Organic Porter - Black Isle Brewery Co Ltd

gulden

Australia

3/5  rDev -14%

12-20-2011 00:50:37 | More by gulden

harpus

Alabama

3.5/5  rDev +0.3%

01-01-2013 15:03:35 | More by harpus

YamagamiTravis

Japan

3.5/5  rDev +0.3%

11-03-2012 13:53:52 | More by YamagamiTravis

DrNo

Australia

4/5  rDev +14.6%

01-22-2012 11:05:14 | More by DrNo

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 500mL bottle into a cervoise glass. Lot 0030. Best before March 2012.

A: Dark brown-black with creamy head that quickly fades, coating the sides. Light through the edges, but not the centre.

S: Wonderfully creamy and chocolatey. Roasted malts and dark fruits. Substantial.

T: Not as robust as I'd like, but the flavours present are very good. Some candied fruits or dark-chocolate raisins. Malts are more sweet than roasted. Heavy on the chocolates, a taste enhanced by a creamy body. Vaguely drying and bitterish on the aftertaste.

M: Great! Creamy and thick then soft and dry.

O: A decent porter from a good brewery. Worth a shot; good bang for the buck. And it's organic!

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2011 17:03:21 | More by AgentMunky

Zimbo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.95/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

LOT 0017

Drank this on Burns Night which a haggis supper.

Appealing darkish black colour with long rusty red highlights at the bottom of the glass. Super thick constand tan head thick leaves lacing like dense mini snow drifts on the glass as the drink goes down.
Light body but tasty light coffee and chocolate to taste and a full and firm roasty bitter end. Some fruit in there too surrounding the bitterness. Rewards patience. Another real grower which leads superbly into a number of glasses of Ardbeg Uigeadail on the night.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 19:17:29 | More by Zimbo

fullsweep

United Kingdom (England)

3.78/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

500 mL brown bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: rich, creamy head of beige--so thick I can't get all the contents of the bottle into the glass without waiting for some of the head to dissipate. Leaves a small amount of lacing. Dark brown/cola brew with some sediment left at the bottom of the glass.

S: very interesting caramelized scents, strong roast smell is very appealing.

T: taste doesn't quite deliver what the scent promises, but it's still a strong porter. Only the faintest of the expected chocolate/coffee tastes are present, but definitely some roasted grains.

M: a bit more flat than I would have liked, but still enough carbonation to have a little bite to it.

D: Wouldn't think twice about drinking this again.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2010 21:14:13 | More by fullsweep

kmacphail

United Kingdom (Scotland)

2.35/5  rDev -32.7%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

I have passed the sign many times for the Black Isle Brewery and last in mid February I managed to gain some time and take the tour. I purchased a mixed case of beers and am working my way through them.

This was the first beer I tried and I was slightly disapointed. The beer was poured into a mug pint glass and I noticed it was dark, very dark a dark cream coloured head appeared for 2 seconds and then vanished, not even a film remianed, my pint looked like a large pepsi.

The nice smell apeared to have this back on track, a serious dominance of roasted coffee, malts and a slight hint of chocolate. Quite nice.

However I was disapointed with the taste. I expected this to be fairly sweet and have a good deal of body (stereotypical of a porter) however this was seriously dominated by the taste of roasted coffee. I am a coffee fan, but not when I am enjoying a pint, I couldn't get much malts, hops or anything but roasted coffee.

The body was also a great let down: very watery and thin with minimal aftertaste except a lingering coffee from the initial taste. Sadly I only managed half a pint of this beer, gave the rest to my mate, who managed even less. I expected so much more of this beer, but sadly it was a disapointment.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2007 08:33:29 | More by kmacphail

lackenhauser

Maryland

3.6/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Very nice, deep ruby colored beer. Huge head that needs to receede a bit before pouring more. Mellow aroma-somewhat phenolic and medicinal. Decent roasted flavor-nice blend of a slight coffee/chocolate mix. Very grainy and dry flavored. Body is a tad thin for my liking. An interesting beer-well worth a try. I would like to try a few others from this brewery. Brought this back from my trip to Scotland for my mother in laws funeral-enjoyed today on what would have been her 89th birthday-God bless you mum!!!

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2006 23:51:54 | More by lackenhauser

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

3.3/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Purchased at the Real Ale beer shop in Richmond. Bottle-conditioned, BB MAY 06, served cool in a jug.

A: ebony hue with a ruby silhouette against light, coming with a reasonably thick and foamy tan head with o.k. retention and settling to a thin cap sustaining throughout the drink.
S: sour-bitter edge of Italian-roast coffee beans and the sour-sweet edge of very dark chocolates go hand in hand on the nose, along with a touch of sweet wood, vanilla flavouring, a caramely hint of fudge, and a light dark-fruity aroma; the roastiness melts in the sweet elements and just nice...
T&M: light-bodied, cold filtered coffee-ish flavour treads lightly on the palate upfront; gradually a deeper flavour coming from roasted nuts, dark malts, and even malted oats or other grains(?) accompanies the coffee-ish theme, leading towards a rather thin and neat aftertaste which is unlike lots of porters I've tasted recently. I suspect it uses more pale malts than others, hence the much lighter texture, but I'm not sure. With good support of soft fizz coming from the bottle-conditioning, it's pretty smooth and easy to drink/quaff. But somehow it's a bit "too clean" on the palate for a porter, as far as my preference is concerned.
D: light-bodied and mild-flavoured, this is not so much of the kind of porter which I'd go back to often. Still it's a nicely-crafted beer, not bad to try once in a long while, but I'd go for its cask-conditioned form next time...

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2006 01:32:11 | More by wl0307

stcules

Italy

3.15/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Black. Black. Half inch of brown, average head.
In the smell a lot of roasted, with chocolate and coffee notes. And nuts. Point of creamy, cappuccino-like.
Same for the taste, very roasted. Quite creamy, delicate, light, smooth. Dry fruit. Even quite bitter.
You can drink a lot of pints of this one.
Light body, right for an high drinkability.
Very creamy in the aftertaste, where the roasted is lighter, a lot of cappuccino and coffee notes. Light bitterness, from the roasted.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2005 19:08:57 | More by stcules

GreenCard

Oregon

3.3/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: obsidian color, absolutely no head (I actually thought it was completely flat at first), good clarity

Aroma: dark cocoa, coffee, soy sauce, malt, prunes, hint of smoke

Flavor: mildly malty with a thick layer of burnt toast and caramel, slight acidity, somewhat herbal hop/spice flavor, finish is dry with an aftertaste of roast and medicinal herbs

Mouthfeel: deceptively light bodied, carbonation like a cask ale (low to none)

Overall: Not sure if this is supposed to be this flat or, perhaps, it didn't get enough time at bottle-conditioning temperature. Though, I had it in my cellar for at least two weeks in my cellar before even putting it in the fridge. Great flavor and aroma. Would just like a little more carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2004 18:59:54 | More by GreenCard

StevieW

Florida

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

Sturdy 500ml brown Euro bottle. Bottle Conditioned. Shiny black pour, hints or ruby on the edges. Dense, creamy biege head. Very appealing in the glass. Nice aromas of subtle chocolate and roasted bitterness. Taste is full and smooth. Very light bitterness from the roasted barley, whispers of chocolate underneath. Finish is subdued but lingers for a while. Very much Porter-like, no grassy organic flavors. Flavers were all there, but mellowed and smooth. A good solid beer through and through. Purchased June '03 in the Northern Highlands and kept in my fridge until last night.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2004 11:12:19 | More by StevieW