Sleeman Fine Porter (68*) - Sleeman Breweries Ltd.

sbarre

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +13.6%

12-29-2012 17:58:40 | More by sbarre

TheBeeraholic

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +13.6%

06-16-2013 13:45:58 | More by TheBeeraholic

beerhunter13

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +29.9%

05-01-2013 22:13:28 | More by beerhunter13

timiskin

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -2.6%

04-23-2013 20:08:36 | More by timiskin

Ivanhoes_Backpack

New Brunswick (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev +5.5%

03-11-2013 17:21:21 | More by Ivanhoes_Backpack

TimeLincoln

New Brunswick (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +21.8%

03-10-2013 19:11:48 | More by TimeLincoln

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

2/5  rDev -35.1%

02-13-2013 22:07:18 | More by DaPan

bzach

Indiana

3/5  rDev -2.6%

10-16-2012 03:31:09 | More by bzach

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

from notes
A - Clear but nearly impenetrable deep amber, thumb od tan head retained well

S - Roasty, grainy, chocolate maltiness, mild adjunct

T - Roasty and syrup sweetness, dark chocolate, light leafy hint and subtle smoke

M - Medium weight and brightly carbonated, light bitter with a bit of a chaulky finish

O - Pleasantly surprised given Sleeman's usual mass produced brerw, I may be given a sypathy point or two here given the lacklustre nature of their usual lineup, but thi has me optimistic about future offerings in this series if it does continue

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 20:22:45 | More by joemcgrath27

Noxious26

Saskatchewan (Canada)

2.75/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Clear 341ml bottle poured in a pint glass.

Clear, brown with ruby highlights. Off-white to beige head is 1/4 inch on the pour, but recedes to a few islands and a thin ring around the edge. Doesn't really look like a porter. Looks more like a brown ale.

Smells like most other Sleeman products. Malts, nutty, pecans. So far, this could be just like their honey brown.

Straight ahead malt profile with a hint of nuts. Bitter finish reminds me of the inside of a pecan shell. Very similar to their honey brown, but without the sweetness.

Mouthfeel is like a lager, in other words, too watery for a porter. Moderate carbonation.

This isn't a true porter. Nothing like any other porter I've ever had. Too many Sleeman offerings all taste the same. Same profile with subtle differences in all their darker beers. Worth a try, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. I got a six pack for Christmas and I tried a couple straight out of the bottle and it tastes better that way than in a glass, which isn't saying much.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 02:35:53 | More by Noxious26

bigox420

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +29.9%

11-28-2011 06:17:39 | More by bigox420

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

341ml clear bottle, thankfully part of a closed six-pack. Called 'Fine Porter' in these here parts.

This beer pours a clear, dark ruby red hue, with two fat fingers of foamy, pillowy pale beige head, which leaves a decent array of spidery webbed lace around the glass as it slinks away. It smells of thin bready chocolate malt, some equally undermined nuttiness, a hint of ugly butter, and an indeterminate sweet metallic nature. The taste is edgy, anemic bready caramel malt, a bit more of the metallic booze, and earthy, leafy hops. The carbonation is average, the body medium-light in weight, and a bit too edgy to be considered outright smooth. It finishes with more of that neutered caramel and bastard nuttiness, with a further, almost sour character, unrelated to the original intent of the style.

I haven't had a Sleeman offering in a long while, after my dalliance with them many years ago. Now, their weaknesses are all to obvious - plain, timid, and just lacking the weight of the standard bearers of the style in question - talk to the boyz in the Winnipeg hood for tips, Johnny-boy...

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 03:43:53 | More by biboergosum

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The last of my tasting notes...

A - Pours a nice dark mahogany colous with a reddish hue, finger of head with decent retention and some nice sheeting lacing.

S - Mild but some nutty and chocolate notes come through.

T - The chocolate notes dominate, although come across a tad bitter. The finish is creamy with some milk chocolate undertones.

M - Medium bodied, but a bit prickly going down, however, finishes with a touch of dryness.

O - A tasty porter and a surprisingly tasty offering from the Sleeman line-up. Probably the most flavourful I've had from the company to date and certainly worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 07:04:12 | More by andrenaline

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

2.25/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

For a style that is so often thoroughly black it's a bit unexpected to find that Sleeman Porter is hardly black at all: it's complexion is perfectly clear and dominated by flaring auburn highlights. (Considering the brewery's portfolio and reputation, however, perhaps this shouldn't be so shocking.) To its credit, at least, it generates a decent head.

At best, this aroma could only generously be described as that of a dark lager. It is nothing even abstractly like what a porter should smell like. There's scarcely any roast barley, nothing chocolaty or nutty or sweet - just cheap caramel and a nasty bout of diacetyl. The poor quality (and stingy use) of ingredients is made immediately apparent.

There's a colloquial expression that captures my impression of this beer: yuk! Any remotely robust or dark flavours taste synthetic and/or spoiled: chocolate (cheap, dollar-store kind from three Easter's ago); coffee (yesterday's, with the grinds floating in it); and malts (or, rather, the chemical- and corn syrup-based kind used only by industrial breweries).

But forget the taste, it's the mouthfeel that's truly a heroic monstrosity. So bad, in fact, that in a strange way it's almost commendable. The way in which cloying, synthetic corn sweetener is blended with that astringent, acrid "roast" element is applaudingly awful and must have required someone who really had no clue what they were doing.

Likening this to any halfway-decent porter is like considering Steven Segal's movies to be thought provoking and emotionally stimulating. You'd have to be stupid to believe this is a real porter. I'm all for Sleeman drinkers expanding their horizons and trying different, less pedestrian styles but it's obviously a bad idea for the brewery itself to try to do the same.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 05:16:10 | More by biegaman

SuperSnake

Ontario (Canada)

2.13/5  rDev -30.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

I was so disappointed in this beer. Drank this along side fuller's london porter and it does not stand up.

A: Deep brown light enough to see a reddish colour

S:Slight sweet smell but very macro grain smell also.

T: Bitter with a weird fruit licorice roasty taste.

Mouthfeel: Light bitter

Drinkability: Not good

Not goo get Fullers London Porter for sure

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 06:28:31 | More by SuperSnake

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

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

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine June 2007.

One of the highest-scoring Sleeman beers on BeerAdvocate.com. This Porter is drawn right from page 68 in the Sleeman family recipe book, hence the name.

Deep-brown color with garnet hues when held up to the light. Quick to foam, then slowly subsides to a dense rocky head with great retention. A tad roasty in the nose; metallic, with a mild sweetness rounding out the aroma. Creamy, smooth mouthfeel meets a light yet tight crispness within the medium body. A one-note roasty flavor blankets the palate for the duration. Moderate hop bitterness with a faint herbal flavor to balance. Light, fruity twang doesn't have enough to rise above the roasty character. Finishes with that same roasty flavor, along with a bit of sweetness on the tip of the tongue.

The trite roasty temperament just does not hack it--far too many other craft-brewed Porters on the market today are in a totally different league. There's nothing specifically bad about this beer, but the flavors just don't mesh, and it leaves the beer like a jigsaw puzzle that's missing a few pieces.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2010 18:57:46 | More by BeerAdvocate

mrmanning

Ontario (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I was suprised to see this at the LCBO, and instead of buying my regular few bottles of Svturys, I picked this 6 pack up.

Bottle- Poured a dark body, black appearance, but on closer examination, the colour is a very dark red/aburn, with a medium sized beige head. Also some nice foam present around the edges even after several minutes. Aroma is malty, earthy, and suprisingly sharp. Taste is malty, bitter, slightly bready, and extremely full. Leaves a nice aftertaste, consisting of slight biterness.

I must congratulate Sleeman on this one. Definitely a step in the right direction.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2009 15:22:23 | More by mrmanning

Ragingbull

California

3.35/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Dark brown with an almost purple tone to the color when held up to the light. Light head of wispy foam. The nose has a gently sweet malt presentation about it. The attack is very mild and the flavors are gently malty with hints of coffee and smoke. As it approaches the finish the smoke flavor really takes over and dominates the aftertaste while it manages to leave the finish pretty clean. The sweetness of the malt is set off nicely by the smoke and coffee flavors. This is hands down my favorite offering from Sleeman, but I also have an affinity for porters. Come to think of it, I might have patrol the Sleeman section again and see if there are any new offerings.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 19:36:58 | More by Ragingbull

drpimento

Wisconsin

2.65/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured with a GINORMOUS tan,foamy, frothy head and a slathering of lace. Color's a dark, clear brown. Aroma is quite mild, chocolatey, and malty. Flavor's a little more complex with the above characteristics, but also a bit of fruit, a bit of bitterness, a bit of hop, and a hint sour. On the thin side. Not too bad, but it seems they're a bit over frugal with the malt bill here. Finish is - eh...

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2009 02:12:24 | More by drpimento

yesyouam

New York

2.9/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Sleeman Porter 68 is a very dark and dim red ale with a huge, frothy, waxy and dimpled off-white head that leaves great lacing. Looks supreme. There is a sharp metallic tone in the aroma; a whiff of freshly-dug earth and grain that resembles... wheat? It is medium bodied, a bit creamy and the finish is alkaline. It's well bittered and there is a dark flavor from the malt. Not much roastiness, like instant coffee. The most pronounced thing is the long finish of bitter green shrubbery: juniper, arbor vitae, etc. There is a tiny crumble of chocolate cookie in there. The lacing and the aftertaste lasts all night.
(rated Aug 2, 2007)

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2008 16:05:59 | More by yesyouam

kinger

Ohio

2.48/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Porter? no way not with this one. Pours a transparent dark amber with thin head and a decent amount of lacing. Looks more like a dunkel or amber ale. Aroma is faint and sweet, trying to locate some hops or malts and keep coming up short. Mouthfeel is too thin and watery for a porter, but it is clean and slightly smooth. Flavor is decent, a bit too sweet for my liking. Again the taste doesn't resemble a porter, but it is enjoyable in small doses. Not a big fan of this offering from an otherwise solid brewer.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2008 20:39:54 | More by kinger

ajmoody76

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

free night from the wife and kids. decided to catch up on a couple beers. 12 ounce bottle poured into an imperial pint glass. dark brown with a one finger head. some lace.

chocolate malt nose. light hop boquet. no off odors.

good toasty and chocolate flavor. not a great deal of hop presence. dry aftertaste. nice balance.

mid to full body. good carbonation. i like this style a lot. pretty good example. would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2008 03:23:10 | More by ajmoody76

botham

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.5 oz bottle poured into a nonic. pours a deep garnet color, basically black, with garnet highlights and a half finger of tan head that remains for a minute or so. light lacings.

aroma is creamy, with lightly roasted malt and a grainy base. a sweet character adds to the creamyness, giving the brew a simple and subtle profile, with a slight metallic tinge.

taste is roasted with a bit of coffee on the edges, along with a touch of dark fruit and a clean finish of light residual grain. unique in the clean finish, without much of an aftertaste.

mouthfeel is medium bodied with a clean finish and a slick mouthfeel. texture is creamy and smooth, with a smooth finish.

drinkability is good. this brew is light in body and clean finishing for a porter, which gives it a unique character, while remaining decently rich and creamy. a mid-line porter, worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2008 19:24:09 | More by botham

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +29.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a deep reddish brown color with moderate tannish head.

Smell shows some roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate, but very light.

Taste has more of the roasted malt character, with some dark fruit flavors also note. A touch of bitter coffee also shows through.

Finishes with nice taste retention and a long lingering dryness.

Really a very good beer. Much more than I expected.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2008 00:15:31 | More by tgbljb

charliedango

Illinois

1.88/5  rDev -39%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured from 12oz bottle into pint glass. Prior descriptions have pretty much nailed the overall look and smell of the beer. I got a 3 inch head out of my pour though. This particular porter is quite bitter and not as rich as I'd hoped due to the excessive carbonation. The mouthfeel is slightly frothy (as expected with this level of carbonation) and the aftertaste seems to be more alcohol than anything else. At only 5.5% ABV I'm surprised the alcohol flavor is as noticeable as it is.

Overall, not what I would call a good representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2008 07:28:37 | More by charliedango