Arcadia London Porter - Arcadia Brewing Company

ultralarry2006

Illinois

5/5  rDev +25.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle. Leaves a two finger espresso-foam colored head that recedes to surface skim, and leaves some good spotty lacing. Body is black.

Smell - Hearty aroma of chocolate, toffee, caramel, coffee, smoky roasted malt, and burnt-crust maltbread. Hints of plums, dates, raisins, and prunes. Mouthwatering.

Taste - as promised by the smell. Hearty and delicious tastes of chocolate, toffee, caramel, coffee, burnt-crust maltbread, and smoky roasted malt, all highlighted with plums, dates, raisins, and prunes. Smoky roast malt more present in taste than in nose. Very hearty and delicious.

Mouthfeel - full bodied, chewy, semi-dry, and slightly acrid.

Drinkability - this is excellent ale, and is low enough in abv to be entirely sessionable. Very hearty and delicious.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2007 17:56:58 | More by ultralarry2006

deejaydan

Michigan

4.83/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Another beer that makes me glad to live in Michigan.

Opaque, very dark brown in color. Small light tan head. Some lacing is present. Smell of sweet lightly roasted malts. Taste explodes on your tounge. A rush of coffee, then chocolate, then a hint of alcohol. This beer is thick in the mouth, but the hops are present just enough to clean the palate of the coffee and chocolate notes and then make you want to drink more.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2004 19:27:25 | More by deejaydan

CraftAle

Michigan

4.83/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Black color. Medium body. Very complex aroma and taste---roasted malt, bitter and sour. None of the sweetness, but with all the flavors of many imperial stouts. Best Arcadia brew that I've tried! This, like most porters, is over-looked. Sour over-tone which is very much in line with original porters which included sour, left-over beer. Less than $9 for a 6-pack.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2007 16:55:16 | More by CraftAle

Ahhdball

Ohio

4.8/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I love this brew. It's got to be one of my favorites. I've seen it around but have never given it a shot - what have I been missing?!
My eyes missed the opaque pour from the bottle to the glass giving a good two fingered beige top. Leaving residue and lace for the drink. Amber appeared when the light hit it.
My nose missed the large burnt hops, crisp coffee/espresso, and roasted nuts.
My mouth missed the dark chocolate, roasted pine nuts, and wonderfully bitter hop riding way out in front but mixed exceptionally well with great malts.
Chewy, but velevety smooth.
I will definitely have this again and I want another right now.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2006 18:30:54 | More by Ahhdball

cokes

Wisconsin

4.78/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Opaque prune juice with a squat tan foam.
Perfumed of chocolate-drenched cedar, fig-flavored liquorice.
Floods the mouth with molten fudge. Backed with nods towards runny caramel and vanilla. Swirls of red grape vinousness. The middle is woody, with toasted maple and cedar, and a persuasive buttery yeast that jives perfectly here (and is so far afield in some other Arcadia brews). Prune late, with a reformation of nutty fudge brownies and vanilla glaze. The Fuggles and Goldings would seem overmatched, but persevere with a mighty, last-minute stand of burnt herbs and steel-tinged black tea.
Its feel and texture every porter should kill for, with it's thickened sense of lightness, soft carbonation, and general compulsion to drive itself down the throat.
This is a paralytic session brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2004 06:57:30 | More by cokes

sacrelicio

Minnesota

4.78/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

oh boy.

this beer pours very, very dark, opaque with a rim of deep amber orange. its topped off with a finger thick mocha colored head with a ice cream like texture in its appearance.

the smell is of fruit, coffee and chocolate. good, but nothing exceptional.

the flavors of this beer are simple but very pure and delicious. somewhat sweet maltiness, almost like a milk stout at first, with a midpalate of chocolate and coffee and a finish of appley flavored fruity hops. slight bitterness. seamless flow from one flavor to the next.

the mouthfeel is liquid velvet. no other way to describe it. almost like a hearty american stout.

Very drinkable. would be an awesome session beer as well if it were not so high in alcohol. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2005 01:04:56 | More by sacrelicio

Tbn2

New York

4.78/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Tasted this creation in my third favorite pint glass. Poured from a bottle with a picture of Winston Churhill on the bottle; one my favorite historical personalities.

Body is used motor oil black with nothing showing through. On top rest a one finger tan head that quickly retreats to a thin layer, leaving some laces all the way down.

Smells great! Lots of roasted aromas; burnt sugar, coffee, black patent malt. Hints of chocolate, yeast, earthy hops & alcohol

Taste like heaven in a bottle. Hits you with a big coffee flavor with a touch of toffee & chocolate at first. As you swallow, the taste fades to just coffee & an earthy & somewhat spicy hop flavor take the stage giving it a good crisp & clean finish. The mouthfeel is prefect & a slight warm feeling is felt from the alcohol it makes its way down to your belly.

God must have brewed this one. This is easily one of my top five beers.

Cheers...

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2009 19:51:00 | More by Tbn2

TastyTaste

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +19%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Great looking colorized picture of Winston Churchill on the bottle, giving the "Victory" sign. Pours a nealry pitch black body, very, very dark, in my chalice. Not a lot of head action after the pour, just a thin layer of foam. Smell is dark chocolate, cherry, and a smooth graininess are all in the nose. Very potent smelling. Big flavors, alot of alcoholic bourbon and rum flaovr, slight cherry, big chocolate, and a perfect amount of acidity. A nice big porter, not at all what I was expecting when i picked up a single of this beer. I could almost session these, a real smooth drinker, at a reasonable price.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2005 14:25:53 | More by TastyTaste

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.72/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This beer pours an opaque, metallic black color. The head is massive, creamy an light tan. The aroma is as massive as the head. Rich malts, chocolate, cream, butter crackers. The taste is wonderful. Malty, chocolaty, and alcoholic. For only having 7% ABV, this beer shows it well. Its presence adds a lot to the flavor. The mouthfeel is smooth, full bodied, and has low carbonation. Overall, this is a great baltic porter, and is perhaps the best I have had to date.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2006 23:46:15 | More by KarlHungus

AlexJ

North Carolina

4.72/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Deepest walnut brown with an impressive head of creamy beige froth. Excellent head retention and the lacing is thick.

Aroma of artfully roasted dark grain, coffee, dark cocoa, smoky wood ash, leather, and tingly pine.

Flavor is simply incredible for a Porter. Wonderful dark malt, chocolate, espresso, campfire, and scorched brown sugar notes meet with plentiful hop bitterness in the way of pine and earthy green herbs. Definately defines itself firmly as a porter, no mistaking this for a stout! Very complex.

Body is medium, creamy, and very smooth. Light but persistant carbonation lend to a lush velvety mouthfeel. Intense flavor in a very sessionable body make this a dangerously drinkable brew. One of the best examples of this style that I've tried.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2008 22:00:59 | More by AlexJ

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.7/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Basically, I'm looking at a black brew. Some shimmers of mahogany when held up to a light, but for all intents and purposes, this is black. Thin bubbly light brown head recedes to a collar quickly and leaves spotty, but adequate, lace. Aroma is exquisite. Thick roasted malts, heavy chocolate, smoke, vanilla bean, oak barrel and dripping, oozing caramel. The flavor follows through in a big way. Toasted and caramel and roasted malts meld together. Hop bitterness lingers on the tongue. Vanilla and oak mix together. Body is damn near full and the carbonation is very appropriate. This one is a winner. I'd put this up there with the Ed as two of my favorite, every day kind of drinking porters.

Cokes, you're the man for shooting some of this my way.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2005 05:47:51 | More by Bighuge

shbobdb

Indiana

4.68/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This bottle-conditioned beauty is truly something to behold.
It's black. B-L-A-C-K, as in pitch. But the flavour is wonderful. The fully, rich, sweet malts are perfectly counterbalanced by the harsh acidic black patent with nice english hops playing the ref.

Wow. I'm amazed by this beer. I could see myself drinking this a lot.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2006 23:57:08 | More by shbobdb

shippos

New York

4.65/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

very big thank you to crjmellor...

poured with a dark brown body almost black witha dense tan chocolate head that faded to a skim. hints of sweet sugar and a subtle burnt roasted ness character. dry and grassy witha hay like hop aroma. smooth rich mouthfeel, excellent carbonation, hints of smooth choc. almost silky and oily witha slight coffee character.
excellent!

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2005 22:32:46 | More by shippos

rayjay

Hawaii

4.65/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Big thanks to crazynelson for turning me on to this beer. I told him to send whatever he wants, and he sent me these. What a great porter! I know it's at least a few years old, and bottle conditioned. Never even heard of it before.

Fantastic aroma full of rich chocolate malt and delicate British yeast characteristics (generically fruity and estery). Noble hops, cigarette hands, smooth old whiskey, and more of my favorite smell: dusty old wood.

Great delicate pale malt sweetness cuts the deep chocolate and noble hop bitterness. Great sticky mouthfeel with spicy carbonation at a low level. Mild tartness that is easy dominated by all that is happening, which is very pleasant and refreshing. Low attenuation, and signs of a high gravity application of a low-gravity yeast.

A rather traditional porter with the yeast and the floor malts and the mild hop use, and a wonderful example. Someone did their homework. A close to cask ale that you can get from a bottle.

Sweet creamy coffee aftertaste. Some toffee and carmel show up during the long fallout. Mouthfeel is perfect, with balanced sticky sweetness but a medium density. Carbonation is low and out-of-the-way, quite fitting for this style.

Picture drinking a vintage aged-to-perfection Coca Cola that's lost most of it's fizz. This is the beer equivalent.

Alcohol only shows itself in the form of esters. Dangerous drinkability. Easily one of my favorite new beers. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2008 01:41:23 | More by rayjay

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.63/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Awesome four-finger beige head. Very slow to recede. Lumpy lace. The liquor color is dark, dark brown (nearly black). No light shines through.

Relatively mild aroma of dark chocolate and toffee. Not sweet.

Wow, lots of different flavors. The obvious ones of mocha, dark chocolate, light hop and cocoa are present. There are also some unexpected ones: banana bread, dark cherry, and cream. The finish is delicious hop and cocoa. The body coats the palate, yet it is not thick.

This is an exceptional porter. The flavor is so complex and the combination of elements so rich that it is hard to envision a better example of this style. Wow.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2008 18:42:43 | More by smcolw

kmpitz2

Tennessee

4.58/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours an incredibly dark brown, almost black color with a small head that falls to nothing more than a broken ring over top. The nose is nice. I get notes of chocolate and coffee with an underscore of figgy dark fruits. The flavor is dominated with coffee, but not too bitter. The chocolate and light fig come int in the middle to balance things out a little, but the bitter coffee grounds hit again on the end. The feel is thick, with a moderate carbonation. It works very well. A hightly drinkable beer. The flavors are bold, but not too big. No hint of the 7%. A very well built beer here.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2005 01:31:26 | More by kmpitz2

xav33

Michigan

4.58/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Arcadia London Porter
12 oz bottle
Cryptic encoding A3, delected 11/06
Medium pour in an English pint.

Poured black, with mahogony highlights, with a huuuge light brown somewhat lasting frothy head with good lacing.

Smelt of moderate molasses, smokiness, dark chocolate and coffee.

Taste was upfront moderate bittersweet, more on the sweetness side, mild coffee, fruity esters, almost raisiny or sheery like, and molasses followed by a harsh smokiness accompanied by a moderate spicy earthy feel, sweet caramelized sugar,, on a long sweet and spicy raisins, cloves and licorice finish. Mouthfeel was medium bodied, creamy, somewhat lively carbonation, and moderate astringency and slight alcohol.

Overall, the carbonation just blew out of the bottle, begging to be drank. The smell was enticing although a bit light. The flavor perfect, bold, complex, balanced and mellow enough on the palate. A good winter warmer, and certainly would make Old Winnie proud.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2006 07:04:18 | More by xav33

oelergud

Virginia

4.58/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Very dark body. Deep ruby at the edge and black opaque in the middle. Big creamy tan head broken by large bubbles. Good retention and low lace.
Very pleasant smell of malts and slightly piney hops. Just love that baltic porter scent.
The taste is just delicious. So well balanced smoked flavor of mild mannered malts and gently spiced hops with just a touch of nut skin. Rolling tasty aftertaste.
Full body with abit of coating, yet nicely hydrating.
Highly drinkable.

-Oelergud

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2007 23:22:33 | More by oelergud

nortmand

Virginia

4.55/5  rDev +14%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours dark, ruddy brown, with a tan head.

Huge sweet chocolate coffee roast smells fill the glass. Very nice.

Slightly sweet up front, ends in a sharp bitter roast. Roast and chocolate notes throughout. Slight alcohol burn after drinking.

Suprisingly light body, otherwise a very nice porter.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2006 23:02:49 | More by nortmand

Maestro

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This fellow is a sturdy ale, not for the faint of heart. The head is a thick, creamy tan head that leaves lots of thick bubbly lacing on the glass. The beer is nearly black in color with only the slightest hint of light passing through.The nose is a combination of sweet and roasty, with a slight hoppy aroma that is barely noticable. Taste is great! There is a bit of a nutty burst at first taste. Then you begin to notice the roasted malts. There seems to be a sweetness that comes through that is reminiscent of lactose. Caramel malt is also prevalent. As for mouthfeel, this beer keeps you in check. Lots of body and flavor, coupled with a good amount of carbonation. Drinkability is awesome. Beware of the alcohol, as it barely peeks its head.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2006 21:06:14 | More by Maestro

david131

Michigan

4.53/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A- A very dark brown, almost black. Pretty murky when held to a light. A small, but creamy off white head sits atop and settles to a center splotch and a ring.

S- Loads of chocolate, a strong roastiness, some coffee, very smoky and sweet. Pretty aromatic and complex.

T- Same as the taste, but the smokiness really comes through here. A lot of chocolate, but not overly sweet. Very complex with a great balance of everything. I am really impressed with this.

M- Very smooth and creamy. You really can't get any better than this.

D- Way better than I remember. This is like a chocolate milkshake. It is a bit rich, but wow, damn tasty.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2008 05:08:58 | More by david131

ALESwhatCURESya

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

My sister picked a few of these up for me on her raod trip through Michigan and, boy, am I glad she did. This came out with a perfectly fluffy tan head that soon turned to a dry foam The aroma was very sweet and full of burnt chocolate and toffee. The taste started out sweet, had an alcholic taste midway through, and finished very crisp and dry. It did not have a heavy amount of vanilla or nut that is accustom to many porters, but it was VERY enjoyable. Definately one porter to keep stocked in the cellar!

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2004 03:38:32 | More by ALESwhatCURESya

oberon

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

For whatever reason I have passed on this beer many times when back home man what was I thinking?Poured a near pitch black only a few hints of ruby thruout a tight almost creamy mocha colored head leaving a sheet of lace as it settled slowly atop.So much going on in the nose and palate of this beer its amazing molasses,dark roast coffee,bitter chocolate,fruit,and even a hint of mint not mention some smokiness.Complex flavors from beginning to finish with a creamy mouthfeel,dark roast coffee with a more pronounced smoky elemant with some molasses and unsweetened chocolate melding into a leafy,herbal finish.Easily the best Arcadia brewed beer in my mind just awesome!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2007 19:26:21 | More by oberon

Seanibus

California

4.5/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is an outstanding porter - plenty of dark malt flavor in a smother and lighter package than a stout. Drinkable and flavorful.

It pours almost black, with a small, late-developing head and nice lacing. The smell is sweetish and woody, with lots of dark malty aroma. The flavor is woody and chocolaty with a little sweetness and smoke. The mouthfeel is satisfying - rich, creamy, and dark, yet with that thinness and smoothness that distinguished porter from stout. The texture and flavor carry down your throat without ever being overpowering.

An excellent example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2008 22:38:17 | More by Seanibus

bigbubba

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a very dark brown, almost no light makes it through the glass. The head was tan and small. The smell is wonderful. Lots of sweet roasted malt and chocolate. The taste is wonderful as well. Sweet malt and alcohol balanced by the bitter roasty flavors. The mouthfeel is very smooth, with a nice thickness. This is a delicious, smooth, and very drinkable beer. The best beer I've had from Arcadia so far.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2005 23:00:38 | More by bigbubba