Mesquite Smoked Porter - MSP - Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling

womencantsail

California

3.3/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks for sharing this, Bobby.

A: The beer pours a very dark brown color, almost black, with a rather tall khaki colored head.

S: Definitely gives off sort of a mesquite/barbeque feel to it. Lots of roast and smoke with a fair amount of char to go with it. Mild chocolate with some hints of licorice and just a touch of sweetness.

T: Smoke, roasted malt, and coffee are all strong flavors. There's a slight toffee sweetness sweetness to it along with a light metallic note. A touch of earthy hops and bitterness with a light acidity coming through on the finish.

M: Medium bodied with a rather high level of carbonation for a porter.

O: Smelled pretty decent, but the flavor was a bit off, unfortunately.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 14:47:50 | More by womencantsail

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Lexington Bourbon Barrel Ale snifter.

Big thanks to jl28r1 for this bottle!

Cracking my second bottle o' this stuff, welcoming my boy VDubb86 back from his romantic getaway in Florida. It pours a dark black-brown topped by a finger of tan foam. The nose comprises charred wood, light roasted malts, light chocolate powder, and a touch of molasses. The taste brings in more of the same, with the smoked wood really coming through nicely, balancing and complimenting the roasty notes. The body is a straight medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta dry finish. Overall, a very tasty smoked porter, straight up and down, baby. Good times.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 04:41:10 | More by TMoney2591

Mora2000

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Draught House in Austin.

The beer pours a dark brown color with a tan head. The aroma is heavy on the smoke with some chocolate and roasted malt mixed in. The flavor is more of the same, with the mesquite smoke really standing out. The other flavors, chocolate and roasted/burnt malt, really compliment the smoke and prevent the beer from being overly smoky and hard to drink. Creamy, medium to thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation. I love smoke beers and this one didn't disappoint.

Serving type: on-tap

01-30-2011 23:53:57 | More by Mora2000

MasterSki

Illinois

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

Thanks to Mike for sharing this one. Apparently there are a few more bottles at Chris' for our future enjoyment. Served in a Cigar City tulip.

A - A half-finger of tan foam settles to a thin partial cap, leaving behind spotty lacework. Dark brown body that is appropriate for a lower ABV porter.

S - Mesquite, smoke, bacon, dark chocolate, campfire, hickory.

T - Taste is a little less smoky, with more roasted malts. Again, there's a hefty amount of hickory, campfire, mesquite, and bacon. Finish is surprisingly clean for the style.

M - Dry, smokey, tannic, medium-thin body. I suppose that's appropriate for a a lower alcohol smoked beer. No alcohol present which is a plus.

D - Surprisingly decent beer for what it is. Not something I could consume in large quantities but delivers exactly as advertised.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 23:56:03 | More by MasterSki

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.71/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Holy smoke! Literally.

This almost comes off as a rauchbier at first. All the smoke and stuff calm down off the initial hit, but it certainly sticks around. It's very distinct and unique, but kind of keeps the beer on a one-track theme. The thick malts on the backbone of things takes a backseat to the smoke. Also too, this thing seems almost out of control with carbonation. It went into a goblet and was still 3/4 foam. And the bubbles really hit the mouth too. It's a pretty good beer. Could definitely use some tweaking if one wanted to refine it. But as it sits now, it's a fairly decent production.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 04:27:11 | More by RblWthACoz

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to redredwino (Reddit) for this one.

Pours a huge darker colored head with big fluffy and some lacing as it slowly fades, super dark almost black colored beer.

Nose brings smoke, but not crazy overpowering smoke, some smoked meats, a definite mesquite smoke aroma and almost hickory, then some crystal malts under that, light toasted caramel and hint of black malt aromas.

taste starts again with some smoked malts, there is mesquite but much less prominant than the nose brought, some light smoked meat flavors, and hint of char, some roasted malt flavors bringing a slight burnt char salty flavor, a bit of acidic charred malt flavor that gets just a touch acrid, some malts with that bringing a light caramel and toasted crystal malt flavor, very light black malts and touch of a creamy porter, a bit of bitterness more from the charred malts than any hops. Finishes a bit drier, not sticky like I thought it would be, with a long smoked malt finish, a bit of charcoal like taste, and some bitter charred malt flavors.

Mouth is med bodied, good carbonation as I was a bit worried it would be over carbonated as many try to do with smoked beers to bring the smoke out more but the smoke speaks for itself in this one.

Overall not bad, the charred malt flavors get a bit tough to swallow but they never get too strong, a light burnt acrid taste starts to come but never really dominates, otherwise nice malt flavors, a nice smoke addition, the nose has a nice mesquite smoked aroma, and nice body that wasn't over carbonated.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 16:05:15 | More by jlindros

mdfb79

New York

3.38/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I popped the bottle and went into the living room for a minute, and when I came back a few oz's had slowly gushed out of the bottle, so be careful. Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into my Cigar City tulip.

a - Pours a very dark brown, almost black color, with one inch of dark tan head and moderate to high carbonation evident.

s - Smells of smoke, sweet dark fruits, roasted malts, some chocolate, and leather. Very smokey, and the sweetness is a bit odd.

t - Tastes of smoked malts, bacon, roasted malts, cream, bitter chocolate, coffee, toasted malts, light fruits. Not as sweet as the nose, much better in my opinion.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Smooth and creamy; pretty nice body.

o - Overall a pretty average smoked porter. I wasn't a big fan of the nose as it seemed a bit odd and sweet, but the taste was better. Wouldn't seek it out again but worth trying if you love smoked beers.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 23:20:41 | More by mdfb79

HopHead84

California

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

8/7/2011

Thanks! I remove the cap and foam starts rising above the rim of the bottle so I begin pouring. I look over one minute later and half the bomber is foam and it's about to overflow again. This beer is out of control.

A: Black with two inches of froth that recede in 5 minutes. No lacing is left on the glass.

S: Strong beechwood profile in the nose with some mesquite bacon. The smoke character is really aromatic and smells great with the dark chocolate aspect of the beer. There's an earthy hop presence. The nose is clean, with no fruity esters.

T: There's a little more chocolate in the flavor and a little less smoke. Malt is toasted and roasted, and smoke is woody and mesquite, with bacon and beechwood. The beer is dry, with a minimal level of malt richness. There's a low bitterness and an earthy hop profile. The dry finish is clean, toasted, and smoky.

M: Upper medium body with high carbonation. The mouthfeel is smooth.

Overall: A nice smoked porter. The mesquite addition is interesting.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 21:15:16 | More by HopHead84

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at the Flying Saucer in Houston. It was dark brown and opaque, with a thin tan foam. It had good smoked malt aromas, some sweet malts beneath, very solid smelling.

Tastes a lot like Stone Smoked Porter, at least based on memory. Not a bad thing, I appreciated it quite a bit. Lots of smoke character, less of the roasty malt character that you might get from a porter but still you know what you're getting when you order this. A rauchbier through and through.

Medium-to-medium plus body, and easy sipper. This was my final beer for the night, and the lingering flavors kept me satisfied.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2011 02:25:32 | More by TurdFurgison

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.95/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber bottled on 06/06/11, batch 005...hand written, wow, someone in San Antonio is suffering from severe hand cramps, haha. Pours an opaque, near-black color with a thick froth of brown head. Retention is good and lacing is decent. The large amount of sediment on the bottom of the bottle is worth noting as well.

Smoke is moderate and has alot of roasty aromas. The smokiness shows the sweeter side of mesquite, which is quite distinctive once you have smelled it smoking a few times. Smells pretty good.

The base porter seems to show some sweet chocolate, black licorice and is pretty light on the roast and dark fruit. Hops are noticeable, which must mean they are there aplenty to show above the smoke and dark malts. The smoke is pleasantly middling (neither dominant nor too light) and the fact it is mesquite lends its own unique aspect. Quite nice, I am digging on this. Only complaints I have is that they could beef up the body and maybe give a touch of dark fruit to compliment the roast.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2011 01:10:47 | More by twiggamortis420

AgentZero

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Dark brown, almost black beer that had a tan head that rose up decently enough.

S - Wow, this smells smokey. After a little bit I start to pick out the very distinct mequite flavor, just like bbq potatoe chips. The beer is appropriately named.

T - Lots of roast, smoke, mesquite, grease? There is some of the more traditional porter flavors buried in there but you really have to look for them. It's interesting, but pretty much a one note of mesquite/smoke/roast.

M - Medium bodied, a decent bit of carbonation.

O - This is a nice novelty beer for a little bit, but I found it hard to drink after a short while. The taste isn't bad, but it's so in your face I tired of it quickly. Worth trying, but nothing I'll really care to ever have again.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 02:11:13 | More by AgentZero

champ103

Texas

2.58/5  rDev -31.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Have tried several bottles, and they all seem infected?

A: Pours jet black. A huge tan head gushes out of the bottle. It takes forever to poor this. The first sign of an incfection.
S: A plastic, bandaid, veggie, sulfur, slighty sour aroma. Smoke, chocolate, wood, roast. This is an odd one.
T: Again, a mingling flavor of bandaid, veggies, sulfur, smoke, roast, and chocolate. An odd metallic sourness. This is bad.
M/D: A medium to full body. High carbonation that is a bit prickly. Hard to drink, and a bit over the top.

I think a few batches have been infected. A gusher with odd plastic, bandaid, and sulfur. On tap, one of the best smoked porters I have had. This is a mess though. I hope RC can clean this up cause it is one of my favorite Texas beers. See my tap review for what this should be.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 06:43:22 | More by champ103

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle into pint glass; batch 10, bottled 9/19/2012. Pours fairly clear almost pitch black color with a nice 2 finger dense and fluffy tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a lot of streaming carbonation. Aromas of dark chocolate, roasted malt, smoke, coffee, apple, pear, wood, smoked meat, light floral, and light roasted earthiness. Pretty nice aromas with good balance and complexity of roasted notes; but it is definitely infected, but it is not that terribly offensive in the aromas as it warms up. Taste of dark chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, smoke, wood, smoked meat, light char, floral, light pepper, and roasted earthiness. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, roasted malt, smoke, coffee, smoked meat, light char, wood, floral, light pepper, and roasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and complexity of roasted notes and smokey flavor; with a great balance of malt/smoke; and zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a creamy and lightly crisp mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice smoked porter. Luckily the infection seemed to only be noticed in the aromas. Very nice balance and complexity of roasted malt and smokey flavors; and very smooth to drink. A very enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 03:55:35 | More by superspak

ehammond1

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle

Thanks for sharing, DarthKostrizer!

Dark brown and nearly black with a thick, persistent brown head and leaves splotches and lines of lacing down the glass. Gorgeous!

Insanely smoky aroma: this is like walking in to the pit at your favorite barbeque joint. This smells of smoke, and delicious, charred, fatty meat.

Boldly smoky flavor, though interestingly so. This tastes like a combination of campfire and smoked, fatty pork skin--quite incredible for a beer, though it ends up seeming relatively simple after multiple passes. There's also a bit of sweetness lingering at the end.

Medium to thick mouthfeel with just a bit too much carbonation per the style.

An interesting, tasty, and boldly smoky porter.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 22:00:15 | More by ehammond1

lackenhauser

Maryland

3/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Nice black color. Quite foamy and fluffy head on top. Metallic and almost blood like aroma. Faint smoke coming thru. Strong roasted flavor with a somewhat espresso like tinge to it. Enough smoke to be noticed but comes across somewhat astringent and sharp. More of an off flavor then smoke to me. Body is fairly thin and really lacks any kind of "umph". Overall somewhat "bleh" for me. I can't even give it decent marks for being a porter. Have had their IPA and double IPA which were great-will not be deterred by this experience.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 00:41:40 | More by lackenhauser

HardTarget

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark brown glass shows some light through the edges giving a soft glow. Holds a tan head of tight head that gives some lacing.

Smell: Smoke comes through in the nose without a problem, smells a little BBQ, but that just may be my association with mesquite. Some sweet malt and slightly barrel sour gives some complexity and depth.

Taste: Goes a little lighter in flavor than I expected, more toward a Black lager than a Porter. Again, the woody smoke comes through at a nice level, firmly there without overwhelming everything else. Balance between the roasted malty sweetness and smoke doesn't let any hop flavor through.

Mouthfeel: Light body with a low carbonation level. Slick and dry at the same time, a nice trick.

Overall: A milder package than I expected, but what's here is good! Smoke level is very nice, this is a complex sessionable beer that hides any trace of flaw or alcohol. I'm impressed, hope to see more Ranger Creek about!

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 00:21:24 | More by HardTarget

Phelps

Arizona

4.08/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared by ottovon, this is batch 001, bottled 8-25-11. Poured into Russian River stemware.

Burnt mahogany, amber at the edges. The liquid’s thin as cola, with a head that continues in kind. Big and quickly fizzy, fading from its brown sugar color to a thin layer of light tan.

Oh yeah. Perfectly smoky aroma — you can really get the mesquite. It makes me crave Texas barbecue. Beneath the smoky top layer I get oats, bitter chocolate crumbles and an impressive amount of dark fruits — maybe raisins and prunes.

The flavor takes the acrid, smoky char a tiny step too far. Dark chocolate and a bit of fruity tang and to the bitterness, but it corrects a second after the finish, when oats round it out. Nice smooth blend, all in balance.

Fairly fizzy and a touch over medium-light in body. The overactive bubbles pack the mouth with air as the beer moves. Light, prodding carbonation, with nary a hint of alcohol.

This smoked porter’s a smooth, tasty blend of smoky flavors. Not too ashy, nicely chocolatey and fruity. Would be great with a steak.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 22:53:43 | More by Phelps

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Black. Brown around edges, light tan finger of head.

Smells like a bag of BBQ chips. Smoky, malty, rich, smoked chocolate.

Bitter chocolate, smoky finish, malts, light sweetness, roasty.

A bit thin, but creamy, low carbonation and slick. Smooth though.

Drink is solid. Solid smoked porter.

Serving type: on-tap

01-28-2011 22:26:41 | More by EgadBananas

augustgarage

California

3.88/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to lnashsig for this one! Poured from a 22oz bomber into my Samuel Smith nonic. Batch 005, bottled 6/1/2011 - this one comes in at 6.4% ABV.

Opaque seal brown liquid with three fingers of tan soft peaks which while very delicate and seemingly active, recede slowly. Loose soapy lacing with no real adhesion. Good retention.

Dark roast malt, toffee, caramel, coffee, and maybe the slightest touch of DMS in the nose. Roasty, sweet, and inviting.

Almost sour palate entry with burnt sugar, scalded coffee, and grain producing a moderate astringency in concert with the smoke which tastes primarily of mesquite chips at first, slowly taking on more of a charcoal character evolving into the finish which is part sweet and part sour with hints of earth, leaves, and cheap tobacco.

Light bodied, well carbonated, and astringent mouthfeel.

Loosely inspired by a rauchbier, I recognize the craft that went into creating this beer (house smoked malt!), but the execution leaves just a little to be desired if evaluated as anything other than a unique specialty beer. The tangy pungent smokey flavor profile is likely to inspire a love/hate reaction among those that sample it.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2011 01:41:50 | More by augustgarage

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.85/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Tried on tap at Black Star, 8 Jan 2011.

Small dark brown head. Medium carbonation. Very dark brown, almost black. Aroma is smoky and toasty, almost charred. Lots of Roasty smokiness. Some coffee, slight touch of chocolate. Medium body. Moderate alcohol. Mocha and BBQ, like a smoked pork with a cola rub. Finishes with lingering charred malts.

Serving type: on-tap

01-08-2011 23:49:17 | More by htomsirveaux

jdense

Oregon

3.83/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Flying Saucer San Antonio, 4.20.11, $4.75 shaker pint.

Little if any head, a thin broken layer of medium brown foam, ultra quick dissipation, over dark brown almost black body, no visible carbonation, a really dark beer. Not picking up much smoke in the nose, but starts to assert itself in taste, big chocolate hit, a bit of burnt brown sugar not molasses, floral and grassy hops. Medium mouthfeel, not much effervescence, got really interesting as it warmed. Worth a try for smoke beer fans.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2011 18:49:53 | More by jdense

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.91/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pretty darn nice looking. monster head that just wouldn't go away and stuck heavily to the glass topped an otherwise midnight black brew.

Aroma was heavy on the mesquite smoke and light on most other attributes, but there were some dark fruits and burnt/roasted malt notes.

Taste was a bit more balanced but was still heavy on the smoke, along with roasty/burnt malts, a touch of very dark fruits (figs, raisins, dates), and a tinge of coffee/chocolate.

Drinks more like a stout than a smoked porter, pretty full body with a lingering dark malt, smoky aftertaste.

For smoked beer lovers, definitely try this one. As a porter it's a bit stout-like but there's enough overlap where many beer drinkers could enjoy this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 21:20:08 | More by AlCaponeJunior

TexIndy

Texas

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a pint glass. Bottled date of 5/31/12 and Batch 9 clearly marked on front label (love that!). It was a dark brown, almost black, with deep mahogany edges. It had a good sized tan head that slowly settled into a good collar and covering foam. Good, quick sliding lace with a little sticking.

The aroma was cured meat, mesquite, dark roasted malt and a bit of coffee. Very good aroma and similar to a rauchbier. The taste follows the aroma with the smoke giving a great taste without being overpowering. Good sweet and bitter offsets from the chocolate and coffee flavors. There was a metallic taste that did distract a bit though. Mouthfeel was medium with good carbonation and a nice aftertaste.

Overall, a really good smoked porter that I recommend. My first Ranger Creek - looking forward to trying more from them. Available here in TX obviously. Rotation - would love to try on-tap. For bottle, I can see getting it every so often when the smoked mood hits [SF]

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 13:04:17 | More by TexIndy

elNopalero

Texas

5/5  rDev +32.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I think I might prefer this one more from bottle than the tap. Something about the bottle conditioning that just took my enjoyment of it to a whole ‘nother level.

This poured a solid jet black with a tightly compacted, thin layer of foam.

I get a roast aroma with some smoke. Flavor is big and smoky, but never one-note as there’s a roast complement to it that rounds it out. For such a smoky brew this is surprisingly smooth and mellow. I like my smoked ales like I like my Scotches—I enjoy ‘em all. Tho if I had to I might be plagiarizing from their advertising description here but I think velvety is an apt description for the mouthfeel. It’s that smooth. Absolutely fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 22:41:19 | More by elNopalero

Urbancaver

Ohio

3.43/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks Jenray for sending me this tasty treat :)

Pours a light brown. A bit of nice head. Pretty, about what I expected. Lots of smoke on the nose. Not so much mesquite but not a bad smokiness at all. Tastes pretty balanced. The beer is a bit thin given the amount of smoke but its a porter so I can' knock it. A bit overcarbonated and I'm not sure I buy the mesquite distinction. Overall I finished my glass so not but by any means but certainly not a standout

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 15:11:50 | More by Urbancaver