Distorter - Greenbush Brewing Company

tectactoe

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

On tap at the Oak Cafe. Pours a deep, black color, though the shade might be exaggerated due to the dim lighting at the bar. Some super-deep ruby at the edges when help up to a light. Deep, dense looking tan head which shows excellent retention and leaves some nice lacing at the top of the glass.

Wow, the aroma was quite surprising - I guess I just wasn't expecting much. It has a nice toasty smell with lots of different things going on. Milky and dark chocolates, campfire-like smokiness, big-time roasted malts... The aroma actually reminds be a big of Founders Porter, which is definitely a top notch porter for me. If that is any indication of how this beer will taste, then I'm excited. Mild creamy sweetness in the tail end of the aroma, paired with a touch of bittersweet cocoa.

The taste is very smooth and easy going - I like it right from the first sip. Lightly creamy with that heavy, roasted, campfire and marshmallow flavor hitting my palate first. Some very light char that gets stronger and stronger with warmth. Slightly milky and packed with all kinds of chocolate characteristics. A nice hop profile comes in about midway through, placing a mild bitterness at the back of the tongue - a nice balance to the malty sweetness. Lots of carbonation turns the beer into a cloudy pillow of froth after a few seconds in your mouth. Aftertaste is packed with more charred flavors, an even more solid campfire woodiness, and a heaping of toasted nuts. Overall the beer gets a bit sweeter as it warms, but the light hop profile is always discernible. Medium bodied, creamy and slick.

Like I said - I wasn't expecting much out of this one and I was very pleasantly surprised in the end. Not quite as robust or dense with flavor as Founders Porter, but it's a good replacement and a solid porter nonetheless. I recommend this to any porter fans.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2013 12:56:54 | More by tectactoe

NJB145

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +9%

05-19-2013 01:20:37 | More by NJB145

DruC4

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

05-13-2013 03:32:23 | More by DruC4

olivermonster

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +9%

05-11-2013 10:35:54 | More by olivermonster

Slay40

Michigan

4/5  rDev +2.6%

05-10-2013 21:15:28 | More by Slay40

bob_d_j

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +9%

05-05-2013 01:56:04 | More by bob_d_j

BeerDrinker11

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +9%

04-22-2013 02:21:40 | More by BeerDrinker11

GRE680

Michigan

4/5  rDev +2.6%

04-20-2013 22:16:00 | More by GRE680

hackmann

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: dense black body with a rich two finger tan head that is leaving some lacing on the glass. This is one good looking porter.

Aroma: roasted grains, roasted coffee, light smoky feel, some chocolate in the mix, there is an interesting note under the roasted notes and I had to go into the house to pick it up a little better – it’s like a cherry cola or a cherry-vanilla cola; overall all a terrific bouquet.

Flavors: toasted grains, campfire, dark roasted coffee, dark Swiss chocolate, there is a toasted cola caramel-ish note on the edges, there is a little sweet toasted sugar note floating around – almost like a well roasted campfire marshmallow but, it fades in and out on the palate.

Mouthfeel: low-moderate carbonation, smooth, almost creamy feel, burnt grains on the finish, nice bitterness to me.

To the Point: I missed the boat on this one. I only bought one bottle to give it a try. I’ll be back for more as soon as I can. I really like this Porter. This is no thin wimpy stuff here. This is my kind of porter.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 03:09:22 | More by hackmann

BGsWo22

New York

2.5/5  rDev -35.9%

04-13-2013 23:19:41 | More by BGsWo22

GeePee

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%

04-11-2013 23:14:34 | More by GeePee

craft_shannie

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%

04-07-2013 17:14:23 | More by craft_shannie

amishbooze

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

04-02-2013 08:59:15 | More by amishbooze

NSK79

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +9%

03-31-2013 22:20:05 | More by NSK79

Gonzoillini

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%

03-28-2013 16:45:35 | More by Gonzoillini

akttr

Michigan

3/5  rDev -23.1%

03-26-2013 03:33:08 | More by akttr

superjose

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

03-24-2013 01:46:54 | More by superjose

StoutHunter

Michigan

4.03/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked up a bottle of Greenbush's Distorter last week for $1.69 at The Lager Mill. This is the finial beer that I have yet to try from Greenbush's newly released bottled lineup, I'm a big fan of robust American Porters and I would like to see how this one stacks up, so lets see hew it goes. No visible bottling date, but I know it's fairly fresh. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A- The label is pretty simple looking and not that eye catching, but I still think it looks fine. It poured a real dark black color that didn't seem to let any light come through and it had three fingers worth of fluffy dark tan/brown head that faded to a thin layer that left lots of sticky lacing behind. This is a very good looking beer, I really like it, I have no complaints at all.

S- The aroma starts off with a medium amount of sweetness to it that had a real slight molasses like aroma to it followed by loads of dark roasted malts that imparted lots of roasty, coffee and chocolate aromas. There was also a sweet cream like aroma with pretty much no hops showing up in the aroma. This beer has a goof aroma, it's very roasty and robust, i'ts just how I like it.

T- The taste seems to be fairly similar to the aroma and it starts off with a medium amount of sweetness that had a sweet cream like flavor to it followed by loads of dark roasted malts that imparted lots of roasted, coffee, and chocolate flavors. The bitterness seems to show up right in the middle and is on the really high side of medium and was slightly astringent and it had a nice chocolate like aftertaste with a slight bit of coffee. This is a good tasting American Porter, but I feel that if the bitterness was toned down some it could be great.

M- A little smooth, slightly chewy, a little dry, on the lighter side of being full bodied with a real nice amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel was good and it worked well with this beer.

Overall I thought this was a good beer and a good example of an American Porter, it's right on the edge of the style and it's pretty close to being a stout in fact I have had many stouts that weren't as robust or as thick as this beer. This beer didn't have the best drinkability, it was a little smooth, and the flavors held my attention, but one would be enough for me, I think the bitterness hurts the drinkability. What I liked the most about this beer was the appearance and how roasted and robust the aroma and taste were, those were the highlights of this beer. What I liked the least about this beer was the higher amount of bitterness, if it was toned down some it would really help this beer out. I would buy this beer again, it's priced nicely and it's tasty for what it is, I recommend this to anyone who likes Porters and Stouts. All in all I enjoyed this beer, it was just a little rough around the edges with the extra bitterness but other than that this was pretty enjoyable beer. Now that I have made my way through Greenbush's newly released bottled lineup I thought all the beers were nice and some were pretty damn good, I think my favorite was Dune Gras or Anger, but I thought they were all worth checking out. I'm looking forward to see what the future holds for Greenbush's if they keep up the quality of the beers I have tried then I see nothing but good things for this brewery in the future, nice job guys.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 03:49:04 | More by StoutHunter

MichiganBrews

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +9%

03-21-2013 22:50:37 | More by MichiganBrews

RichH55

Illinois

5/5  rDev +28.2%

03-15-2013 16:06:14 | More by RichH55

minterro

Michigan

3.89/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bought a single from spartan spirits for around 2 bucks.

A&S: Pours about a finger and a half of a blend of fizzy/creamy light brown head. Very dark brown colored beer, thick creamy lacing. Lots of chocolate, roastyness, some sugary-cream like sweetness.

T&M: A bit overly roasty, smokeyness is cigarette like. hints of coco and dark fruits. Pretty dry finish. Quite smooth, borderline feels like it was from a nitro keg. no real alcohol presence. Medium body, medium low carbonation.

Overall: I would say this is a pretty decent/interesting beer. It for sure rides the porter side of the porter-stout spectrum more so then the stout side.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 19:50:41 | More by minterro

Mitchster

Michigan

3.79/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

My friend Jen gave me a bottle of this to try. Thanks Dude! Brewed with Maris Otter, Crystal 60L, British Chocolate, Black Malt, Roasted Barley. Hopped with East Kent Goldings, Willamette, and Cascade. Fermented with "House yeast".
50 IBU, 7.2% ABV, 31.1 L.

Pours out to a slightly cloudy near black, forming a frothy root-beer type light tan head with very good retention and lacing. The bottle was slightly underfilled and when the cap was released made a very firm Pssssht, so I was worried about a gusher, but the carbonation is moderate, ~2.5 carbs or so. The nose is particularly intriguing... black walnut, vanilla, carob with a nice touch of roast barley and black patent in line with an irish stout but a very strong bite of isoamyl acetate that distinctly reminds me out Jack Daniels. It's like someone threw a 1/2 shot of of into the beer. Very distinct and something I haven't gotten from a beer before, even bourbon barrel beers. No hop character in the nose. The mouthfeel is nice...medium bodied with a roasted astringency. The taste is also very peculiar...the aftertaste is what hits me first...and it is ashtray. Not smoke, not black patent...ASHTRAY, like someone put out their cigarette in my beer. Very interesting. I've never had a beer with a taste quite like this. Roasty and burnt with a medium-firm lingering bitterness.

What an odd beer, but I like it. Unfortunately, the fusels gave me a tremendous headache within about an hour of drinking it. It's like someone dumped their ashtray in my stout and threw in some Jack for good measure. Try it if you want something different.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 02:07:24 | More by Mitchster

MichPaul

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +9%

03-11-2013 02:11:09 | More by MichPaul

shamrock071521

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +9%

03-07-2013 00:00:46 | More by shamrock071521

tophers

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

03-06-2013 23:47:26 | More by tophers