Old Sour Cherry Porter - Rivertown Brewing Co.

screamking

Ohio

3.86/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

22oz bomber poured into snifter

Appearance-pours thick dark brown with a minimal khaki head. Small lacing around edge of glass. 3.75

Aroma-right off the bat you get a blast of cherry, it's not overwhelming but is potent. Once you dig into this a little you can get the barrel notes, oak and vanilla are two of the strongest. 3.75

Taste-Cherry is the main thing going on here and its a very tart cherry at that. As it warms the barrel notes come out to play and squares the taste up. I was a little worried the tart would be to much, but after a few sips my mouth seemed to get used to it. 4

Feel-light bodied, sour mouthfeel, ABV is barely noticeable, light on the carbonation. 3.75

Overall-I was really worried I wouldn't like this, this my first sour of any kind. I was very relived after the first taste. It turned it out to be a very balanced beer overall. I wouldn't drink this a lot, but it is worth a try from time to time. 3.75

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 02:34:30 | More by screamking

edfish

Ohio

4.83/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 5

Poured into pint glass.
Dark dark dark ruby, had about a 1/2" head . Laced the glass , measuring each sip I took.
Smell is a lambic fruit type with just a hint of coffee.
If you like sours this tastes fantastic! Nice bitterness to the dry finish.
Almost full mouthfeel.
If you like sours it is worth the 14$. If you want to try a sour ditto. This is a very drinkable brew so be carefull of the 9% abv. It definately doesn't have the alcohol burn or taste , but it will warm your belly. Fantastic Beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 21:51:40 | More by edfish

LiquidCucumber

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

This beer comes in strong with both roasty and sour aromas. I was slightly skeptical at first, but after a few sips and some warming up this beer showed up on my palate as world class. I would call this brew Tart of Darkness' little brother. Bravo for an Ohio brewer with sour balls!

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 04:11:55 | More by LiquidCucumber

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.59/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

With seeing success in the Ville De Rivere Geuze and Ojos Negros Lovin' sour ranges, Rivertown Brewing takes on more adventurous sour arenas in Porters and cherry ales. One thing's for sure- we're in for a wild ride!

Medium brown but not strong in its hue, the ruby ranges register with hazy overtones. Where the beer struggles in its head formation and retention- its loosely knit over sized bubbles sit on the beer awaiting the wine -like attributes to take hold. Modest retention and no real lace is more a testament to the ale's wine-like acidity than beer.

Simple chocolate aromas are soon overtaken by souring agents- dark cherries, concord grapes, red wine vinegar, sea air, light horse hair, balsamic notes, toast char and coffee grounds start to sculpt the flavor through aromatic forgivences.

Deliciously judicious, the tastes acts in reverse than in aroma: supple sweet chocolate and toffee notes lay lightly on the taste while a quiet build up of apple cider, white and red wine, balsamic, lime, black cherries and almond and poke at the mouth with varying levels of intensity. A late whimsical taste of cork-like wood, sandalwood, and oak give an echo of taste even after the beer finishes.

Medium bodied throughout- the initial mouth sensations are of mild flatness that soon transitions to acidic sweetness, and a progression toward dry sourness to conclude the after texture. A long draw between early palate sensations and late dryness is long and lumbering and is only a shell of what true Belgian sours exhibit.

Where this sour porter is cherry-infused and properly inoculated, it is a tad shy in its raw and unadulterated brashness that those from Belgium provide. This is a formidable ale that has some growing up to do.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 05:42:49 | More by BEERchitect

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: coppery/red color, clear, nice light tan color head
S: mild nose, some tartness noticeable, good malt backbone
T: very interesting beer, good tartness and malt backbone but was hoping for a bit more malt base, but still very good, definite cherry undertone
M: highly drinkable and refreshing

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 00:38:16 | More by wisrarebeer

metter98

New York

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is clear but very dark red in color. It poured with a thin off white head that died down but left a large collar around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of sour cherries in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of sour cherries along with a bit of sourness. There are only some faint hints of bourbon from the barrel aging.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is nice if you like sour cherries but this overwhelms any tastes of the underlying porter.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 01:19:52 | More by metter98

Duff27

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Low white head on a dark red/brown body. Collar and cap left.

Reeks of awesome cherries. Can tell its tart for sure.

Distinct cherries. I'd give it about a 3.5 on the Duff27 sour scale. Tasty.

Good mouthfeel. Biting small bubbled carbonation.

Of course, another solid sour from Rivertown. I hope they can keep this up. Thanks MaxSpang!

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 03:34:29 | More by Duff27

emerge077

Illinois

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

Poured into a mini nonic glass, light tan foam, random spotty foam in the glass. Skim breaks after the first few sips. Beautiful scarlet highlight glints in the light, otherwise dark reddish brown in direct light. Webbed skim across the surface.

Light acidic fruit and dry barrel tannins, first impression is classically Flanders inspired.

Tart cherry, mellow toasty malt presence, soft feel with a smooth light carbonation level. Some nice depth, the three months in a barrel adds a nice layer of complexity. Flavors reinforce the Flanders impression... Vinous cherry, barrel tannin, light malt impression. Pretty unique and enjoyable, the abv limits consumption slightly, but its not distracting.

Thanks Chris for sharing this one!

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 00:18:05 | More by emerge077

Beejay

Virginia

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to my friend Richard for bringing me this brew!

A: Dark Black in color, when held to the light it turns ruby red, mostly clear. Some tan head on top, but it quickly dissipates into the body of the beer.

S: Definitely some sour notes coming out. Slight Vinegar with tart cherries. Some light oak, and Vanilla scents. Hints of dark chocolate and bourbon.

T: The bourbon comes out right away, some corn and oak, followed by tartness, and a hint of cherry. Dark chocolate and roasted malts finish out the flavor. If anything the cherries are a little lost, but I am surprised how much the dark malts come through and really work with the sourness. The aftertaste is coffee.

M: Medium to medium light in body, carbonation is a little lack luster, and the feel is just a little on the thin side.

O: Overall very nice, creative and interesting, and being able to taste the dark malts, and bourbon over the sourness would certainly be a difficult task, but one I think they achieved. However good it is though, it doesn't quite quench the sour kick I wanted.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 01:18:44 | More by Beejay

womencantsail

California

3.78/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer is a dark brown color with an off-white head. There is certainly a nice cherry character to the nose. Light acetic tartness with a bit of lemon. Grass, oak, and a hint of booze are also present. Mild malt sweetness is there as well. The flavor is a touch watery, despite being so high gravity (and bourbon barrel aged). Light booze, vanilla, oak, and grass. There is a good cherry flavor, moderate tartness, and notes of sweet malt and chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 00:07:03 | More by womencantsail