Morgul - Real Ale Brewing Company

rgs0204

Texas

4.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance - a murky dark brown body with an off white head. Head looks great but disappears rather quickly. The beer looks like it's going to either pack a punch a punch of something, either alcohol or big flavor. It looks like it will warm me up if I drink it.

Smell - The bourbon hits you right away, followed closely by dark cherries with a hint of chocolate.

Taste - The taste is sweet, with oak and vanilla up front and a light chocolate & dark fruit finish. The bourbon smell carries over into the taste as well.

Mouthfeel -A soft, moderate alcoholic finish, that coats your mouth like a light syrup.

Overall - I love bourbon and porters so something like this is beautiful to me. The bourbon smell and taste will be too forward for many. Real Ale did a go job balancing the sweetness. After the the first couple sips, I thought I was going to find this beer to be too sweet like a rich chocolate cake but the sweetness never overtook me. This beer would be perfect for a cold night.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2013 01:46:05 | More by rgs0204

tang214

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Had this last night on tap. I have never been disappointed by Real Ale and while I still liked this one it did not stand out to me. It had a decent tan head that did fade quickly and left only a little lace. It was a slightly cloudy brown color but still let a little light through. Light hop flavor and aroma. It did have a nice sweet malt aroma and the taste reflected that with a sweet raisiny flavor that I think comes from the Special B malt. There was also some subtle brown sugar flavor. The mouthfeel was lighter than expected for a porter which I expect was from using brown sugar in the recipe. The brown sugar also seems to have been used to bump the ABV up to 7%. Overall a good beer very drinkable and not overly complicated.

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2013 01:31:30 | More by tang214

champ103

Texas

4.2/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Rudyard's in Houston, TX

A: Pours a dark brown, nearly opaque color. At first a two finger tan head rises, and recedes in a minute. Nice lace is left behind.
S: Up front is vanilla, light brown sugar, and some wood. Big chocolate aromas with some dark fruits of cherries and plums.
T: Vanilla, wood, chocolate, some dark fruits all intermingle. Some alcohol heat as well, though very miner. Very nice.
M/D: A medium to full body with nice carbonation. Very smooth, but maybe just a bit on the watery side. So easy to drink. Everything is so well incorporated. This is a treat to drink.

This is well done with excellent balance. I love it, and something I would highly recommend. Another great barrel aged offering from Real Ale.

Serving type: on-tap

10-16-2011 01:10:35 | More by champ103

FUNKPhD

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Rudyard's. 7oz served with Rudz burger.

From notes:
Maker's Mark aged porter
Black with mocha head. Aroma and taste strong with bourbon and roasted malts. Silky smooth mouthfeel. Bourbon and roasted malts were made to be together.

A very tasty beer, the bourbon is not over powering, neither is the malt or hop.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2011 21:48:52 | More by FUNKPhD

Mora2000

Texas

4.22/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Common Table.

The beer pours a dark brown color with an off-white head. The aroma is very heavy on the oak with some bourbon and vanilla notes. There is no doubt that this is a barrel-aged beer.

The flavor is more of the same with a few additions. I get a little roasted malt and chocolate, but once again there is a ton of flavor imparted from the barrel aging. I get a lot of vanilla, maple, oak and some cinnamon. A very tasty mix of flavors.

Medium mouthfeel and low to medium carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

09-11-2011 01:55:04 | More by Mora2000

jamescain

Texas

3.93/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a taster at RealTail II. I'm not sure if this is the same beer they had at their anniversary party or not.

Appearance: Dark brown with reddish hues with a thin head that quickly dissipates into nothing.

Aroma: Woody notes with vanilla, chocolate, whiskey and alcohol.

Taste: Chocolate, coffee, vanilla, oak, and alcohol. It's pretty boozy but the oak is a little more restrained then it was for their BA shade grown coffee porter.

Mouthfeel: Low carbonation and medium body with a noticeable alcoholic finish.

Overall: A good beer, but I would prefer if the barrel and whiskey was not so straight forward, let a little more of the beer come through.

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2011 18:15:15 | More by jamescain