Entire Butt English Porter - Salopian Brewing Company Ltd

mjc410

Virginia

1.73/5  rDev -55.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Poured into a Belgian tulip.

The beer raises an at first grainy bubbled, two finger head. The bubbles coalesce as the head falls, leaving a nice short layer of medium-dark tan foam. The body is utterly black, and beautiful. Aroma raises caution flags - vinous acid, apples, tangierines, perhaps. Certainly not what I expect from a porter. Roast is not evident in the nose (until it warms - a little roast peeks out). The bottle describes the ale as "distinctly vinous," so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. Taste is acidic, with a lambic character hinting at the Cantillons that I can't bring myself to review, owing to their overriding acidity. You know, there's not much else to it. I won't rate this as rock-bottom, as it's not undrinkable, but I certainly don't expect all this with an utter lack of roast from a porter. I'd chalk this up to a bad bottle, perhaps, although the bottle self identifies as vinous. Perhaps a revisit is due in the future.

Edit: While still drinking this, I find that it pairs well with some high % chocolate, melding with the vinous character in the candy. By itself, it's still not so good.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2006 18:45:08 | More by mjc410

zuccard

New Jersey

2.13/5  rDev -45.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Label indicates made from 14 malts...so, the color and apperance was nearly black. Excellent head retention. Walked away from the glass for several hours, came back and still had a good head above the liquid.

While this one is made from lots of malt...the taste was overwhelmingly sour for an aftertaste, that made it undrinkable for me. The aroma was a hint of almost a molasses smell, which having 14 malts in the brew was probably the reason. The first taste was also of molasses, and not much else. Then the sour aftertaste made it undrinkable. Never finished much more than half of it....Tried it a few times, to see if it was me or the beer.

Even the smell afterwards, after the beer was completely poured into the glass was sour, and high in acetyl. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2007 17:15:51 | More by zuccard

Travlr

District of Columbia

2.45/5  rDev -37%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

A: This maroon color, no head and no lacing.
S: Cafe au lait aroma, very pleasant.
T: Flavor of milk chocolate and Starbucks. Smoky finish. Metallic tastes, maybe infected.
M: Body was a bit light.
D: Much worse than previous tastings makes me things there is something wrong with this batch.

Serving type: cask

01-05-2010 01:50:55 | More by Travlr

IrishRedRock

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

This was a huge disappointment for me. I am hoping the bottle had gone bad. Poured a deep brown color with no head, and only a slight aroma of coffee.

Body and mouthfeel were thin and watery, hardly the characteristics of the delicious Baltic style porters I am used to. Mild flavors of chocolate and coffee were discernible; had an astringent alcohol finish that did not fit at all. Again, hopefully this went bad, and I would like to say I would try it again, but for the price, I don't think it's worth the risk.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2003 14:02:09 | More by IrishRedRock

geexploitation

Indiana

2.58/5  rDev -33.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

I was totally amped to try this beer, and disappointed once I did. Pours very dark brown with some slight lightening at the edges and a skimpy head. Smell is cidery, with a ton of apple esters. There's a roast malt character underneath there, but it's overpowered by the fruit. The cidery flavor is immediately apparent on tasting -- this beer is tight and acidic, and the cider note has a sour note to it as well. It's not tasty, and there's not a roasted malt flavor or a hop flavor that I'd expect from a porter... at least, an American porter. This is English, and I do notice some similarities between this and, say, Sam Smith's Taddy Porter. I want to like this, I really do, but I don't. Thumbs down.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2006 01:22:26 | More by geexploitation

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

2.6/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Obtained from a fridge at the World of Beer in Clearwater, Fl.

A: Black, off-white head, very little retention.

S: Sour grains, grapes, brown sugar.

T: Bready, slight sour/tartness, grape juice, hints of chocolate, brown sugar and licorous. Dry, acidic, slightly bitter roastyness.

M: Lighter than moderate body, moderate carbonation, dry, hints of chalk and acidity.

D: Not to my liking.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2006 00:45:30 | More by Derek

cjgator3

Florida

2.6/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a dark black color with a light tan head. The aroma is surprisingly faint with just a touch of dark roasted malts, chocolate and a touch of licorice. The taste is dark and roasty with some odd indescribable off-flavors in there as well. Overall, I am not a huge fan of this brew at all.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2007 18:23:15 | More by cjgator3

ClashmoreMike

District of Columbia

2.63/5  rDev -32.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Had this on tap at Rustico (Alexandria, VA).

A = Dark brown, almost black. A bit of red in the edges. Light brown head starts at about 1/4 inch and then goes down to beer algae. Very little lacing.

S = No strong scents. Malty. A bit of dark chocolate in there. Also a hint of something like vanilla.

T = The overarching theme here is: watery. You can taste sweet malts and some chocolate. There are hops in there to add some bitterness. But the flavors are strangely watered down. There's also a little sourness in there that I didn't expect (and just didn't like at all in a porter).

M = The tastes are watered down, and the mouthfeel follows suit. The mouthfeel is very light. Medium to low carbonation.

D = It's too bad. I like porters and was really hoping to like this one too. However, it is too watery and too light for my taste. The slight sourness in the taste didn't help either.

Serving type: on-tap

07-04-2008 02:04:06 | More by ClashmoreMike

bditty187

Nebraska

2.73/5  rDev -29.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Black in hue, reddish-dark brown when backlit, it is an ideal shade. The head was faint beige in color and the foamy mass was rocky. Head retention was good; it slowly faded to a chunky, clunky, ugly cap. A tight (more polished) cap lasted the whole consumption. There was subsequent webby, thick lacing. This is a good-looking beer.

The nose is airy and weakly malty, however there is this trace aroma that reminds me of SA Triple Bock. How odd! I smell prunes, if not Dr. Pepper. Tobacco. Chocolate. There wasn’t much straight roasted qualities, this was odd, I mean this is a Porter, right? The nose does say “dark beer” but no further description was articulated. The nose is okay. Inviting… kind of.

The palate fails to jump up and grab my attention. There is a malty, pruney vibe… like Shiner Bock. What the hell is going on? The black jellybean taste is nice and the raisins are likable. There isn’t much roast. I couldn’t smell it and I now can’t taste it. This is a bland beer. I was happy to see this beer in Omaha but I won’t buy it again… unless I find out their bottle coding system. Is this old? “L5-014.”

Medium/medium-light in body, low carbonation, the mouthfeel is weak and it follows nicely with the lousiness of the nose and taste.

This is not a well-brewed beer. Not drinkable… not worth a damn really. Am I missing something here? It was $4… no thanks. This is a dud.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2005 14:38:28 | More by bditty187

dgallina

Georgia

2.78/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a deep dark brown with red highlights, a big foamy tan head, and bunches of slow-to-subside lacing. Smells sweet and very grainy; very subdued caramel malts with raisin and alcohol overtones. Tastes extremely clean, but is also very boring. A base of grainy caramel malts is layered with biting alcohol bitterness and earthy wet cardboard flavors. Develops weak roasted coffee notes as it warms. Medium creamy body.

A good looking beer with hugely disappointing flavor. Very unimpressive.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2005 02:27:03 | More by dgallina

biglite351

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -28%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - you can see dim red-brown through the middle of the glass. Soapy looking white head that leaves a good amount of lacing.

S - malty porter scent. Nothing special, not nothing bad.

T - the flavor seem full, but it is rather light and it seems to vanish rather quickly. No real after taste.

M - a bit thin. Slight tingle on front of tongue.

D - the vanishing flavor and light mouth feel make this passable.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2010 01:40:00 | More by biglite351

botham

Illinois

2.98/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

pint bottle poured into an imperial nonic pint glass. pours just like a porter should: a semi-transparent black, with garnet highlights and a sizable light tan colored head that slowly dissipates into moderate lacings on the glass.

smells very malty, with a light roasted and caramel character. a bit of yeasty aroma is mixed in as well, alongside a flutter of a vinous feel. all in all, a pleasant mix.

taste is restrained at first, leading into a somewhat strong vinous and acidic flavor that overpowers the other flavors present in the smell. a dissapointing taste after a pleasant smelling brew. this could be a bad bottle, because the character of this brew is more along the lines of a flander's red, not a porter.

aftertaste is dry, and still with the vinous and sour character. like i just drank wine, which was made from pre-mature grapes.

mouthfeel is medium-full bodied, with a very smooth and creamy texture. this one has some weight behind it, but the smoothness is cancelled by the vinegar-like character.

drinkability is not very good. there is a bite from the sour vinous character, and the brew is somewhat heavy for the flavors you get out of it. not impressed.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2007 02:50:12 | More by botham

drabmuh

Maryland

2.98/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

More English beer on cask...this beer gets me one closer to my 103 styles goal on here.

Beer is dark brown with a thin head. Despite the thin head, it leaves a lot of lacing on the glass. Carbonation is a big question mark to me.

Not much of an aroma, a slight roast but mostly nutty.

OK, I'm bored the second it hits my mouth. Its weak and watery. Nothing much happening at all. Its light and weak, can I say its weak again. Body is thin and watery. There is a slight hint of roast at the back of the mouth but this beer is a big disappointment in a big way. Not recommended not a repeat.

Serving type: cask

01-05-2010 18:55:00 | More by drabmuh

jreitman

California

3/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reading other reviews me thinks my bottle might not have been in the best condition it could have been in. It poured a dark brown. I found it to be rather light bodied with aromas and flavors of coffee, though I found everything quite subdued and not very interesting. I may try this again, but I am not in any rush.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2003 18:14:25 | More by jreitman

JustinOSU99

Massachusetts

3.03/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

A: Very dark brown and tasty looking. A small white head emerges as you pour from the bottle but quickly dies down.
S: Lots of complex smells. Oil, coffee, semi-sweet chocolate, cocoa, raisins, caramel, pine. Yummy.
T: Very different. Smoke dominates the immediate taste and gives way to a very semi-sweet chocolate finish. There is a sour taste to this beer that doesn't do it for me.
M: The mouthfeel is smooth and lightly carbonated.
D: Definitely too strange of a flavor for me. A one time only beer for this guy.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2007 02:14:33 | More by JustinOSU99

Naes

New York

3.05/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This one pours out black with a tall light tan head. Retention and lacing is good.
The aroma is roasty with hints of coffee and chocolate.
The flavor is also roasty and chocolaty with a bit of smokiness and a coffee presence.
Mouth feel is medium to full bodied and it is moderately carbonated.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2006 06:22:16 | More by Naes

GuinnessSmurf

Missouri

3.08/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Alright, I'll admit it. The name of the beer got my attention. Then I flipped it over and read that it contained 14 different malts and 3 different kinds of hops. So I figured I had to try it.

Smell: Sweet aroma. Hints of toffee and fruit (plum, grape).

Appearance: Look is dark brown (almost black) with a ruby glow down in the bottom of the glass. Also some sediment floating down there in the glass.

Taste: I really wanted to like this beer - but its only a lukewarm experience. The taste is just too conflicting - all 14 malts were working my tongue but not one distinguished itself and gave me a real...taste! The after taste is very brief. The flavor itself is very forgettable.

In summary, the carbonation and highly malted nature of this beer accomplished only the goal of heartburn and indigestion, making me feel like an entire butt for buying it.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2004 16:13:20 | More by GuinnessSmurf

unclederby

Oregon

3.08/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Been waiting awhile to sample this one based on hype. 16.9 ouncer stamped with L04-114. If that means (like most european dating) the 114th day of the year then this thing is supposedly way out of date.

poured a dense, near black with no head to speak of.
aroma was in line with the predominate malt character of the brew.
faintly chocolate with a little brown sugar.

so, this is quite a dry- though not hoppy- porter. dark chocolate predominates (again the malt character). A bit smoky as well, with a bit of a sweet and sour middle only to finish bone dry; much like gin really.

i'm pulling to get more out of this much looked forward to experience, but frankly- the mouthfeel is a bit thin...i get a bit of carbonation but not much of the viscosity that i appreciate in a porter. similar to the mouthfeel of ice coffee.

anyway, perhaps this bottle was past it's prime but i'm a bit dissapointed in the overall experience. for a beer, it just had too many things in common with iced coffee (without the cream and sugar) for me.

sure it was easy enough to drink and i'd give it a try again, but only to see if i got a bad bottle. there are just too many other porters out there i'd rather treat my palate to.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2005 21:43:10 | More by unclederby

mapofthedead

United Kingdom (England)

3.1/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A: A nice dark brown appearance with a small off-white head.

S: Smells sweet - reminded me of Tia Maria!

T: Nothing outstanding grabbed me, seemed a little bland. None of the sweetness in the smell carried over to the taste.

M: Watery and bland.

D: Would make a good session beer as there is nothing harsh or out of the ordinary about it. I found it drinkable but bland.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2009 23:14:21 | More by mapofthedead

Oxymoron

Colorado

3.15/5  rDev -19%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

What an ass! Pours a somewhat clear black color with some brown hues around the edge of the glass. A light brown head with limited retention and lacing.

The nose is soft but with a underling malt characteristic. Really subtle, almost blended in a way. Some English malt notes with some minor caramel and some hints latte notes, coffee, milk etc. One plus is that I pick out black marker notes in English Porters, & I don't get any here.

The taste also has a soft, blended flavor that is similar to the nose. The malt profile is more pronounced with more caramel and velvet textures that are similar to nitro beers. A hint of roast and coffee but very light for style. Some lactic that enhances the mouthfeel. Some feint earthy hop notes, but really have to look for it.

The body is light, understandable, but does fall with a watery, wispy texture. But the smoothness is right on for a typical English beer. Would have loved to see more astringency but for a session beer, its ok.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2008 22:07:38 | More by Oxymoron

bultrey

New York

3.2/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured near-opaque black, with the thinnest of heads. Aroma was quite vinous, with very faint roasted malts. I did not care much for the taste of this. It was very fruity and vinous, and somewhat watery, which was especially surprising because the bottls claims that it is brewed with 14 different malts and 3 types of hops. There was almost no roasted malt characteristic, but that might be the style. There was some dark fruit present, such as figs and raisins, with maybe the slightest dusting of cocoa powder, but again, it was all too thin and weak to make an impression on me. There was also a very astringent, acidic aftertaste. Drinakbility would be good if you liked the flavor, because the alcohol is almost non-existent.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2004 23:13:31 | More by bultrey

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.2/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Dark umber with generous ruby highlights; a few photons away from being opaque. The light brown head is small despite a vigorous pour and appears to be too soft to generate much lace. When the cap eventually falls to a thick film, I see one thin ribbon of lace on the near side of the glass and a few measly splotches elsewhere.

The nose is curiously underpowered to start and doesn't open up all that much with warming. What I can appreciate is moderately roasted malt with a small splash of black coffee. There's no chocolate and no hops at this point in the proceedings.

The flavor and the body can only be classified as letdowns. First of all, calling the body light is doing it a favor. It borders on watery and is overly fizzy in the bargain. The beer tastes watered down as well; no surprise given the body that I just described. It tastes like diluted, cold coffee and carob with a roasted barley background that makes it identifiable as beer. There isn't anywhere near enough palate presence to tease out any subtleties.

The mildly bitter bite may be coming from hops or from heavily roasted chocolate malt, it's hard to say. The brewery boasts that 14 different malts were used in Entire Butt. That's all well and good, but I'd have settled for a grand total of one if it was used in a greater quantity than what's present in this bottle.

I'm all for a lighter, mildly flavored session porter on occasion, but this beer doesn't even rise to those minimal standards. Since I have relatively easy access, I'll give it another go, but two chances is all this one gets. Entire Butt is barely Half a Butt.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2005 22:40:11 | More by BuckeyeNation

rugger

Arkansas

3.23/5  rDev -17%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer didn't meet the expectation that I had for it. I love porters and after reading the bottle and being eager this beer just didn't deliver. I had to fight to get a head that just barely coverd the top and there was no retention at all. The color was a nice ruby red when held up to the light. The smell was of a nice malty thickness and I was very excited until I actually tried it. It was good by all means however it just wasn't what I had expected. The taste was very carbonated, (BUTT) there was no head there was a bitter aftertaste that seemed ver dry, and there was a nice chocolate and tofee taste. It said to serve at 58degrees which I did and I thought that it might get better as it warms but it didn't. I just wasn't impressed. I probably wont try this again.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2004 16:25:09 | More by rugger

evh883

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This is nice example of a porter. All of the 14 malts combine to create a roasty aroma with notes of caramel and milk. When you pour this beer, a huge, light brown fizzy head erupts in your glass and hangs around until you're done but doesn't show any lacing. It's a nice contrast from the very dark brown color of the beer. The beer has a descent flavor that is sweet when it hits the tongue with bitterness and slight acidity at the finish.

Overall, this beer was worth the try and pretty easy to drink for a porter. Porter fans will like this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2005 18:55:37 | More by evh883

meeekyh

Colorado

3.25/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

I have been feeling an English Porter is in order for awhile now so I thought this one would be a good choice.

Brown bottle, 500ml, best before says f13 102, though the ones may be just hash marks, either way I cannot decipher the code held therein. The beer is very dark with a tiny head in spite of an aggressive pour, also the lacing is nominal. Nothing impressive here.

Smells are full and dark with coffee in the lead. Again I am not impressed. Taste follows suit though the mouthfeel is creamy at first with a pleasant dryness in the finish making it the star of the show. I find the hints of tobacco flavor enticing but not enough to give this beer very high marks.

I am glad to try historical beers and love the idea but this is not stunning really. There is good balance and very nice mouthfeel but I will not likely buy many more at the price.

Slainte.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 00:38:29 | More by meeekyh