Funnel Blower - Box Steam Brewery

KrisDLSmith

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%

10-28-2012 04:05:58 | More by KrisDLSmith

Rlombardi75

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -19.6%

01-26-2013 00:57:27 | More by Rlombardi75

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A bit of a surprise and actually a fairly interesting beer.

Looks decent. Dark walnut pour with a substantial head that settles to a heavy cap and gives good lace.

Lots of vanilla in the nose, malt and sweetness. Unexpected and fairly appetizing once you get past the surprise. A little thin-bodied to drink. Taste of vanilla, semi-sweet chocolate, coffee. Slight bitterness.

Like something you might round up at your local coffee place. A decent enough novelty beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 03:00:44 | More by TerryW

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle from the LCBO, 500ml into a tulip. Best before August 2013.

Dark brown, almost black with some burgundy translucence around the edges when held to the light. Mocha head with moderate density, dense creamy retention (almost like a whipped topping) and a solid coating of lace. Nose has a whole lot of vanilla bean, lighter roast and a milky/cream character. Taste has some dark malts, light roast, a bit of roasty tartness and the vanilla, although present in flavour, doesn't sweeten this up all that much. Faint coffee flavour. Mild bitterness, body is creamy. An alright beer that does well on the nose but doesn't have the palate to match.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 21:19:16 | More by liamt07

bgibbard

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +7.2%

11-12-2012 18:25:32 | More by bgibbard

cfalovo97

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -19.6%

11-11-2012 00:32:40 | More by cfalovo97

PEIhop

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%

11-03-2012 01:50:03 | More by PEIhop

Agent1

Alberta (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - A deep, dark brown with a thin, beige head. The retention seems rather poor and dissipates very quickly. Not a very active beer. Once this calms down in the glass, one can see faint bubbles making their way to the center of the glass, creating tiny specks of head. Nothing impressive here.

Smell - Light smokey notes, with an overall presence of butterscotch, candied caramel and molasses. Nuts and lightly roasted coffee beans come to mind. Vanilla is also present, although do not smell authentic. Very different compared to most Porters.

Taste - Vanilla, baker's chocolate (hops create this effect), smoke, roasted malts, nuts, wood and cherries (create an acidic quality) and whipping cream. Brown sugar is noticeable, too.

Mouthfeel - A bit bland. Although the smokiness tends to jump out here and zap the tongue and roof of the mouth, it quickly fades and does not manage to stimulate all parts of the palate. You can definitely notice this beer on the roof of the mouth, mostly. Not terrible, but not great, either. This lack body.

Overall - Not quite a full-bodied beer, this seems to lack mouthfeel more than anything. Unfortunately, this really disappoints and is one of the biggest shortcoming, in my opinion. One thing that works to this beer's advantage is the butterscotch taste notes and the hop characteristics. These really help to round this Porter out. Despite the accolades displayed on the side of this bottle, it is an easy-drinking, fairly simple porter. That being said, it does not blow me out of the water. Perhaps there was hype around this beer that I am failing to see? Either way, pretty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 22:37:33 | More by Agent1

RedAleMan

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

10-14-2012 22:17:21 | More by RedAleMan

MattPS

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -12.9%

09-30-2012 00:32:20 | More by MattPS

Kristin87

4/5  rDev +7.2%

09-26-2012 02:04:04 | More by Kristin87

bigox420

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -19.6%

09-22-2012 05:06:22 | More by bigox420

ThinkAgain

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

09-19-2012 05:23:11 | More by ThinkAgain

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%

09-11-2012 00:08:49 | More by Molson2000

Teabag_Terry

4/5  rDev +7.2%

05-08-2012 11:38:18 | More by Teabag_Terry

BGDrock

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From notes:

Appearance: very dark brown, almost opaque; thick, layered head that sticks around a good time

Aroma: jumps out of the glass with rich nuttiness; also getting roasted scents, caramel, and some smokiness

Taste & Mouthfeel: first taste is incredibly creamy and smooth - great mouthfeel; roasted taste with elements of smoke are coming through as promised by the aroma; dry finish with just the right amount of bitterness; medium carbonation

Overall: like a less creamy Guinness and with more flavour - a great late fall brew

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 19:12:20 | More by BGDrock

irishkyle21

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

01-13-2012 00:51:31 | More by irishkyle21

JMBSH

Colorado

4/5  rDev +7.2%

12-12-2011 03:45:02 | More by JMBSH

beerhunter13

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +7.2%

12-03-2011 14:56:00 | More by beerhunter13

kelvarnsen

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +7.2%

11-30-2011 19:51:09 | More by kelvarnsen

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle: Poured a clear dark black color porter with a large slightly off-white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of light dry coffee with nice vanilla notes. Taste is a great balanced mix between some light roasted malt notes with light dry coffee with no astringency and some lactose notes with perfect notes of vanilla. Body is bit thin but considering the ABV that could be expected with good carbonation. Very well brewed with great complexity while retaining good drinkability factor.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 03:48:04 | More by Phyl21ca

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - pitch black, solid tan head dissipated consistently and slowly to a thin covering
S - roasty malt and coffee aromas, some nuttiness and licorice
T - strong roastiness, some bitter sweet licorice, mild coffee with a slightly burnt finish
M - relatively light with a dry charred feel
O - strong dark flavours are generally pleasant, I typically like my porters with a little more booze, but this works well

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 01:45:36 | More by joemcgrath27

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

We tend to think of vanilla as white but vanilla pods (and the flavoured liquid extracted from them) are in fact a deep brown colour, much the same as this beer. Funnel Blower lets off an excess, not of steam, but of foam. The beer's surface is protected by a thick, sponge-like coating that even manages to stick to parts of the glass as well.

Unlike the brewery, I wouldn't call the vanilla sweetness "subtle". You can tell right from the first sniff that something's up. I concede, however, that when contrasted against smoky roast malts vanilla tends to take on a slightly different kind of tone; I don't think of sweet pastries when I smell this, rather flavoured coffee.

Funnel Blower is a beer that, to most people, would be considered delicious. In this regard, I am certainly like most people. While it doesn't have a tremendously rich character, the porter contrasts bitter and sweet in such a way that rolls coffee and dessert into one. Chocolate isn't much tasted, however. Mostly barley, maybe a bit of lactose.

Unlike other breweries, Box Steam didn't use their vanilla porter to go chasing after those with a sweet tooth. Instead, they've kept the beer very much grounded in, well, the beer world. It is bitter and showcases plenty of roasted barley and mineral water qualities that are not found in cakes or puddings. Guinness drinkers aren't alienated.

A very interesting start leads to a fairly conventional overall impression. Despite the vanilla accenting, Funnel Blower doesn't steer far from the pedigree of English brown porters. It is merely a medium-light beer with moderate biscuity and roast flavours. That doesn't make it a disappointment, mind you. In fact, it's certainly something I'd buy again.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 22:23:48 | More by biegaman

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

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

500ml Bottle

Appearance - The beer pours a black/brown colour with an average size fizzy dark beige coloured head. I can't see much carbonation due the darkness of the beer and there is some good lacing on the sides of the glass. The head lasted for 5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Chocolate, malts, smoke, roasted nuts

Taste & Mouth - The beer has a high amount of carbonation and it feels slightly watery. I can taste chocolate and malts mixed with some roasted nuts and a smokiness. However all of these flavours are very light. It finishes with a chocolate and malt aftertaste with a slight amount of lingering bitterness.

Overall – While the beer is very drinkable, it just doesn't have anything exciting going on. The scent was probably the best part, but unfortunately it doesn't taste as good as it smells. I'd pick something else up next time, especially considering the price.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 17:08:36 | More by spinrsx

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a deep crimson red with a two-finger foam head which appears slightly creamy. Decent retention with good lacing down the glass.

S: Dark roasted coffee, cocoa, dark fruits (plums & cherries), a fair bit of vanilla, and traces of smoke. Enticing.

T: Tastes are more low-profile than the aromas indicated. Subdued hints of bittersweet chocolate and dark coffee coupled with a dose of vanilla. There's an appealing faint sourness towards the finish which levels out the vanilla sweet.

M: Light body with a moderate amount of carbonation. A good roasted dryness is present from start to finish.

D: I'm enjoying this quite a bit for an English Porter. The subtle sourness that contrasts the vanilla is making this quite crisp and easy to drink. Will be picking up more.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 03:42:13 | More by Digimaika2