Porterhouse Red - The Porterhouse Brewing Company

popery

California

3.83/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a dull reddish brown. Nice, warm color. Some cloudiness. A couple fingers of off-white head. Good retention. Rich malty aroma. Lots of sweet bready malt and toasty caramel. Mild spicy hop character. Fairly simple aroma, but for a 4.4% abv beer, it's relatively big and rich. Taste is similar. Considering the strength of the beer, there's lots of sweet caramel malt flavor and a good undercurrent of hops in the background. Carbonation is pretty low. Just a bit of prickliness. Kinda soapy. Finish is a bit mineral-ish, and the beer mostly dries out. It's a nice, low abv red ale with a mild hop character and rich malt. Easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 05:19:35 | More by popery

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.01/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml pull tab bottle poured into tulip 10/3/13

A clear reddish amber with lots of tiny bubbles throughout floating up to a well retained two fingers of foam that leaves lots of random lace

S malty with some earthy hops, dry cereal, fruity nut bar and a hint of coco with a slight metallic aspect

T more of the same really, slightly more cereals and the handful of pennies I was smelling is toned down in the mouth

M pin prick bubbles, lighter side of medium bodied and a earthy fruity finish

O pretty solid Irish Red that's a nice blend of nutty fruity malt and earthy tones, lots of flavor in a low alcohol brew

pretty solid example of the style and I like a flavorful brew that I can drink several of without getting buzzed

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 01:26:50 | More by wordemupg

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Odd peel-off cap in the place of a traditional crown.

A: Deep red-orange with great clarity. The off-white head is very creamy looking and displays excellent retention. A thick, foamy coating of lacing paints the walls of the glass. Impressive.

S: Caramel and toffee. Fruity with aromas of plum and maybe even grape skin. Subdued roast impressions of coffee beans, brown cocoa, and some woody/nutty smells. Extremely faint hint of acidity. Subtle grassy hops.

T: Caramel, toffee, and hints of cola. Slight acidity. Roasted coffee beans on the mid-palate. Light, vague fruity presence. Much cleaner than the nose suggested. Nutty yeast. Slight balancing grassy hop presence. Very toasty, slightly buttery. Bone dry finish with a light, lingering coffee roast.

M: Medium bodied. Very creamy and almost velvety. Filling in the mouth, but with a very light and airy quality. Strong, seltzery carbonation scrubs the palate. Great mouthfeel.

O: Porterhouse did a great job staying true to style with this one. This is a textbook Irish Red, and the body/mouthfeel is truly great. Highly sessionable to boot. I could see it pairing very nicely with a grassy Irish cheddar. Unfortunately, the American palate tends to only appreciate sweeter, hoppier "Americanized" reds. I can see this gem slipping through the cracks in our market. The high price tag doesn't help.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 20:16:55 | More by ryan1788a5

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle, thanks to the rep for the sample. I hadn't noticed the 'right-handed' label feature on this brewer's label before. Cute, as is the description for the main graphic's askew nature (6 degrees off-kilter).

This beer pours a clear, medium bronzed amber hue, with two fingers of puffy, foamy beige head, which settles at due pace, leaving some nice roiling wave lace around the glass in the process.

It smells of lightly toasted caramel and pale malts, some further toffee/cocoa notes, a reserved dense orchard fruitiness, and musty, earthy hops. The taste is more nicely roasted bready, caramel malt, with a touch of chocolate and coffee, dried black fruit, a slight acidic note, and softly offsetting earthy, leafy hops.

The carbonation is reserved, and just strong enough to provide unseen support, the body a more than adequate medium weight, and mostly smooth, a simple edginess marring things only slightly. It finishes off-dry, the bready malt still on top, though the musty, leafy hops don't exactly fade away.

A pretty tasty Irish red ale - my go-to has always been Smithwicks (sometimes even just to pronounce it properly), but were this as readily available, the contest wouldn't even be close.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 02:22:00 | More by biboergosum

OF001

4.15/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Golden-ruby hue on the pour with crisp clarity and a very thin head that is maintained by light but constant carbonation, very little lacing worth noting, but it occurs.

Smells of medium roast pale and chocolate malts that is rich and teasing. Caramel, toffee, chocolate and cooked dried fruits (prune, raisin? mostly on the sweeter notes). Notably sweet.

Dark fruits and a light copper not round out roasted cocoa nibs. Butter toffee and light tobacco/leather notes. Finishes a little dry and an iron minerality that I thought would have given the hops a little more bite. The low ABV allows some of the more subtle flavours to show, although I burnt y tongue on coffee this morning it can only help ME so much, and it does.

Mouth-feel is medium bodied and well suited to this style. Willing carbonation makes it lively on the palate and probably adds to the dry finish.

Well balanced and fairly complex. Better than the majority of reds I’ve had in the last little while. Light and slightly spicy hopsg with juicy, roasty-toasty sweet malts and long finish makes this a joy. An approachable beer for most, but not complex enough for the seasoned, the flavour and mild complexity make a great and affordable everyday beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 01:17:13 | More by OF001

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is an Irish red ale? Okay. If you say so. Seems to carry a decent spicy hop thing in there. I'd say there is a pleasant malt base on there as well. Perhaps I am used to explosive flavors American brewers are delivering. Or perhaps it's just that not many people are making irish red ales, so I don't know what to compare it to or what to expect. Either way, this is a pretty nice ale. Good character. Well rounded. Pleasure to drink. I can dig it.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 23:07:36 | More by RblWthACoz

plfahey

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

11.2 oz. bottle poured into a wine glass.

Appearance-Deep amber copper color with a thin, pale khaki head and relatively good clarity. Head retention is fair.

Aroma-Interesting-smells leathery and almost a bit musty on the palate, with large notes of robust caramel, toffee, raisins, and prunes. Hints of dry toasty breadcrusts, but on the whole the aroma is rather sweet.

Flavor-Butter caramel, with sweet toffee and just a touch of raisins. Dry and toasty in the mid-palate, and moderately low bitterness in the finish. The aftertaste is slightly reminiscent of the initial caramel, but a bit drier with a light leafy/earthy hop flavor and hints of tobacco/leather.

Mouthfeel-Medium bodied, with moderately low, gentle carbonation, which lends a creamy mouthfeel.

Irish Reds are a style generally bereft of character, but this beer's got it in spades. Interesting, complex, drinkable, and low-abv, a fantastic session beer if you ask me.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 04:13:05 | More by plfahey

SLeffler27

New York

3.53/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appears clear auburn copper with carbonation throughout. A one inch, off-white, creamy head drops in stages leaving a coating of lace on a Harp nonic.

Lightly toasted malt is similar to ground coffee with caramelized sugar. There are no distinguishable hop aromas.

Toasted bread with some caramel in a long, dry finish. Bitterness is well balanced against sweetness but there is nothing to get excited about.

Medium body with ample carbonation. This one is quite dry with no alcohol and a woolly texture.

This is a fine beer for the uninitiated, and could easily be a transitional brew from the mass market to the world of craft beer. Otherwise, this would be well suited to a tailgate party or other event where beer is not the focus.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 20:29:11 | More by SLeffler27

Rugglesby

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Ruby/Burnt Orange.
S: Green apple. Caramel. Sweet malt. Nutty.
T: Malt forward with a nutty middle. A clean finish with slight hops on the back of the tongue.
M: Effervescent and clean.
O: A decent beer, not overly complex but fits the style. I could imagine myself downing a few pints of this with some traditional Irish cuisine at a pub.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 01:06:47 | More by Rugglesby

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a slightly hazy dark amber to red in color with a two finger tall fluffy white head. The beer exhibits good head retention and significant lacing is observed.

S: Aroma is mostly grain and malts with a lot of sweetness - caramel and honey - with hints of toasted malts and some hops.

T: Flavors are very malty - roast, caramel, and grain present. There is quite a bit of sweetness in the flavors of caramel and honey and a slight bitterness in the finish. Also, there are some more subtle hints of chocolate.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth.

O: Really enjoyable and really refreshing - this is very much a session beer. Very good example of the style and drinkable like the other beers I have tried from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 02:58:20 | More by dbrauneis

kylehay2004

Florida

4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Single finger head with decent lacing on a deep amber and garnet body. Aroma is very sweet with malts and even some dark fruit notes. The flavor is also mostly malts but they are strongly represented with a mild hop bitterness to the finish. This is very robust red, even for an Irish red. Medium body and moderate to high carbonation. Very complex Irish red, one of the best out there.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2012 01:44:54 | More by kylehay2004

spdyfire83

Ireland

3.25/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

189th Review
Served in a glass
On-tap at Porterhouse Central

A: Medium red. Single (creamy white) fingernail head. Very nice pour!

S: Loads of grain and malt. Subtle caramel, honey, and earthy grass.

T: Loads of caramel sweetness followed by toasted malt and faint hop profile. Somewhat dull for a red ale.

M: Medium bodied with smooth, silky carbonation. Very creamy.

O: A slightly above-average offering, but wish there was a bit more complexity here. Easy to drink and quite smooth, but they have better offerings for sure.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-19-2012 09:00:51 | More by spdyfire83

BrewerB

California

4.05/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Grabbed this on a recent stop at Whole Foods.

Pouring into a Firestone Walker nonic pint glass. Good clarity, copper/reddish color. An off-white, slightly rocky foam formed 2-3 fingers from a quick pour and leaving a ton of lacing behind.

Nose includes caramel malt sweetness with a wintergreen/minty hop in the initial burst and a toasted malt character creeping up at the end.

A toasted and caramel malt introduce themselves first with a herbal flavor in the middle and a nod towards brewed coffee as a parting gift. Finishes dry and only a moderate-low level of bitterness.

Medium-light bodied on the palette with a moderate carbonation.

Overall this beer certainly emphasizes drinkability with enough malty sweetness/flavor to keep me interested. Given it's NYE and I've got a long way to go, opening up with a modest but well-flavored beer like this made sense to me.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 02:22:12 | More by BrewerB

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This brew poured out as a rather nice looking red color with a healthy looking tan head on top. The lacing is very light but the retention is good. The smell of the beer is earthy, slightly sweet and a little nutty. The flavors are creamy, nutty, a bit of caramel and some grains. The mouthfeel is smooth and very drinkable. Overall this beer was really quite nice for a good drinkable brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 23:24:55 | More by Knapp85

LeathChuinn

Ireland

4.22/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle served in half pint glass.

A/S: Pours a red colour with a generous fluffy tan head that lasts til finish leaving a decent amount of thick lacing to the glass. Light, malty, with a fruit and nut aroma, hazelnut predominantly with a hint of roasted and chocolate malts.

T/MF: Taste is malty with tastes roast, caramel, chocolate, peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts and autumn fruits, some spice, perhaps cinnamon. Medium bodied, fluffy feel with low to medium carbonation and a smooth, dry and hoppy finish.

Overall a pleasant red ale on par with other Irish craft reds. Definitely not to be put in the same brackets with the only macro red brewed in Ireland - Smithwicks and it's nitro sibling Kilkenny. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 20:08:22 | More by LeathChuinn

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

3.83/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle served in a Tumbler glass.Enjoyed on feb´11
Pours brownish red in color.White brief crown is dense with small bubbles.Yeast & fruity aromas, chocolate hints.Smooth hoppy flavor slightly sweet,hues of chocolate & dry nut notes. Crispy mouthfeel, full body & good carbonation. Brief dry bitter aftertaste.Refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 08:33:25 | More by GONZALOYANNA

Eramen

Ireland

3.98/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - A sandstone, red-brown colour, one finger head with a tan hue - dissipates quickly.

S - Apple, grape, light nut odour.

T - Red fruit, pear, apple, almonds, peanuts and other mouldy nuts, slight hoppy finish on the back palate.

MF - Has a light carbonation with a distinctly fluffy finish, nice body which brings out well the said flavours.

O - A very well crafted red ale, something that the style most certainly needs in terms of refinement and freshness, highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2011 23:08:18 | More by Eramen

Amalak

New York

3.9/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had off the tap at fraunces tavern.
a. A clear yet deep red. Huge foamy tan head and lace.
s. Mild alcohol taste.
t. Has a dull sour ale-ish aftertaste. Nice caramel and apple taste. Very nice ale.
m. Sour aftertaste.
o. Not a huge red ale fan, but a wonderful unique taste. Nice for a cool day.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2011 23:12:50 | More by Amalak

elginirishpunk

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours rich deep red color with the thick amount in carbonation. Initial aroma is thick hoppy and roasted caramel with a trailing aroma of cocoa. Rich hoppy taste with an initial taste in of hopps with only slight bitterness and finishes smoothly and bitterness mellows out rather quikcly.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 06:57:11 | More by elginirishpunk

Offa

California

4.05/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bright copper, big pale tan head slowly shrinking to thin foamy top, a little lace.

Aroma is toasty-caramelly barley, dry bread crust, light tea, leaf, faint fruitiness (plum wine).

Taste is light plumy fruitiness up front, some faint caramelly grain, and a tea-leaf bitterness with hint of peppery bit that takes over lightly at the finish and lingers. It has nice balance, a little nice complexity, and is very good.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 19:17:43 | More by Offa

megahurts4

Louisiana

3.35/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Porterhouse Red

Appearance: amber, small head, and some lacing.

Smell: malty barley and honey.

Taste: light chocolate, grain, and a faint honey.

Mouthfeel: light.

Overall:
This is just a slightly above average brew with a decent chocolate flavor. The cap is probably the most interesting part of this brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 05:23:04 | More by megahurts4

JohnnyChicago

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On nitro-tap at Porterhouse Central; served in a tulip pint.

A: Perfect nitro pour with a creamy white head and a blood-red body.

S: Not much in the nose, a hint of caramel and smoke, but mostly a whole lot of nothing.

T: A little improvement here. Hops pop up a little and malty sweetness persists.

D: Alcohol isn't very present, but neither is taste. The mouthfeel is too watery, especially for a nitro pour.

Overall: A bland, unoffensive beer from Porterhouse. This is tough style to accomplish, since it is so easy to make a boring beer. I don't understand why they put this on nitro; it killed the little complexity this beer had. Maybe a cask would be a better vessel for this brew.

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-05-2011 18:58:28 | More by JohnnyChicago

AEK

United Kingdom (Wales)

3.65/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml brown bottle poured into a Hobgoblin pint pot.

A.Burnished orange coloured beer with a pillowy, foamy looking white head.

S. Caramel, roasted malts. I can also detect flavours that are associated with a Flanders brown ale.

T. Chocolatey and toffee. A slightly bitter finale.

M. Medium bodied. I am surprised at the amount of carbonation this beer has, something that I personally don't like in a beer.

D. I would appreciate this far more if it had much less carbonation in it. Nice to try but once is enough thank you.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 10:16:08 | More by AEK

StJamesGate

New York

3.88/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Sean Mac D's, Dublin.

Pours glowing ruby amber with a creamy nitro head that sheets. Toasted grain nose. Candy apple malts up front and orange hard candy hops to finish. Tight barky finish and a dry linger. Medium, crisp but chewy.

Nice fruity Irish red that avoids the swampy over toasted/peanut malts that plague many others in this style.

But is this supposed to be on nitro?

Serving type: nitro-tap

03-23-2011 12:12:26 | More by StJamesGate

JohnfromDublin

Ireland

3.6/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This was a 330ml bottle that I tried on 15th March 2011, but I couln't see a date printed where it said "Best Before" on the label. Pull off cap.

As a side note, the label says; Grain: Pale Malt, Crystal Malt, Chocolate Malt. Hops: Galena, Nugget, East Kent Goldings.

Anyway, I poured the brew into a stemmed glass; a crystal clear red-brown body with an okay bubbly head that thinned fairly quickly. The aroma was dark toffee, metallic maltiness and a touch of "belgian yeatiness" reminiscent of Goudon Carolus classic!.
The taste was quite bitter but still malty. It was refreshing, would make a perfect bottle to chug while waiting on the barbecue!

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2011 15:09:45 | More by JohnfromDublin