Steelhead Scotch Porter - Mad River Brewing Company

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

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

Review from BeerAdvocate magazine Vol. II Issue VII:

Scotch Porter? Yeah, that's what you get when you blend an English Porter (dark and robust) with a Scotch Ale (sweet and caramelly), and then decide to add some Scottish peated malt (intensely smoky) and German rauch malt (smooth and smoky) to further confuse palates around the world. That said, some of the most confused beers tend to be the tastiest.

Pours a dark, rich, opaque brown with a brief cascading carbonation effect that produces a thick, creamy, beige head, which sticks to the glass and retains a healthy looking lace. Brown breads, freshly malted milk, and a soft smoky and roasty malt aroma. Full, even, thick body with a smooth mouthfeel and prickly carbonation around the edges that helps lifts things a bit. Sweet upfront--not overwhelming though--with caramel candy, carob and buttered brown bread. A bit robust and roasty, with some mild coffee notes too. Throughout the experience there's a slight tangy smoke character, hint of char and a smoothed out peat that's laid down on the foundation. Hop character is moderate, with some spice, leaf, and slight citric snap that rides off the carbonation. Finishes with a semi-bourbonesque quality (less the heat), followed by dry lingering grain, carob and a soft peat linger.

Last time we tried this beer was back in 2003. Although things seem to have been refined, that's not necessarily a bad thing, as the beer remains unique, complex and fun on the taste buds. If you're a fan of Porters, Scotch Ales, bourbons, or any combo of the three ... you need to buy and try this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2010 20:33:28 | More by BeerAdvocate

Todd

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz short brown bottle. No freshness date.

Hmm ... a "Scotch Porter." Let's see what we've got here:

A meaty looking beer. Brown, but it's so dark it's nearly black, topped with a creamy coffee coloured head with unfiltered chunks dancing beneath it. A sticky and awesome level of head retention this beer has. Citric, smokey, woody with aromas of freshly milled malt.

Hell yeah! Big, smooth, chewy, malty mouthfeel. Initial flavours range from coffee, caramel, toffee, molasses, distinct and standout-ish peat/smoke character, plenty of dry chocolate, wood, earth and notes of black currant and purple grapes. This complex burst on the palate is immediately followed by a bitter splash of sharp citrus, a moderate amount of hop spice, salt, leaf flavours and notes of grass that cut through the hearty malts, providing balance and all of that stuff. Smoke remains after the hop fire, and lingers into, through and after the finish with notes of grain that dry the palate to the bone. Smoke gets amplified as the beer warms.

Boo-yah! I'd rename this beer to "Smoked Porter," but that's just me. Regardless, this is a very interesting beer, and I like their approach at brewing a more traditional Porter (whatever that means these days). Oddly complex. Tasty. Intriguing. I want more.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2003 19:53:56 | More by Todd

Jason

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 12 oz short brown twist bottle with no freshness date to be found. Thin layer of sediment on the bottom of the bottle.

Appearance: Very black with ruby trim, a wonderful tan varied bubbly sized lace that leaves a dusting trail even to the finish.

Smell: Mix of roasted malts, subtle hop and a mild charcoal like smokiness in the aroma. Peated malt and crystal malt give a smoked caramel impression.

Taste: Fullish body of a semi chewy malt mouth feel, kicks quick into the robust roasted grain flavour of espresso and mildly smoky charcoal (earthy). Hints of peat smoked malt enhance the roasted character, hops are a touch oily with a restrained yet pungent bitterness that somewhat hide behind the malt. As the beer warms up to cellar temperature the sweet alcohol mingles and gives a ghost impression of licorice and evergreen. Caramel hits middle to finish though the slightly astringent roasted flavour is still dominant throughout the beer.

Notes: Huge and brave, not for the faint of heart. This is a porter that wants respect and gains more character as it reaches cellar temperature. Makes for a most excellent night cap. 6.43% abv.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2001 23:27:10 | More by Jason

kguard

Iowa

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-19-2013 14:56:34 | More by kguard

Bill235

Ohio

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-09-2013 18:54:25 | More by Bill235

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

04-29-2013 01:13:25 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

TheSixthRing

California

4.1/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a deep cola brown color with a tan, finger width head. Fair retention, leaving a thin layer of microbubbles covering the surface. Lots of yeast sediment floating around. Leaves thin rings and spots of lace around the glass.

Smell - A healthy amount of deep chocolate overtones make up the bulk of the aroma, while lesser notes of coffee and earth play it up nicely.

Taste - Doesn't quite live up to the strength of the nose, but still nice flavor and balance. Milk chocolate upfront, followed by a light coffee bitterness before giving way to a moderate smoky character on the backend. Touches of caramel in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate, somewhat lively carbonation. Goes down smooth; slightly silky.

Overall - Quality brew. Good flavor; incredibly smooth and drinkable. Dare I say, sessionable?

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 04:55:18 | More by TheSixthRing

deonreds

New York

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

04-04-2013 05:15:15 | More by deonreds

Nutwood

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

03-17-2013 18:19:19 | More by Nutwood

likesbeer

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

03-16-2013 03:44:49 | More by likesbeer

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.3%

03-10-2013 20:28:11 | More by spycow

bcsbeer

Florida

4/5  rDev +1.3%

03-04-2013 21:45:58 | More by bcsbeer

buzzy

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

02-25-2013 13:25:17 | More by buzzy

zapahoppa

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.3%

02-20-2013 00:24:20 | More by zapahoppa

SnatchyMcPants

Indiana

4/5  rDev +1.3%

02-13-2013 05:23:18 | More by SnatchyMcPants

fox227

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

01-22-2013 20:20:31 | More by fox227

cet128

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

01-22-2013 13:19:39 | More by cet128

beergoot

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice brown body with a thick, chunky faint tan head; sticky lacing. Dark malt and cocoa in the smell. Bitter chocolate and sugary sweetness make up the bulk of the taste; some sweet caramel and a soothing, light bitterness builds up at the end of the taste. Medium-light in body; clean with a lightly sugary finish.

A fair porter that delivers on the basics. Nothing over-the-top, and no real wow-factor, but very enjoyable overall.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 20:07:32 | More by beergoot

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

12-17-2012 17:28:26 | More by stereosforgeeks

allforbetterbeer

Colorado

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

Poured into a snifter. No fresh/expiration dates.

Pours a nealry black dark brown body under a compact finger of head that falls slowly.

Certainly smells more English in style, with peaty light smoke over frothy chocolaty malts. Little to no hops to speak of.

The flavor takes this in a new direction. The smoke and chocolate are minor in comparison to the fruity dark malts and coffee flavors. This is almost going baltic in profile. The dark fruit and coffee are quite dry, and accented nicely by a touch of smoke. This lands somewhere near Irish dry stout, English porter, and Baltic porter. at points it almost seems like this is dark chocolate with cherry. Quite nice.

The mouthfeel is full at first by surprisingly dry, with just a touch of acididy. This very well may be like the real original English porters.

Conclusion: Amazingly true to style. Well done Mad River! This is the first of their beers than I have tried, and I wasn't expecting something this good.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 07:26:39 | More by allforbetterbeer

EigenBeer

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

12-08-2012 23:42:03 | More by EigenBeer

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev +1.3%

10-23-2012 01:57:45 | More by t0rin0

GFD400

New York

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

10-22-2012 22:26:25 | More by GFD400

siddhartha

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

10-20-2012 21:45:02 | More by siddhartha

vande

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.3%

10-19-2012 03:14:15 | More by vande