbonation is very high for the style and the body definitely drinks less. I would like to see them decrease the carbonation by about 20% as the high carbonation enhances the bitterness to the edge but not quite to astringent/ashy levels.

O: I really liked this beer from Maine Beer. Mean Old Tom was a bit of a let-down, but this one reinforces the excellence that is MBC. Their prices are pretty stiff though so look out and buy one before going any further -- they are widening their net and will be back in your town before you know it. King Titus is the real deal for dark beer and porter fans - this beer represents the robust porter about as well as any I have had.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 03:27:35 | More by argock

ichorNet

Massachusetts

4.21/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Imagine the darkest black you can, then go 5 shades darker. Cobweb-like lacing, decent retention of a really thick brown head

Scent: Somewhat milky, roasted malt, coffee grounds, citric juicy hops, some birch bark and earthy undercurrents reaching upwards

Taste: Sweet but bitter with definite bias towards charred malt and pine-y hops. Some wood mingles with the chewy malt backbone; notes of raspberry and black cherry are present

Mouthfeel: Smooth and fairly creamy with some decent bubbles that round out the deep, roasted malts. Carbonation calms down as yeast takes over. About on par with the style when all is said and done

Drinkability: The flavor is even-tempered and balanced enough to make this fairly-alcoholic beer seem a bit less powerful than it is, but I would still save it for special occasions

Overall: What can I say? MBC can handle light and dark colored beers quite well, and this shows their expertise. Generously hopped and well-balanced by a chocolate-y, roasted and charred malt presence, Titus stands up as one of the better modern examples of an American porter.

Read full review @ http://blogs.lowellsun.com/beer/2012/11/12/maine-beer-company-king-titus/

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 19:27:25 | More by ichorNet

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.46/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

King Titus pours black into the glass with a big, thick tan head on top. The foam dissolves slowly leaving behind lots of spots and lines of lace.

The rich aroma is loaded with chocolate, dark fruit, roast malt and a touch of coffee.

Each sip of this medium to full bodied beer is very smooth, creamy with mild carbonation. Velvety on the tongue. The flavor is much like the aroma. Chocolate, a little roast malt, dark fruit and coffee. It finishes mildly bitter with a touch of citrus. Once gone the chocolate and citrus bitterness lingers on the palate.

This is a very tasty beer with a great mouth feel. More chocolate flavor than roast, but I would expect that in a porter. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 23:29:06 | More by WanderingFool

cvm4

Mississippi

4.31/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Pours black, doesn't seem thick but has a nice two finger khaki head. Good lacing throughout.

S - Roasted malts & dry chocolate with may'be a tinge of coffee.

T - Bitter coffee, slight char, roasted malts along with semi-sweet chocolate.

M - Smooth body, velvety, not heavy or cloying.

O - A great porter that gets better as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 16:59:08 | More by cvm4

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.06/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Capone's Restaurant. Pours thickish black, with malty roasty aroma. Above average and smooth mouthfeel. The taste is great,chocolate and citrus hops, very drinkable malty just right not too roasty. Hits the bullseye, wishing it was available regularly and locally.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 01:19:37 | More by northyorksammy

cfrances33

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle, dated 10/27/12, poured into a teku on 1/22/13.

Pour: Really nice splashy midnight black, with a two finger frothy khaki head. Head leaves some pretty superb lacing, and remains as a rim through out the glass.

Smell: Big roasted malts up front, with some bitter dark chocolate, and light roasted coffee bean. Some light floral hops. Finishes roasty.

Taste: Big bitter roast with some chocolate, coffee, and a light char. Some more floral hops and a ever so slight him of lemon (this note is crazy subtle, but I get it). Finishes bitter with roast.

Mouthfeel: Exceptionally creamy. Not too heavy, which is exactly what I wanted. Velvety carb.

Overall: This porter was really nice. Similar to Everett or Twilight of Idols from HF, but with more of an assertive hop profile.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 03:09:07 | More by cfrances33

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

16.9 oz bottle, bottled on 12/30/12, poured into a nonic pint glass.

A- Pours black with an inch and a half of khaki head, leaves lots of nice lacing.

S- Roasty aroma of coffee and char along with some chocolate and fruit sweetness.

T- Lots of coffee and roasted grain, just a bit of smoky char, has a nice balance of chocolate and fruity sweetness. Alcohol is well-hidden.

M- Medium-bodied, has a smooth, creamy feel with a dry finish.

O- A really nice porter, I've said this in previous reviews but I really don't think that MBC makes a bad beer, along with all of their other brews I thought this was really enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 03:55:53 | More by WillCarrera