Mary's Maple Porter (Brewmaster's Series) - Brooklyn Brewery

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

16 ounce (I think it's 16 or close to it) mason jar/mini-growler purchased from Party Town earlier this morning for $2.75. Served in a nonic pint glass, the beer pours dark brown/black with a half inch tan head that went away quickly. There's a small amount of lacing. Aroma is very nice, the brew smells like maple, roasted malt, and chocolate. It tastes like roasted malt, caramel, maple, chocolate, and some dark fruit. The flavor also has more bitterness than I was expecting, but with that being said I still thought it was still tasty. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a little creamy with moderate carbonation. I liked this brew, I wouldn't mind trying it again.

Serving type: growler

04-21-2012 21:19:58 | More by bluejacket74

rlee1390

Indiana

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A-Light black one finger head that does not stay around for long.

S-Maple, a tad bit of roasted malt with some vanilla and spice.

T-Maple dominates, some vanilla, although for a porter it could use some more roasted malts.

M-Light, thin, watery with little carbonation.

O-One of the better experiences I've had with a beer where Maple dominates. Some more roasted malt would have been nice.

Serving type: growler

04-12-2012 02:53:43 | More by rlee1390

avalon07

South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from a growler to a pint glass. Had a jet black color and a muddy texture. There was a half inch of foamy, tan-colored, fairly long-lasting head. Not much lacing at all.

S: A sweet aroma, with hints of chocolate and coffee as well.

T: Tasted of mild coffee notes up front, with malt, chocolate, and the advertised maple in the finish. A sweet flavor, but not quite as well rounded and robust as I would like.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a very dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Not to say this is a bad beer, but it didn't exactly meet my expectations. Decent enough, though.

Serving type: growler

02-28-2012 13:09:54 | More by avalon07

benetoh

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed from a growler from Joe canals in Lawrenceville, NJ

Decided I had to get it, just because I know all of my friends woukd want to try, regardless of how good it was.

A: opaque dark brown. Tan head that didnt last long, but it was from a growler that wasnt cMompletely filled.

S: not a ton going on here, a trace of maple, nothing else

T: mild maple taste. Most of my friends were hoping for more maple flavor. Barely noticeable hops, a little bit of chocolate malt.

M: a little heavy, but not as thick as a fullers porter or brooklyn bcs.

O; definitely worth trying, just don't expect a dessert beer. Relatively easy drinking. Try this if you are looking for something a little different thats not extreme.

Serving type: growler

02-26-2012 05:40:08 | More by benetoh

BF1977

New York

1.93/5  rDev -47.6%
look: 5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I was looking forward to this one. I love maple syrup. I love porters. And I love Brooklyn. Wow, was I disappointed. This is probably the worst Brooklyn beer I ever had. I guess I was looking for something on par with Intesified Coffee Stout. This is not it.

It looks great, the smell has a hit of maple, the taste is just a hodge podge; almost medicinal. I don't taske English Porter at all and the mouth feel is thin. I'm not sure it's even worth finishing the bottle. So sad.

Serving type: growler

02-26-2012 00:19:20 | More by BF1977

claspada

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Growler courtesy of brystmar at our most recent tasting.

Pours motor oil black with a minimal dark tan head, recedes to a thick film and leaving some bubbly lacing.

Aromas begin quite sweet and roasty simultaneously with a hint of vanilla bean as it warms. Maple and molasses flavors emerge as it warms but the espresso/acrid roastiness is present throughout.

The tastes begin quite sweet and malty for a porter, some moderate roastiness. Notes of vanilla, but not getting much if any of the advertized maple as there was in the aroma. Just honey sweet and acrid and roasty. Not bad just not what I was hoping for.

The mouthfeel is medium to heavy bodied with medium to low carbonation, but that could just be the growler aspect. The finish is initially sweet and cloying but the bitterness and molasses emerge more as more and weighs on the palate.

Overall I appreciate the effort to include/infuse maple flavors in this beer but it fell a little flat for me. Too sweet and acridly roasty with not enough balance from either base malt, caramel malt or even hops. Not as bad as the Concoction or the Companion but a far cry from their past Brewmaster's Series releases like Detonation or Blast.

Serving type: growler

02-20-2012 15:21:22 | More by claspada

cosmicevan

New York

2.78/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

picked up a 16oz fill of this about an hour or two ago.

a - poured into my brooklyn snifter. poured a fich black with a thin cream colored almost white head. head was milky and hung out for a bit slowly bubbling away.

s - rich roasted malts with a glaze of maple. the porter char is pushed in the sweet maple direction giving it an almost milk stout smell. roasted chocolates.

t - whoa...that's interesting. the flavor seems to be a bit of an identity crisis. it is drinkable, but not good.

m - the porter char is swallowed by maple tingle.

o - overall, this is just weird. i love a good english porter, but the addition of the maple seems to push the flavors and feel in the wrong direction. i guess, this is what i should've been expecting, but a maple porter sounded so great, but in retrospect, probably not the most wonderful idea...at least not for my taste buds. i do appreciate the experimentation and will continue to support the brewmaster reserves and if you ever wondered what a maple porter would taste like, this is it...but perhaps you should second guess wondering what a maple porter would taste like...ick.

my wife seems to dig it so she'll finish this one for me.

Serving type: growler

02-19-2012 21:57:10 | More by cosmicevan

Billolick

New York

3.05/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

32 ounce growler filled at DeCicco's in Ardsley, NY

Pours basic black, dark tan head, initially hige, slowly going to a thick film and leaving respectable larger bubble lacing.

Sweet malt nose.

Sweet and malty porter, some moderate roastyness. Notes of vanilla, but not getting much if any of the advertized maple. Sweetness continues and continues, where is the drying and balancing hop component? anywhere?

Ehh, not my favorite and yet another disapointment in this "brewmasters series" of oddball and dud beer after oddball and dud beer...c'mon Brooklyn... this is getting kinda lame..first concoction and now this tame, sweet and on the lame side porter...puzzling...def would not go for this one again, with so many tasty, balanced and enjoyable beers out there and readily available

Serving type: growler

02-10-2012 02:13:51 | More by Billolick

JohnnyHopps

Indiana

3.03/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I sampled this beer on tap at the Valpo Brewfest on 9/29/2012. Poured into my pint glass, the porter was a cloudy brown color. At the very least, the appearance was interesting. The initial taste was that a of tangy porter. It almost measured as though it was a porter flavored with overrippened fruit. Even if this is advertised as a maple porter, I struggled to idenify any hint of maple. It was a mildly malty porter, but unspectacular even in this respect. I empathize with maple being hard to capture in a beer, but the ansence of maple flavor in a maple beer is odd. In the aftertaste, the beer evolved into a more sour fruit flavor as it lingered on the back of the throat. Overall, this was an unimpressive effort.

Serving type: on-tap

10-01-2012 23:00:53 | More by JohnnyHopps

blackcompg

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a snifter and enjoyed at Firkin in Libertyville, IL...

Appearance - Poured an opaque dark brown with about an inch of tan head (looked great when it arrived) which was gone in a minute, left somewhat minimal lacing.

Smell - Dark fruits, slight roast, and faint maple (hard to tell if this is because I'm expecting this)

Taste - Starts dark tart fruits and grape/plum skins, light roasted pumpernickel bread - finishes sour dark fruit skins, and drying toasted pumpernickel crust.

Mouthfeel - Lighter side of medium mouthfeel, medium carb scrubs any hopes of smoothness or creaminess. Very drinkable, definitely more on the bitter/dryer side of porters.

Overall - This beer was okay, but ended up being no particular porter in my experience. I tried so ahard to pick up the maple in this porter and just didn't find it, especially not in the taste. So this more aptly named "Mary's Porter" was just average for me at best.

Serving type: on-tap

09-30-2012 14:46:24 | More by blackcompg

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap 9/2/2012 at Pour Farm Tavern in New Bedford, MA, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is dark brown color, with a short light brown head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains maple, caramel, roasted malts and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out with sweet flavors of maple, nuts, caramel and coffee. Then a hearty roasted malt character comes in. The hops presence is good for the style and creates a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly bready.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, good kick, good representation of style, this is a nice porter to drink for a long time.

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2012 01:41:20 | More by TheManiacalOne

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from tap into a sampler imperial pint. Poured a massively dark brown with a half finger beige head that subsided to a minimal amount almost instantly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of roasted malt, bread, subtle sweet syrup, and a hint of coffee. The flavor was of roasted malt, subtle coffee, buttery, bread, and spices. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. I really wasn't impressed by this one too much if I am completely honest. With a name containing Maple in it, I really went into this one expecting to be blown away by the maple presence. Sadly this was not the case... It did have notes of it in the aroma, but that was about it that I picked up on. Definitely not bad, but also definitely not the best I've had from the style.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2012 18:32:03 | More by thagr81us

mdfb79

New York

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 06/22/12 notes. Had on tap at Amity Hall in W 3rd St in NYC. Served in a pint glass.

a - Pours a dark brown color with one inch of light tan head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of maple, roasted malts, chocolate, sweet dark fruits. Nice maple up front.

t - Tastes of sweet maple, molasses, sweet dark fruits, roasted malts, chocolate, toasted malts. A little sweeter than the nose, pretty nice again.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Smooth, and pretty easy to drink.

o - Overall a very nice beer; pretty much exactly what I was hoping it would be. Maple comes through strong in the nose and taste, as do porter notes. A bit sweet, but I liked it quite a bit, and would like to have it again, though probably not more than 1 in a night.

Serving type: on-tap

06-26-2012 15:33:25 | More by mdfb79

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at gulu cafe in Salem ma, served in a pt glass

A: served with very little head that dissapates rather quickly, no lacing, dark dark brown cola colored almost black.

S: a hint of booze and maple, over dry milk chocolate, caramel and coffe notes, this beer smells delicious, a vague vanilla note in there as well, the only negative thing I have to say about the aroma is that i wish there was more of it, more thick, more pungent.

T: dry chocolate with wet notes of booze, vanilla and caramel, a bit of roastyness in there as well, very complex and very delicious. Not nearly as sweet as i expected, if anything it's on the dry side, I really enjoy this. The alcohol note is unexpected out of a 7.2% brew but I feel like it fits in perfectly.

M: dry on the finish, slightly cremy and easy drinking, the only thing is, and I know this is a porter, that I wish it had a bit more heft to it, then this would have been awesome! It also had high/medium carbonation.

O: I really liked this, a dry Mapely porter, with a nicley complex flavor profile, and a nice drink ability, not what I expected, but not dissapointing either. Give this one a whirl if you get the chance for sure.

M:

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2012 01:12:03 | More by PeterIngemi

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Tap at prezo.

Nice fizzy almost 1 finger head that fades at a med pace, touch of lacing, pitch black beer, no light getting through that sucker.

Nose starts with dark malts, plenty of chocolate, dark and bakers, a creamy lactose like a chocolate milk yoohoo like, a mild black patent char bitter smelling touch, hint of coffee, also plenty of caramel and toffee, and some fresh raw maple candy.

Taste doesn't lag behind at first, with plenty of lactose and creaminess to start, chocolate milk again, with a bit of bakers chocolate, and light charred black patent malt again. A bit of booze comes through more than it should for only being 7%. A light maple taste, again more like maple candy and much mess than the nose, but some earthy remnants of the leftover bits in the maple. There is a bit of caramel and toffee to go with that. But, there are some herbal biter hops nagging in the background the whole time that seems to detract from the beer a bit, totally not necessary, with some herbal grassy and slight vegetative hop flavors and mild bitterness. late on the palate adds a light yeast flavor and hint of bready malt flavors. Finish is creamy and a bit sticky, not too dry either, with lingering chocolate and lactose, and more of the earthy herbal hops.

Mouth is med bodied but quite creamy, decent carb, mild booze.

Overall, sigh, eh. i feel this could have been stop much better, the hops really clash with the beer adding so much herbal grassy taste, the malts are nice though. It also has a bit too much of a boozy feel for only 7%, but not too bad. The lactose is a nice touch with the chocolate and if the maple were stronger, nice maple cream taste, which was another downfall of this beer, lack of maple that was nice on the nose but lacking on the taste.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2012 11:38:46 | More by jlindros

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at O'reilly's served in a pint chilled.

The color is a black and translucent clarity with thin cap of tan with tight bead, retention is good. The smell is slightly vinous and has a lot of fruity esters either from the yeast or maple with mild woody notes. The feel is slightly thin with medium carbonation and subtle roasted texture with a light hint of alcohol.

The taste has some raisin and chocolate malt up front with subtle roast and maple elements and a moderately high alcohol presence with slight tinge of currant and woody accents, a gentle hint of wood and yeast is fairly fruity. Overall I enjoyed this, but it is not the best of the style, certainly worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2012 18:53:16 | More by Slatetank

SouthernBuckeye

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Brooklyn Brewery

A - Black pour, some lacing, tan colored foam.

S - Light scent of maple syrup and chocolate malt.

T - Solid tasting beer, with a combo of robust malt and sweetness of maple syrup.

M - Smooth, went down easy.

O - Enjoyed this beer the most of the ones I got to try while visiting the brewery. Bros say this is 7.2% ABV, but the board at the brewery said 7.5% ABV.

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2012 02:30:22 | More by SouthernBuckeye

erosier

Connecticut

4.23/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L: Pours a nice black color with a medium bodied medium sized tan colored head that laces the glass a little on the way down.
S: Smells of sweet maple, some roasted malts, hints of caramel in the nose as well.
T: Tastes of sweet maple, roasted malts, caramel, dark fruits, and a little bit of dark chocolate in there as well.
M: Feels rich, smooth, perfect amount of carbonation, a bit heavy, warming.
D: Overall a really nice porter which was pretty sweet and a nice mix of flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2012 09:54:34 | More by erosier

Morey

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap @ Six Pack House of Beers in Erie, PA.

APPEARANCE: Poured black in color with dark brown hues around the edges when held up to the light. The head stood about one finger tall and was light brown in color. It settled rather quickly, and left decent lacing on the glass as I drank it.

AROMA: Molasses, roasted barley, maple, dark fruits, and dark chocolate fill the nose.

TASTE: There’s a nice smooth and rounded roasted malt flavor up front. The maple syrup adds a kiss of sweetness and flavor. I’m also getting ripe plums and raisins towards the middle. The finish is pretty smooth with some lingering roasted flavor and a hint of smokiness.

MOUTHFEEL: Medium bodied with light carbonation.

MOREY’S BOTTOM LINE: A pretty nice Porter overall with just enough maple sweetness to let you know that it’s there. This would make for a good early Spring seasonal. I’d probably reach for this over their Pilsner.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2012 10:04:14 | More by Morey

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Taco Mac Decatur 3/1/12. Reviewed from notes.

(Appearance) Very solid black with little light penetration. medium brown head, medium thickness and bubbly, leaves surface cover for a while. Looks quite intense. 4

(Smell) booze, toasted caramel malts, booze, chocolate malts and a hint of soy sauce. Maple doesn't really come through much in the nose. Medium/heavy potency. Smells pretty good. 4

(Taste) Light black malt and coffee taste up front, sharp toasted malt and booze on the finish. Sweetness from the maple tones come through quite sharp on the end, somewhat medicinal and boozy compliment. Smokey finish. Pretty light on the taste most of the way through. it's pretty interesting regardless. I haven't had something quite like this yet. There's plenty to add to though. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) slick smooth. medium body. Medium alcohol presence. Decent compliment, although I think there could be a little more carbonation to pep up certain aspects of the beer, it comes off as flatter than it should be. 3

(Overall) Pretty interesting concoction by Brooklyn. I don't dislike much about the beer, but feel it could succeed with a bigger body and fuller flavor. At the moment it just has potential but still a long way to go. 3.5

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2012 01:37:43 | More by Jadjunk

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

2.55/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A-black with a sticky tan head

S-just a faint scent of coffee. very faint

T-comes in with a strong taste of old coffee. doesn't last long. hits the tongue with a weird bitterness. not getting any maple..at.all. overall its a boring taste. not much to mention here

M-low carbonation with a dry finish

O-its not disgusting but its a terrible porter. not sure how this got to production. its not even easy to drink

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2012 20:58:31 | More by AdamBear

kylehay2004

Florida

3.93/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: no head on a jet black body.

S: white wine and Chardonnay notes with a mild sweet and smokey background note.

T: Smokey, sweet chocolate and light maple with a licorice and milk chocolate finish.

M: light to medium carbonation and light to medium body. Oily on the palate.

Overall: Very interesting porter. One of the more unique porters. Not a huge fan of licorice notes. A good one to try.

Serving type: on-tap

04-21-2012 01:11:52 | More by kylehay2004

Gmann

New York

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

A. Pours a standard porter brown color with wispy beige head that settles into a light ring.

S. the aroma is light for a porter. Some toasted bread and toffee notes. A bit of coffee.

T. The taste is of a toasted pumpernickel. The malt is a buttery toffee flavor I guess some maple. There is a tart grape thing going on. Solid roast for a porter but needs a little more earthy flavors. Tartness kills the flavor a bit.

F. The feel is moderate. On the dry side with some sour notes. Balanced. Drinks well.

O. Solid porter not great. A bit too dry.

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2012 23:25:16 | More by Gmann

lurpy1

Minnesota

3.05/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap at Crunchy's East Lansing. Consumed by the pint.

Pours a nice deep brown with beige head. Very appropriate for a porter.

Problem. This is a maple beer, purportedly, but there's no maple getting in my nose. Put out an APB for the maple? What we have here is standard, mild, unprepossessing porter smells. Roast, malt, some chocolate, bit more hop than expected. But no maple.

Taste is not unpleasant, but disappoints. Again, maple is AWOL. And the porter flavors come up a little short. Not really a great underlying porter. Roasty, but that's about the end of the story. Likewise, I found the body thin.

Sigh. Very hard to get enthused by this beer. I regard Brooklyn as rock solid, but I was let down by this beer. Not bad, not recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

04-10-2012 14:58:19 | More by lurpy1

socon67

New York

4.2/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Black pour, some lacing, pitch black with a tan colored foam.

S - Very nice scent of maple syrup, chocolatey malt, and english toffee.

T - Solid tasting beer, with a contrast of robust malt and sweetness of maple candy.

M - Smooth, felt heavier than it was, and a pleasant sweet finish.

O - Liked this alot. A nice surprise from Brooklyn.

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2012 02:12:32 | More by socon67