Sweetwater Exodus Porter - SweetWater Brewing Company

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.6/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Opaque dark chestnut with generous lighter brown-amber highlights when backlit. The cocoa-colored head appears to be substantial enough to hang around for a while, but isn't overly sticky and doesn't leave a great deal of glass coverage.

The nose is too shy, though I am able to appreciate roasted dark malt with the suggestion of semi-sweet chocolate. No coffee in the aroma and no hops either. Exodus isn't all that flavorful and doesn't open up as much as I'd hoped as it warms. It's still a better than decent porter though.

Sweet, roasted malt is the focal point and chocolate, just as in the nose, is second in line. Again, there's no java. Citric hops make a minor splash and add some degree of additional flavor interest. The beer becomes less sweet as it goes, never managing dry, and the body is porter medium with a somewhat lively mouthfeel.

Sweetwater Exodus Porter would make a great session beer, not that I need to clue Georgians in to that fact. Still though, it doesn't particularly stand out for me. Crank the aroma, the flavor and the body up a few notches and I might be persuaded to reconsider. Thanks to arcauna for the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2004 23:20:16 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black as night with a rich tan colored head that reached a height of at least two inches before settling down to a respectable inch of head that did not go away. Lots of chocolate and coffee leading the way here. Hints of molasses as well. Huge flavor here, maybe the best tasting porter I have come across. Lots of cocoa and chocolate, rich, huge flavor with a smooth creaminess that was second to none in my eyes. Really fantastic balance here as the chocolate really starts to come out as it warms. Lots of flavor here with a ton of mellow notes

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 00:54:05 | More by mikesgroove

brentk56

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a dark chocolate brown body with a beige head that drops quickly and leaves little lacing

Smell: Understated, but I pick up some bread and roasted malt tones

Taste: Nice brown bread flavor along with some hazelnuts; bitter mocha chocolate aftertaste that lingers for some time

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and rather creamy with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: A nice, complex porter with a great mouthfeel

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2006 02:41:28 | More by brentk56

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.6/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours dark brown with a thin, pitiable off-white head.

Smell: Sweet chocolate malts are present, although rather faint on the nose, as is a little hop scent.

Taste: Essentially chocolate malts with a bit of roastiness to it. Not too much else. Dash of molasses, perhaps some walnuts. Yeah, not much else. Finishes metallic with a light bitterness.

Come on, hops. Either you're on the team or you're not.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation.

Drinkability: Ok. The Exodus Porter can get me to drink it, it just can't get me... to care.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2006 02:12:47 | More by ChainGangGuy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle (courtesy of Brentfresh): Poured a pitch-black color porter with a medium off-white creamy head with good retention. Aroma of sweet roasted malt with a lingering bitterness. Taste is also a nice mix between roasted malt and some bitterness at the end. Better then average porter though nothing to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2005 20:09:23 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very nice. Nothing spectacular or outstanding, but everything comes together nicely. A medium firm porter with solid chocolates and coffee notes, followed up with a creamy body and earthy hoppiness. Finishes just off of clean, but expected for a porter. Some will say that it is not hoppy enough for an American Porter, but I beleive it is well hopped and flavored. If anything, I wanted a bit fuller body, with richer coffee and chocolate flavors. Thanks Ding.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2006 23:48:54 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep ruby tinted brown with a tight one finger mocha colored head that was gone quite fast.Aromas of unsweetened chocolate and raw earthy nut with a touch of cookie dough.A porter on the drier side quite woody and earthy with big unsweetened cocoa flavors only a tad sweet.A nice smooth mouthfeel lends to the drinkabiltity along with its dryness,I think a very solid porter and likely food friendly to boot.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2006 02:17:45 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Its very dark mahogany brown body appears almost black in the glass, but reveals brilliant ruby and orange highlights when held to the light. It's slightly hazy, but it appears to be bottle conditioned based on the sediment left in the bottle; and the streams of very fine, effervescent bubbles that can be seen rising against the side of the glass would indicate that as well. The head is a solid inch and a half or more of densely creamy tan foam that holds well, slowly drops to a creamy surface covering, and leaves some spotty lace throughout the glass. Dark chocolate greets you in the nose with a touch of dark roast acidity, an evasive note of cocoa, and some background hops. The body is medium, but it's fairly dextrinous and it's delicate, effervescent carbonation leaves it nicely creamy in the mouth. The flavor is mainly of dark chocolate balanced by a modest bitterness that becomes more apparent in the finish, and leads to a lingering scortched-but-not-burnt caramel character. Occasional notes of cocoa, sweet caramel, and even some very mild dark fruit can be found but are fleeting. A really nice, straightforward porter that lacks a little bit in complexity, but makes up for it in drinkability!

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2003 21:21:18 | More by NeroFiddled

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Large, two-fingered beige head. As it settles, it leaves some chunks of spotty lace. The color is dark brown, but light will pass through the edges of the glass.

Strong earthy (read: dirt) smells. Some powered unsweetened cocoa in the background. A bit of chalkiness.

This is a drier Porter with less chocolate than most. There's a bit of burnt malt on the tongue. Oddly, I detect a touch of cream taste. There's also a solid level of hop bitterness although it is in the background of the roasted malt flavors. The body is neutral for the style while the carbonation is slightly elevated.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 22:53:12 | More by smcolw

Jason

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

12oz brown bottle with a freshness date.

Two fingers of fine foam, nearly all the way black. Hint of burnt sugar, milk chocolate and a hint of fruitiness in the nose. Deep smoothness even in this moderately sized body. Sweet malty palate, big mocha flavor that has more light chocolate in it than coffee. Just a hint of charcoal roastiness. Hops sting the taste buds slightly with bitterness and a faint herbal flavor. Sweet finish.

Tasty little porter here, a sipper due to the sweetness but a treat none the less.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2010 02:07:00 | More by Jason

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle from aracauna via trade. Thanks for the opportunity.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 3 1/2" dark brown head above the almost clear reddish brown brew. Head fades slowly, leaving with plenty of sticky frothy lace. Aroma is chocolatey. Taste follows along, choco sweetness with some light balancing bitterness at the close. Mouthfeel is a bit gassy, and drinkability is okay as well. I expected and hoped for a bit more out of this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2006 22:35:30 | More by ppoitras

glid02

Georgia

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the brewery.

Pours one shade from black with a half-finger tan head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of smooth roasted malts with moderate amounts of dark chocolate. Hints of herbal hops are present and intensify slightly as the beer warms.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Robust roasted malt flavors with hints of char kick things off before being tempered by slightly sweeter semi-sweet chocolate flavors. Hints of earthy hops dry things out a bit near the end of the sip, carrying through to a moderately bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with solid carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I finished my glass without a problem and could have another.

Overall I enjoyed this beer, a solid porter without any frills. This isn't quite in the upper tier but it's a good beer that's worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2011 22:52:52 | More by glid02

Gusler

Arizona

3.95/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a concentrated brown color, the head modest in size, the lace in fine sheets, both a nice light chocolate color. Nose is lightly toasted malt, caramel, bittersweet chocolate. Start is malt sweet, the top middlin, the finish is potently hopped, pertinently acidic, pleasantly dry. Another great beer from "Sweetwater" along with "Dogwood", are two of my favorite breweries from the Southland.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2002 06:25:11 | More by Gusler

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.8/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Now just an ocassional release from the brewery. The beer pours a fairly dark ruby brown with a little sediment present. There is not too much head, although there is some short lived spotty lacing. The smell is a little fainter than I'd like, but pleasant enough with roasted and prune notes as well as a hint of dark malt. The taste is quite dry and with a solid porter profile of roastiness, sweet malt, restrained hops and some stewed fruit, but dry like an American porter should be. Very mellow, but a fairly nice crispness is there too. A nice porter, but not a great one. The restrained style is fine, but it could be a little more memorable.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2007 01:30:20 | More by Georgiabeer

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to aracauna for the trade. Nice dark brown (almost black) pour with a thick dark beige head. Nice lacing throughout the glass. Aroma is lightly smoky under malt and coffee. Somewhat rich with a nice blend of coffee, chocolate, and malt. The finish is a little sharp, maybe even hoppy. This is a solid beer, and my only problem with it would be a lack of refinement.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2003 13:09:12 | More by Dogbrick

tavernjef

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Completely, utterly dark brown, nearly black in most light. Thin, wavering light tan cap sits atop. Keeps a thin collar and the lacing is placed in minimal small ink blobs.

Fair, clean aroma of faint raisin bread and mild milk chocolate.

Taste is lightly soured and mildly sweet with milk chocolate and has a slight undertone of fruityness with vanilla overtures and a slight roasted grain huskyness at the edges. Notions of cherry and cookie dough sweetness find their way in with ease. Mostly active in the front and middle areas where the finish doesn't provide much of anything in a robust quality that it should.

Nice smooth feel; clean, creamy, only slightly roasted and dry. Very tender on the palate in that realm. Close to medium bodied with a maintained smooth texture and low ended carbonation leaning towards a sweeter/fruity tilt in the overall character throughout its experience.

A tamer experience for an American style porter, a bit more robustness overall and a bigger active finish and this could be much more substantial. As is, its still not bad. Easily handled and drinkable, just a tad tiresome and drab.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2005 02:03:01 | More by tavernjef

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.53/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is one of my favorite offerings from Sweetwater. Praise Ninkasi that it is available again! It pours a deep, rich, dark-chocolate brown with a thick, light tan head. Smoky aroma has unsweet chocolate, coffee and molasses notes plus a hint of miso. Flavor has a roast coffee core plus chocolate, nutty and molasses notes and a hint of caramel. Smooth, firm texture has plenty of fizz and leaves a nice tingly mocha finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 20:20:29 | More by Cyberkedi

RedDiamond

Oregon

3.55/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Delivers a tall, lumpy head of camel hair that recedes but persists, and a dark brown body with light mouthfeel. Aroma is gently malty. The taste has a genteel flush of malty sweetness with minimal overt roastiness until the finish.

This is not an especially porterish beer and shows considerable overlap with brown ales. But it is relaxed and approachable with prominent malt sugars and a clean finish. I suppose with a name like Sweetwater, Exodus’ sweet flavor profile might be a matter of company policy.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2006 03:00:18 | More by RedDiamond

Brent

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Beneath the roasted malt was enough of a grainy/husky note to detract from an otherwise good porter. Overall, the beer is assertive, with a substantial roasted malt flavor. The hopping brings this into the lower end of the "robust porter" spectrum. Not as smooth as one would like - the grainy notes submerged in the malt profile made things a bit bumpy.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2004 21:40:40 | More by Brent

GClarkage

California

3.98/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

07/29/05- Received via trade with BA member Lostbearbrew.

Presentation- 12oz dated bottle poured into my Red Tail Ale pint glass.

Appearance- Dark brown with some auburn highlights. 1/2 inch head and light lacing.

Smell- Mostly coffee grounds and some nice chocolate scents.

Taste- Has all the big three you want in a porter. The dark chocolate, the roasted malt and the dark coffee flavor. It also has a slight burnt smoky taste to it.

Mouthfeel- This one has a heavier mouthfeel. It's fairly thick and creamy. Moderate carbonation.

Drinkability- Very nice porter that blends very well. Thanks again for another very good brew Lostbearbrew!

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2005 23:12:53 | More by GClarkage

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - The pour deserves a clear 4 for being dark yet nice with a 1/4 inch of mocha head that reduces to a creamy layer of mocha head.

S - This is what kind of threw me off a bit. Not much roast in the actual smell and some "irie" hops making it smell rather earthy. Hope the taste isn't too bitter.

T - Thankfully the hops are very balanced in this. Starts off mild roasty with soft tones of bittersweet chocolates. Then I get some hops that give it an almost "chalky" like finish that dries the palate begging for another sip. Not bad but for the label describing "waves of chocolate" this one falls short.

M - Medium and creamy. I expected the ABV to be 6-7 but was surprised to see it more sessionable.

Overall not a bad porter by any means but I have had better porters with stronger roast tones.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 01:10:17 | More by DrDemento456

tdm168

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown almost black with a half of an inch of off white, brown head that's soft and dense with good retention. The nose smells of roasted malts and very faint cookie batter. The flavor offers some deep, roasted malts and a light sweetness up front followed by a light, smooth chocolaty finish with some subtle hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is a bit thin, but medium bodied with little carbonation.

This is an easy to drink and ultimately enjoyable beer. It's lightly flavored and a bit thin. In the end it's underwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 20:14:32 | More by tdm168

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The beer arrived at the table pitch black with a tall tan head which laced the glass.

The aroma was only slight and contained chocolate and a slight citrus that was very lemony.

The flavor was chocolate and that same citrus lemon flavor.

The finish was dry with chocolate and more citrus and then coffee in the final aftertaste. The body was medium.

It was a little tough to drink and the lemon citrus just wasn't well done to balance the malt.

Pint at The Bier Garden in Asheville, NC.

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2004 14:11:17 | More by GCBrewingCo

ArrogantB

Colorado

4.35/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I received this as an extra from a friendly GA BA. This poured very dark black with a good sized head. The smell was really good with chocolate and cocoa coming through. The taste was more cocoa and also chocolate chip cookie dough. I really liked this beer and I usually don't like porters at all. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2007 16:34:17 | More by ArrogantB

cjgator3

Florida

3.55/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle

Pours a dark brownish black color with a light tan head. The aroma is pretty faint with some sweet and roasty notes. The taste like the aroma starts out with some sweet roasted malts with a dry chocolatey finish. The nose is pretty bland, would like to see some more in the aroma. The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with a good amount if carbonation. Overall, Exodus Porter is a solid porter that is worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 03:47:01 | More by cjgator3