Snake Pit Porter - Oaken Barrel Brewing Company

Indybeer

Indiana

4.28/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap, they are doing something different with this at the brewpub. It is their typical Snake-Pit Porter, however it is pushed with Nitrogen. They are calling it "Nitro Porter". Poured a pitch black with a creamy head typical of a nitro setup. Aroma is roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, with a little alcohol nose thrown in. Taste is completely balanced with just the right amount of sweetness and bitterness, which nicely hides the alcohol. The only downside was there was no carbonation. It had lots of creamyness from the nitro, but was flat, more like a cask ale on a handpull. Still it was a very good beer.

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-04-2004 13:59:08 | More by Indybeer

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.56/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours dark brown with a 1/4 inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both decent. The aroma is light, it smells like roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate. Good thing the taste is stronger compared to the aroma. It tastes like roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, and burnt/charred malt. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit coating with low/moderate carbonation. I liked this brew, it's certainly worth a try. $1.99 a single.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 00:51:48 | More by bluejacket74

AmitC

Indiana

3.98/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a snifter.

Color is dark brown. Peat black inside the glass. Just about half a finger thick tan colored head with not much retention. Decent lacing.

Aroma is of charred and roasted dark malts. Not much booze coming through. Strength is moderate.

Taste is of charred malts and roasted. Very little coffee. Mild flavor. Semi-sweet finish. Somewhat dry as well.

Mouth feel is medium bodied. Low to moderate carbonation.

Average stuff all over.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 20:01:28 | More by AmitC

BWED

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a tumbler.
Received this in an Oaken Barrel sampler pack.

A- Black with dark brown highlights. Light tan, one finger head that dissipates rather quickly. Not very much lacing.

S- Strong coffee with a bit of chocolate. No strong hop aroma.

T- Slightly lighter than the smell. A little coffee, a little roasty.

M- Full bodied, but not heavy. The only attribute of this beer that resembles the style, in my opinion.

O- Okay, but I think this leans more to the stout end of the spectrum. The aromas and tastes are very bold and dark. I wanted a little more caramel subtlety than coffee. It doesn't taste bad, but I think branding it a porter is a slight misrepresentation of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 02:40:29 | More by BWED

n2185

North Carolina

2.6/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours black with a finger of khaki head that disappears almost entirely with no lacing.

S: Roasted malts with some faint chocolate and smokey aromas. The aroma's very muted and watered-down smelling.

T: Roasted malts here as well with some bitter cocoa and char flavors toward the finish.

M: Medium-thick body with lowish carbonation, this beer is a bit watery and could benefit from more carbonation or a thicker body.

O: Not a very good porter, overall. Just kind of bland and boring without being offensive.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 20:59:48 | More by n2185

gopens44

Virginia

3.73/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

All kinds of dark and opaque, but even with a forced pour, very little head and no lacing. Smell is equally unimpressive yet some amount of coffee coming through in the nose. Taste gets a lot better with coffee taste on top of a bit of chocolate and hints of anise. Finish carries ample bitterness as this thin beverage washes away. Aftertaste leaves an old time licorice taste on the edges of the tongue. Overall, this has a ton of flavor and depth. Next time I am up there in Indiana, I'll grab a few more.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 22:28:37 | More by gopens44

Phocion

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

My girlfriend brought a couple bottles back from Indiana this summer. Had one a couple months ago, and tonight seems like a nice, cold night to review the second one.

12 ounce bottle poured into a shaker pint. Dark brown, almost black body, with just a hint of red underneath a half-finger but moderately retentive frothy light-brown head. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is full of toasted, nutty, and light caramel malts. Slight hint dark-fruitiness and a coffee/chocolate aroma that increase as the beer warms.

Flavor is a little thinner than anticipated, and somewhat lactic. Coffee tastes are much more noticeable, along with roasted malts. Somewhat sugary. Slight charcoal flavor.

Body is a bit too light for the style, with medium carbonation. Very slick mouthfeel.

Definitely drinkable, but not exactly what I think of when it comes to a Baltic Porter. It's worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 23:23:08 | More by Phocion

secondtooth

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours an opaque black, with very little carbonation. No lacing at all, here.

Nose is cocoa nibs, and a little roasty.

Flavor profile is a creamy sweet chocolate, with some roasted coffee notes near the finish. Creamier and sweeter than most typical porters (but perhaps more typical of a Baltic Porter, as this one's categorized as), this one's well enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 04:15:29 | More by secondtooth

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

So its a crappy rainy cold day....spent all morning running kids around to their activities and doing erands for the wife....so now its my time to sit and have a Snake Pit and watch the Buckeyes vs Purdue hoops game...that I DVR'ed earlier in the day. The Snake Pit poured black into my pint glass with a ecru foam head. The nose on this beer is espresso hints with chocolate malt. The taste is confirms the nose, coffee and malt with subtle chocolate is present, there may even be a hint of black licorice in it as well. I would rate the taste on this beer higher if it had more body or more creamier. Just a tad to watery for my taste. However, I could session this beer....no problem!!!! Enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 22:34:24 | More by WoodBrew

fear025

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On Tap at the Three Floyds brewpub.

Aroma:Very subtle chocolate flavor.

Appearance:Deep dark red, almost opaque. Off white head with tiny little bubbles. Amazing lacing.

Taste:Black coffee with sugar in the initial taste. It's like a carbonated black coffee. There's a great malty sweetness in this beer. I also get dark chocolate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:A little bit of harshness gives this beer a bit of a bite along with the carbonation.

Drinkability:This beer has great coffee flavor, more so than I've had from any baltic porter. As a baltic porter, though, I think it falls a little out of spec.

Serving type: on-tap

08-03-2010 04:01:52 | More by fear025

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Devil's Backbone willibecher.

Some day this this post-DLD death march haul will be finished. Maybe. This entry pours an ever-so-slightly translucent garnet-brown topped by a finger (at best) of glowing ecru micro-foam. The nose comprises maple syrup, molasses, spruce tips, pine needles, sharp cane sugar, light coffee, and dark wheat. Gotta love that baltic porter smell. The taste holds notes of watery coffee, some slight spruce, floral hoppy bitterness, nutmeg, and a touch of walnut. The watery coffee holds the most dominant position and really puts me off. Something just ain't quite right here. Luckily, some molasses comes in at the end, my knight in shining flavor. The body, though, is a solid medium, bordering on the light heavy, with a lightly moderate carbonation and a somewhat dry finish. Overall, a decent baltic porter, nothing all that special, but very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2010 20:27:34 | More by TMoney2591

cadizkyguy

Kentucky

4.05/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had been looking for this brew for more than a year and was not disappointed. Poured into oversized snifter. Magnificent frothy head. Very aromatic. A hardy man's beer. Definitely underrated as baltic porters go. Tastes like it smells. Maybe a bit thin in mouthfeel but that was the only shortcoming.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2010 04:43:01 | More by cadizkyguy

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to Deuane for sharing this growler on 3/5/10.

A - Emerged from the growler as a deep burgundy liquid with ruby and purple tints and half an inch of beige head that transformed into a splattering of intricate lacing.

S - Aroma is extremely woody and earthy with a muted chocolate presence and slight coffee notes. However, the wood and smokey attributes tend to outshadow the other aromas.

T - Woody flavor with a hint of dry smoke and earthy, herbal hop notes. Lots of nutty astringency emerges in the middle, followed by a fairly harsh bitterness in the finish.

M - Medium bodied and moderately carbonated with an oily texture, but a bit thin and watery for the style overall. Kind of astringent on the tongue.

D - I didn't hate this as much as some of the others in the group, but I wasn't overly thrilled with it, either. It was just too dry and woody.

Brewslut's Quote of the Day:
"Smells more like catbox porter."

D -

Serving type: growler

03-13-2010 21:10:00 | More by ffejherb

taylorhamrick

South Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice dark brown color, close to black, but you can see quite a bit of ruby and brown hues around the edges. The head pours kind of thin and tan, fades sort of quickly. leaving only a little bit of lacing. The smell is good. It smells nice and sweet, filled with caramel. The roastiness is a bit subdued, but I like it, it's nice enough for a porter. There's some sweet chocolate, just a hint of fruitiness, touched with coffee, sweet enough. I kind of like it, but wish there was a bit more roastiness, the smell is a bit more like a brown ale. The taste is pretty good. Follows on the smell, but really lacks a good roasty intensity. Just needs some more roast barley, only a bit really. It's just like a darker brown ale. I get a lot of semi-sweet chocolate, with just a bit of sweet fruitiness, probably from having a lot of caramel malt. I like it, the sweetness is nice, good enough for a more intensely roasted porter, just add some roast barley, maybe replace some caramel malt with darker caramel malt. The body is pretty nice, a little on the high side of medium, not quite chewy, but the sweetness keeps it feeling alright. The carbonation is pretty nice, but a little bit biting, but not too intense. The drinkability is pretty good. I enjoy drinking it, but the really nice thing is that it's just easy to drink - it doesn't make it too hard to drink. I would probably enjoy it more if the taste was a bit more intense.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2009 22:14:53 | More by taylorhamrick

mwa423

Ohio

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a jet black that no light can get through. Two solid fingers of head start and lacing remains until the last drop. There are hints of chocolate and lots of roasted malt in the taste. The baltic spices do come out a bit in the end but unlike many others it isn't overwhelming. Overall this beer balances mouthfeel very well. I don't feel like it is watery but also it isn't tongue coating like most stouts.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2009 23:31:23 | More by mwa423

beerhobo22

Nebraska

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap and in bottle.
Rich, dark, roasted malt aroma. Hint of coffee and some caramel/toffee sweetness. Aroma was pretty complex, with no hops evident. Very dark brown, almost black, appearance with a tan head. Head retention was good. Stong malt flavors, but not overpowering. Mild coffee and dark chocolate flavors were noted. Bitterness from roasted, dark, malt but couldn't detect any hop bitterness. Good medium bodied, slightly chewy. Good style for the local water profile. Listed at 5.6% ABV, but not overly warming. A good porter to enjoy at night on the back porch.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2009 19:13:22 | More by beerhobo22

RickS95

Indiana

3.93/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours slow forming, thick beige head. Beer looks like oil.

I was surprised by the smell. I expected chocolate or coffee, and instead, hops and roasted malts were prevalent in the nose.

The taste is complex. The roasted flavors are there, as are hints of coffee, before giving way to the bittering hops in the finish. There is great lacing.

Like most porters I've had, this beer gives a creamy mouthfeel. I like porters, and while this lacks the sweetness I enjoy in one, this offered a more 'grown up' taste that I could enjoy over and over.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2009 15:22:14 | More by RickS95

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I received this one as an extra and had never even heard of it, but when I got home last night I was in the mood for a nice mellow porter so here we go. Served chilled and poured into a pint glass, this one was consumed on 05/20/2009.
 
The pour was nice enough. Dark brown in color with a tiny bit of light shine through on the sides and the bottom, but just about right. Nice one inch layer of tan foam across the top which only briefly settled down and still left more then adequate lacing along the sides and the bottom of the glass. Lots of charcoal and roasted malts here are evident right away. Some nice light chocolate notes as well, really coming across quite nicely. Smooth, mellow carbonation lended itself well to showcasing the rich flavor that was inside. Nice sweet notes followed on the heals of the dark malts, really giving it quite some nice depth and providing for a very rich experience overall
 
Very nicely done here I have to say,. I was not expecting the world, but I was very surprised with how well this one turned out. I would have no issue at all with this and can honestly recommend it.
 

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2009 20:29:00 | More by mikesgroove

tpd975

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours rather dark, very black with a nice solid mocha colored head. Very good retention with nice lace.

S: Very bold and roasty. Lots of malt that borders on charred. Coffee with nice rich chocolate notes. Very inviting.

T: Tasty brew no doubt. Lots of fresh roasted coffee up front. Decadant dark chocolate and a touch of char.

M: Medium in body, smooth wonderful carbonation.

D: Really liked it. Would buy a sixer if I came across this one again.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2009 04:25:15 | More by tpd975

beerman207

Kentucky

4.08/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked this up in at Whitey's liquors in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Never heard of it so I decided to give it a shot. It was a good gamble.

A - Black - a lot darker than I would expect from a porter. Some nice lacing in the glass but less than 1 finger of head for the beer

S - Tones of caramel and coffee picked up in here as well as some malts

T - Some chocolate and toffee coming through in the taste

M - Medium body and nice feeling on the palate

D - I would rate this pretty high. I could go for more than one of these.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2009 02:05:19 | More by beerman207

BigRedBeerDude

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I bought a six pack of these bottles recently and I was very impressed. It's color was virtually black and there was very little head. The lacing was moderate. The smell was very good and of coffee and bitter chocolate. I am a fan of the BBC Dark Star Porter, and this beer is very much like the Dark Star but a bit better. The taste is more complex and the hops after taste is more prominent and enjoyable. Bravo Oaken Barrel.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2009 18:20:17 | More by BigRedBeerDude

JamesS

Indiana

3.98/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very nice dark black color, although with little head and lacing, especially for a porter. Nice deep scent, hints of coffee and burnt grains. Well balanced taste, a nice burnt grain with coffee taste and a good hop finish (a little too much for me, personally). It goes down quite smoothly. A very nice porter.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2008 03:54:12 | More by JamesS

jwc215

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to jcwattsrugger for bringing a bottle of this back for me from Indiana!

Pours opaque/shiny black with a tan head that falls to a patchy film. Some trailing lace slides down the glass.

The smell is of roasted coffee with some ash and a subtle dark fruitiness.

The taste is of coffee with strong roasted notes with a backing of dark fruits. Bitterness and roastiness keep sweetness well-balanced. The darkness has a mix of pale, keeping it from entering "stout" territory. Roasty, bitterish, dry finish.

Borders full-bodied. Would be, but carbonation gives it a tad bit of thinness to keep it from being solidly full.

This is a porter with a big roasty character. (I didn't realize while writing my notes that it was a Baltic Porter - a bit surprised as it fits American porter so well.)

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2008 00:01:15 | More by jwc215

emerge077

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Deep auburn brown, reddish glint in the light. Creamy foam at first that settles to a skim, and breaks up into a thin ring over time.

Sweet lactic aroma, carob or chocolate suggestion.

Roasty char lends some bitterness, earthy dry chocolate, coffee, with some dried plum notes at first. Tobacco leaf in the aftertaste.

The body dissipates into a slightly watery state, with mild astringency. Overall it drinks very well, and I would seek it out again.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2008 01:30:40 | More by emerge077

mrsoul12

Indiana

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The aroma has a little bit of milk sugar, powdered malt notes, gobs of milk chocolate and very faint coffee notes. Malted milk ball is a great description of the aroma. The body is a dark ruby hued brown and holds an attractive, thumb thick, creamy mocha head that is quite lasting. It leaves very clingy, clumpy lace. Very concentrated toffee, caramel and roast malt flavors on the fore. Very caramelized tasting. I wonder if they have a direct fired kettle. Chocolate and more caramel and toffee work well into the finish then leads into milk sugars and alcohol. Overtly sweet, but it works well here. This is a pretty tasty brew on the whole.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2008 11:51:31 | More by mrsoul12