Pro-Am Porter - Wormtown Brewing Co.

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -15%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Plentiful lace from the decent size, light beige head. The beer is dark brown where light only comes through on the very edges.

Pleasant aromas of coffee with cream. Modest chalkiness. A little bit of alcohol in the background. If there are hops, they're well blended into the malt.

Relatively thin brew. Mocha flavored with slight milkiness. The malt is more harsh than the smell indicates. Lightly sweet. Surprisingly strong hop bitterness in the swallow. The aftertaste reminds me of coffee grounds, bitter and chewy.

Despite my lower-than-average (thus far) review, I believe this is a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 21:46:55 | More by smcolw

SABERG

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a modified tulip glass.

A - Deep dark, nice creamy head, moderate lacing throughout.
S - Hint of leather, cocoa, fig. Pleasant and balanced.
T - Malt base finished cleanly, some lingering chocolate, with a hint of smoke?
M - Silky and clean, this may be Pro ams strong suit. So smooth.
O - Very nice porter, balanced and dare I say refreshing!

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 20:52:43 | More by SABERG

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

First Wormtown review, been excited to try their beer.

A- Black ale out of a bomber into a pint glass. Mocha tan head forms to a nice size but doesn't retain all that well. A small pillow and ring fail to leave much lace.

S- A big dose of both dark chocolate roast malt and dark fruits. Not a hugely strong aroma overall. Hints of licorice.

T- A stronger version of the smell. Cocoa, roast malt and dark fruit are again still heavily present. Some earthy hop, vanilla, licorice and toasted nutty hints come through as well.

MF- Moderatly thick body with a good amount of carbonation. Some bitterness in the finish. A bit silky and creamy.

A good porter with plentiful levels of flavor. Something feels a bit thin to me but I still drank this one down easily and enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2011 03:09:40 | More by cbutova

BennyL1

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes on 8/15/11

Bottled March 2011, poured into a standard pint glass.

Pro-Am pours a dark brown almost black body with a good size mocha head with some spotty lacing.

Nose is a bit on the lighter side with some coffee and chocolate notes. Some roasted malt and caramel in there too. Might attribute the lack of punch in the nose to age, but still good.

Very roasty taste with some bittersweet chocolate and coffee notes. The malt profile is good with some caramel that becomes evident in the taste. Not to much of a hop presence, with an ever so slight lingering bitterness.

Creamy and medium bodied with some carbonation on the lower side.

Very well done porter from the brewers at Wormtown, one of the best beers I've had from them to date.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 02:17:35 | More by BennyL1

celticfutblclub

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle into a pint glass

A - nice dark brownish black color here. head doesnt stick around too long however but a ring stays throughout.

S - great roasted malty smell here. coffee and chocolate are in there as well.

T - again roasted malts hit immediately and last throughout. coffee and chocolate tastes are in the background with the coffee taste a bit more prevalent than the chocolate.

M - very good feel for a porter here. maybe a little bit too carbonated for my tastes with this style but its certainly not at all distracting.

O - this is a damn good porter. very glad i had the chance to pick this up as they only made about 900 bottles or so.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2011 21:49:02 | More by celticfutblclub

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.98/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

650 mL bottle poured into a pint glass. Thanks to BennyL1 for this bottle!

Appearance - Black body that has flecks of red shining through when held up to the light. Nice khaki head tops it and lasts a good bit. Finishes with good lacing. Couldn't ask much more from a porter.

Smell - Standard, but appealing, porter aromas. Light chocolate from the roasted malts and a nice vanilla smell. Coffee rounds out the back end of the aroma.

Taste - Solid, if not powerful flavors. Milk chocolate and coffee, with a smooth vanilla-like sweetness in the back. It finishes with a very earthy hop flavor. Kinda grassy, really. It's the only part that isn't nice.

Mouthfeel - Light bodied, despite being pretty full flavored. It's easy to drink, but it leaves a bit of a strange dryness on the mouth. It makes my teeth feel weird. Yes, that's strange, but that's the way it is.

Overall - A nice, high-quality porter. Not outstanding in many ways, but great to see small breweries putting together beers of this quality.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 01:14:56 | More by Alieniloquium

eclipse54

Idaho

4/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A bomber from FluffyMcTingle; thanks so much! Bottle was from the first bottling a while back, and this review is a transfer from my spreadsheet.

Pours black with dark ruby hues near the edges of the glass that are only visible when held to the light. About an inch of khaki head develops, and leaves ample lacing as it resides. Smells of coffee, roasted malt, chocolate, and some vanilla; very enticing. Taste is similar, with the roasted malt/coffee grounds staying all the way through. There is an emphasis on the vanilla, and a nice chocolate finish. Medium body with a dry aftertaste that keeps you coming back for more. Overall, a very well done, balanced porter that I would love to have again.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 00:18:43 | More by eclipse54

Danno48

West Virginia

4.01/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

When you crack the bottle you get a great whiff of like burnt french toast and coffee.
And when you pour it, you end up squinting trying to see through it. Very very dark and a thick ol' coffee colored head to match.
I am trying to tell you what it tastes like.... If you had a bowl of Cheerios and instead of milk, used espresso. Yup, that's what it would tastes like. And just like Cheerios it could have used a little sugar on top. A tad increase in sweetness is my only suggestion. Other than that it is a smooth, robust, full flavored porter with a lot to offer.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 20:50:05 | More by Danno48

billab914

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into my Surly nonic pint glass. It poured dark brown, nearly black in color with a frothy and creamy tan head filling the top inch of the glass. Pretty decent head retention with a little lacing on the glass as I drank it.

The aroma has a sweet, malty, milk chocolaty and cocoa like flavor to it. I get a bit of roasty flavors to it as well. Very smooth and appealing aroma and pretty nice for the style.

The taste us smooth and rich with a very nice mix of sweet malty, chocolaty flavors and roasty, bitter flavors. I get some caramel and milk chocolate notes coming out of the sweetness, especially in the finish. The roasty, bitter-sweet chocolate, coffee like flavor is a little more reserved but it gives it some nice balance.

The mouthfeel feels nice and creamy with carbonation being on the lower side of the style. Overall it was a very solid porter. Very flavorful, drinkable and balanced. A very solid beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2011 00:31:22 | More by billab914

MasterSki

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to AutumnBeerLove for locating this under-the-radar brew for me. Served in a Darkness glass.

A - A finger-plus of dark tan foam settles to a thin cap and thicker collar, leaving some thin fingers of lace behind. Opaque near-black body that reveals a glint of red-brown at the top edge of the glass.

S - Very toasy, with cocoa powder, dark roast coffee, light smoke, nuts & berries, a bit of black cherry, and some fruit English ale yeast.

T - The taste doesn't quite live up to the promise of the aroma. Very dry, with a slightly charry and chalky note. Nice chocolate and nut flavors, a bit of burnt toast, and a roasty finish. Nowhere near as sweet as the aroma suggests and no alcohol presence either. Sort of like a hybrid porter/dry stout.

M - Medium-light body that is a touch thin but not offensive for a 6.8% beer. Slightly zesty medium carbonation that seems a touch sharp for a beer described as very "British" on the label. Otherwise pleasant and smooth on the palate.

D - Very easy to drink, and certainly the best of the motley assortment of beers Mike and I shared last night while watching a particularly violent UFC event. Not mind-blowing, but packs in a lot of flavor for a 6% beer. Certainly a worthy choice as a Pro-Am winner.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 19:08:14 | More by MasterSki

capeannbass36

Massachusetts

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

A- Rough pour into pint glass only produced a 1/4 inch tan head, which quickly disappeared.
Very dark brown, almost black.

S- Sinfully sweet. Rich chocolate and coffee.

T- Almost as nice as it smells. Chocolate and coffee. Faint vanilla, maybe caramel.

M- Very smooth and creamy. Decent carbonation.

O- Almost didn't try this one. Glad that I did. A treat. Looking for another.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 13:27:40 | More by capeannbass36

Chico1985

Massachusetts

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

Thanks to Kevin for sharing this one on 4th of July.

Pours dark brown with red highlights. Tan head starts at a couple fingers and retains pretty well as a thick cap.

Pretty great scent, big chocolate+roast especially, nice smoke element, some breadiness. Good strength throughout.

Taste doesn't quite match the smell but still quite good. Milk chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, burnt sugars, doughy and nutty, some hints of an Irish stout there. Still some light smokiness and a bit of leafy hop there as well. Kinda big on the roast but good amount of sweetness to even it out.

Kinda foamy mouthfeel for a porter but the mouthfeel is good. Maintains smoothness.

Somewhat straightforward but a very good porter.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 13:43:05 | More by Chico1985

brureview

Massachusetts

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

2011 Bottle.

Very fine porter from Wormtown, a Massachusetts brewery.

The beer pours a very dark coffee color.
Strong aroma of coffee, caramel, and lemon.

Mouth feel not very carbonated, tangy, and very pleasant.

Taste: lemon-coffee.

This is a local MA brew well worth trying if you can find it.
It's a stronger, more robust porter.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 00:54:50 | More by brureview

scottfrie

California

4.13/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle into Portsmouth snifter. Thanks to SneezyAchew for both the beer and the glass.

A: Pours a very dark brown with about a finger of dense light brown head that faded to a fuzzy collar that left spots of lacing down the glass.
S: Creamy notes of coffee, cream and spices. The nose is light but it smells good.
T: A very roasted tasting porter with soft notes of coffee and vanilla with a some sweeter notes of caramel and dark fruits. I get roasted flavors of nuts and a hint of bakers chocolate as well. Finish is sweet with just a hint of minty hops, and the aftertaste almost reminds me of root beer or cola but in a good way.
M: High carbonation creates a tingly mouthfeel on this one but it also adds some chewiness. Body is on the thicker side of medium.
O: A very solid porter, not my favorite, but probably top 5. I would love to be able to get this locally. Thanks again Michael.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2011 00:58:13 | More by scottfrie

AgentZero

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Alex for sharing this, it was quite an interesting and a bit different beer.

A - Nice looking beer. Black with a touch of red on the edges. Had a nice brown head that left some solid stick behind.

S - Nicely toasted and roasted. Beyond that base, you get some interesting fruity yeast and sweet notes with some cocoa. It's a nice mix that is a bit different, and works.

T - I found the first taste of this beer to be very good. I didn't like it quite as much as I went on, but it was still a good beer. Particulaly dry beer with a lot of roast. There is some cocoa and some twig-berry flavors. It's interesting.

M - Medium bodied with good carbonation.

O - Got through this bottle rather easily. It's a solid beer that is great for a change of pace as it's a bit different than most things out there. Worth giving a go.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 04:12:13 | More by AgentZero

WSB

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours dark as night black, thick and oily, with a thin tan head that retreats quickly, leaving a nice Bavarian ring on the glass. Reddish hues are noticeable if you hold the glass up to light.

Smell has hints of fresh roasted coffee, chocolate, dark dried fruits, with just a dash of hoppy citrusy brightness to balance it off.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and active, good carbonation, yet very smooth.

Taste follows the smell-notes of earthy roasted coffee, chocolate malt, and a warming alcohol presence are followed by a subtle chaser of hops that are not at all bitter and cut through the heaviness of the malts with perfection. Awesomely balanced finished.

This is a great porter- superbly drinkable, perfectly balanced, it's a shame this is a one time brew. I may have to stage an "Occupy Wormtown" protest to get this beer brewed year round.

I enthusiastically recommend this beer to all.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 15:46:02 | More by WSB

soze47

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked up this bomber at a good price recently. Overall, I'm pretty impressed by this local effort.

Appearance: Deep and dark brown that is only slightly light around the edges of the tulip I'm using. I got a little head on the beer with an aggressive pour, but it quickly subsided.

Aroma: Not a real fragrant beer. You pick up a slight roasted nut smell. There also seems to be a very faint hop earthiness to the smell that is present, but not very noticeable at first.

Taste: Wow, the roast on this beer is robust to say the least. The malt brings notes of black coffee, dark roasted peanut, and a note of slight creamy sweetness. There is a good balancing bitterness in the linger that comes from the earthy hop bill.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: Very drinkable, for sure. The body of this beer is not all that heavy, but their is a creamy mouthfeel that allows the flavors to coat the palette yet not overwhelm.

Overall: Very good porter. This is now one of my value picks on a trip to the store. I enjoyed this brew a lot.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 02:50:26 | More by soze47

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4.15/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz. bottle served in a standard pint. Bottled in March 2011. Pours the color and clarity of cola with a two inch, bubbly, mocha-colored, float-like head. Head eventually settles into a solid quarter inch cap. Some arcs and spots of lacing present during the tasting. Nose expresses roasted malt, perhaps a trace of chocolate, and some dry-hopping also seems evident in the aromas towards the back. Taste is fantastic - lactose, roasted malt, cocoa and a hint of charring. Mouthfeel is medium-light with a pleasant creamy texture and a light, even carbonation. A delicious drinkable porter. If this beer was available in six packs, it would be part of my regular line-up. A really flavorful American Porter that is a nice alternative to a large abv malt bomb.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 17:27:21 | More by Jwale73

ThirstyBird

Germany

4.18/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 22 oz bomber into my Portsmouth tulip.

Appears very dark brown with a one inch pretty brown head. Some lacing. Falls to a nice blanket. Smells of rich chocolate and coffee - big nose. Tastes like the nose with some vanilla. A great tasting porter. Body is medium plus and the carbonation is medium creating a nice mouthfeel. Overall a very enjoyable drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 01:55:03 | More by ThirstyBird

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours deep brown, almost black, with a nice thick tan head. No true lace.

Milk sweetness in the nose, bitter chocolate and mocha notes.

Nice charred but sweet malt up front. Cocoa, sweet coffee, light bitterness all balanced evenly. Lightly malty-sweet and bitter in the finish, like bitter chocolate. Charred bits in the middle as the beer transitions are very nice.

Medium to fuller bodied. Moderate carbonation.

A winner here. Great porter. Glad this was a big bottle. Tasty, not cloying or overdone. One of the better sweet-side dark brews I've had in a while.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 00:45:59 | More by OtherShoe2

Kkottonmouthkngz

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Super excited that i stumbled across a few bottles of this at Yankee in attleboro, definitely thought i missed out on it.
Poured into Sam Adams perfect pint, nice chocolatey black brown with a creamy mocha colored head. Overall head retention lacks just a little bit, but at least keeps a bit of froth on top to add to the texture for each sip.
The nose is on the faint side, but what it has is nice. Bittersweet chocolate, a light roastiness, and the tiniest touch of hops round this out. Im glad i poured this much closer to room temperature, as i feel that what im now getting would be even more muted.
Chocolate and coffee flavors dominate with a thick maltiness up front, and let up a bit for a phenomenal bitterness on the finish. The carbonation level is just right, and provides a great transition from start to finish.
Overall, the pure drinkability and tastiness of this beer scores huge points. It really rounds out very nicely for an excellent drinking experience. Totally worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 23:04:33 | More by Kkottonmouthkngz

Dope

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Original bottled batch from March 2011 (almost 2 years old now).

A: Pours a dark brown with a big fluffy and effervescent light brown head. Fades at a nice pace with good head retention. Oddly enough, zero lacing initially. Absolutely none. Swirling seems to drop some deposits behind at least though.

S: A little bit of smoke and chocolate. Nice mild roasted malt in general. Slightly creamy.

T: Up front there's creamy chocolate and smoky meat (almost like beef jerky). Smoke lingers in the middle with sweet and creamy chocolate. Touch of char and smoke in the finish. Get little flashes of dark fruit buried in there once in a while.

M: Medium bodied, quite smooth and creamy. Especially full for a lighter beer.

O: A really nice mellow, smooth and creamy english porter. No sign of hops, just mild roasted malt from start to finish. Drinkability is off the scale, just a pleasure to imbibe. Not overly smoky like a lot of english-style porters. Great balance to boot. This is up there with the greats like Founders Porter and Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 05:06:18 | More by Dope

ms11781

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottled in February 2012. 22oz bottle poured into an imperial pint glass.

The beer looks clear and almost orangish brown going when poured into the glass but settles in a much deeper brown, opaque and almost black. A nice tan head develops and settles in as a thin foam cap, leaving some decent lacing on the glass.

The nose is dominated by a nice pleasant roasted aroma. There is a hint of some light (milk?) chocolate and an even lesser amount of some coffee. At times, perhaps more as the beer warms, a subtle sweetness comes out. Really straightforward but also very nice.

The taste has the same characteristics as the nose but it's not dominated as much by the roast. The roasted notes are still prevalent but they aren't overpowering. The chocolate comes out more and is definitely of the milk chocolate variety. It provides a nice creaminess that is followed by some light coffee and a bit of bitterness at the finish.

The beer has a medium body but lower carbonation gives it a bit of a fuller feel. Not huge, but definitely a solid porter. The mouthfeel is also very creamy, which is very nice because it seems like the beer wants to dry out but is prevented from doing so. Really nice.

This is an excellent porter. It gives the feeling of a big, robust porter but the ABV doesn't match up. As mentioned, it's very straightforward, and seems to be pretty simple, but it's done extremely well.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 02:11:13 | More by ms11781

CheezyBlaster

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

SO good. It just knocked Great Lakes' Fitzy off my fave porter. So beautifully orchestrated. I won't say much about the characteristics of a porter/stout. That shit is getting old. You know what to expect. This is less dry than what you might think coming from a "porter", but it's so smooth, and creamy, with the slight notes of chocolate . . . mmm. Coffee of course, you know whats up. Malted to perfection on the roast. Enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 01:08:52 | More by CheezyBlaster

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

thanks to lalaloveyou for this beer! Thanks lauren!

reviewed from notes taken on 8/6/12.

poured into tulip glass.

Appearance: light black bodied beer with a talk creamy 2 finger tall tan head.

Smell: very balanced nose between chocolate and roasty notes. A hint of smoke. This smells really nice!

Taste: smooth milk chocolates. mild roast that has very mild bitterness. The smoke creeps in towards the end and does not seem to assert itself; just is apart of the supporting cast. The beer has a bittersweet cocoa aftertaste that tends to linger for a while. (4.25)

Mouthfeel: low end of a medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. It has a really silky feel to it almost like its creamy. No ABV is noticed; its hidden completely.

Overall: Really solid porter here. I appreaciate how malt forward this beer is, yet it did not become a cloyingly sweet or overly roasty and bitter. This porter is all about balanced malt profile. And really its a perfect example of what a porter should strive for. The only better porter that I have drank with this beer style and that beer is HF Everett.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 17:40:24 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT