Labatt Brewers Collection Porter - Labatt Brewing Company Ltd.

schoolboy

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +43.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

When I bought this 24 pack of Labatt yesterday I wasn't expecting much. This one exceeds my expectations. It is a mild porter - not as rich and creamy as some, but still with an interesting, roasty flavor.

It has a pleasant aftertaste, but, like I said, mild. They should have done a little more with it - maybe a hoppy character would be nice. So far this is the winner of the pack. Before yesterday I had no idea how close the Labatt brewery was to my home (100 miles due north, over 300 by car, though - it's on the other side of the lake).

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 16:30:48 | More by schoolboy

rontmx5

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev +19.9%

04-12-2013 13:43:34 | More by rontmx5

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

2.25/5  rDev -17%

02-13-2013 12:40:29 | More by DaPan

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

2.5/5  rDev -7.7%

01-18-2013 12:36:11 | More by tbeckett

fishguyac

Washington

3.25/5  rDev +19.9%

01-13-2013 02:27:40 | More by fishguyac

kbnooshay

New York

1.75/5  rDev -35.4%

12-21-2012 15:42:41 | More by kbnooshay

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev +39.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

by far and away the best brew ive had from labatt, no question. called the classic porter on the label, this one pours a nice thick dark brown color with good carbonation giving rise to an inch of tan foam. the nose is a little sweet, vanilla and dark malts compete for attention. the flavor is sort of divided, roasted barley, burnt toast, and bakers chocolate are the first half, sweet milk sugar and vanilla extract round out the second act. its really quite good, not too sweet, but more than the usual english style porter for sure. smooth texture, fuller body, but id have several of these. overall not about to win any awards, but for a labatt beer, this one is exceptional. nice around the holidays.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 22:09:28 | More by StonedTrippin

hardcor33

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev +1.5%

04-15-2012 21:13:56 | More by hardcor33

Goldfishman

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev +10.7%

01-30-2012 02:23:13 | More by Goldfishman

roastTHEmost

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev +10.7%

01-08-2012 20:57:20 | More by roastTHEmost

fx20736

New York

3.45/5  rDev +27.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from an 11.5 oz bottle into a pint glass, room temp.

Deep dark brown, almost black, with a thin creamy tan head, nice lacing.

aroma of roasted barley, toasted malt and grassy hops

mouthfeel is lightish

taste: toasted malt, roasted barley, a little lactic twang of sourness and a little smoke on the back end.

Notes: another nice beer from this collection, tasty, well made. Bravo Labatt brewing.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 18:18:06 | More by fx20736

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer poured out as a dark brown color but it wasn't opaque like most porters are. The head was thing and tan in color. The smell of the beer had some basic roasted aromas on the nose. The taste of beer reminded me of a flat cola of somekind. The taste is sweet and roasted but also not strong enough. The mouthfeel of the beer was watery and not really that impressive. Overall it's hardly a porter worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 04:20:06 | More by Knapp85

DannyDan

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev +29.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours out a dark brown hue with a thin tan head. The lacing and retention on this beer is quite good. The smell is of cocoa and some malts. The taste is of a mild bitter chocolate and some sweet malts. The mouthfeel is an easy drinking very light and watery for a porter. Overall, this porter is more mild and way less bitter than most. Like the others in the limited edition collection that recently came out this porter is ideal for a first time porter drinker.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 01:24:00 | More by DannyDan

bushbeer75

Michigan

3.13/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

11.5 oz brown bottle

Labatt Porter from the Brewers Collection [fall variety case] poured a dark brown almost black with a foamy tan head sitting atop of my mug. The nose has a dry roasted malt smell. Taste is light [when compared to the better American Porters], of smoked malts, roasty, and weak/wet chocolate.

Overall, everything about Labatt’s Porter except the body is light. The only upside of this is it makes the Porter more session able than a better American Porter…can you say American LIGHT Porter?

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 20:07:12 | More by bushbeer75

CaptDavyJones

New York

3.73/5  rDev +37.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a clear dark brown color with ruby red hues from a 12 oz twist cap bottle. Surprisingly clear and transparent for a porter.
Thin film of a head that dissipates quickly; little to no carbonation.
Aroma is a nice blend of coffee malts and chocolate, with hints of chocolate malt balls.
Taste is similar to the aroma, sweet and malty all the way through. Finish is pretty clean and slightly on the drier side.
Honestly, I was curious to try a porter from a macro brewery and had little to no expectations. To my surprise though, this exceeded all of my expectations (even though I tried to keep no expectations).
Mouthfeel is a little on the watery side. Overall, this is a decent porter. I would recommend giving this a try if you get a chance.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 16:46:06 | More by CaptDavyJones

barnzy78

Illinois

2.5/5  rDev -7.7%

11-27-2011 05:37:48 | More by barnzy78

beachfirebrews

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev +21%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Just had this from a bottle poured into a pint glass.

I'm not the type to buy a case from a macro brewery, but a friend split a case with me. Most of the beers in the Labatt variety pack were below average (Marzen, Brown Ale, Red Ale), but this was a pleasant surprise. I actually really enjoy this Porter.

Very light mouthfeel, but has a full-bodied taste. Very dark color. The taste is slightly sweet, kind of a caramel like flavor. Slightly watery compared to most other micro porters, but not bad. I wouldn't say no to this beer if offered it again.

If you are ever looking for a cheaper beer that tastes good, go with this one. However, if you are looking for a high quality porter, you'll probably be disappointed. Overall I would give it a "C", but for the price its a high "B"!

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 02:30:34 | More by beachfirebrews

assmandugle

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured almost black like you would see a Coke. Had a small tan head and had typical caramely aromas. You could taste the caramel from the malt and had a roasty taste to it. It was decently carbonated which is rare in a soft porter as this. It drank slow as most porters do but I recommend checking this out for a change of pace beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 15:36:29 | More by assmandugle

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a brown 11.5 oz. bottle. Has a very dark brown color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of roasted malts, a touch of chocolate. Taste is very mild, some roasted malts, a slight bitterness at the finish. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall this is like a porter light, nothing offensive, just bland.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 13:59:22 | More by tone77

Zimbo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.03/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

First brewed in 1958 this rebadged 'Velvet Cream Stout' (or 'Velvet Cream Porter' as it was called when I first drank it in the early 80s), along with Molson Porter, carried the can for Canadian stouts and porters for decades. In that way it is a classic in the same way that a car enthusiast might see a Trebant as a classic.

The head only shows itself while being poured but quickly proves to be quite a glass dodger. A bit slow off the mark for the head considering that the hops managed to avoid the bottle completely. Dark cola like in appearance this has a sweetness which just ever so slightly edges away from sickly. But its the cola quality that really wins out here especially if you want to have a few when you're out in a public place. Just throw it into McDonalds cup and you've got yourself a cop free beer beverage for the day. Always worked for me in Wasaga Beach in the past and the straw was an excellent decoy.

Nice to see the old re-interpreted label too. To be fair its a bit more honest in what it advertises now. And 'Muslin 2% Porter' would be a customer killer. Not that this beer really needs any help in that way.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 08:09:06 | More by Zimbo

Schmidts

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours from the bottle cola brown with a 1/4 inch head white tan head that leaves to a small thin one,a small bit of laceing to.
Weak in smell some malt and caramel.
Tastes of sweet malt and caramel and a touch of light coffee. Very thin in your mouth not bad just not enough to it flavor wise.
Thin in your mouth almost to much so. Glad Labatts is trying but they need to give it some more malt and porter flavor, still it is not bad for a first try and I'm glad they are doing some differnet styles!
I give it a overall of 3.0

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2011 20:59:53 | More by Schmidts

drizzam

Wisconsin

2.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Brown twist-top bottle - no freshness date.

A - Clear brown cola color with a negligible beige froth for a head. Even a fairly aggressive pour yielded no head, hence no lacing. With the carbonation, I'm having a hard time getting over just how much this brew looks like a glass of cola.

S - Very mild sweet malt aroma...I have to strain to even get that. Not much going on here...this isn't looking good so far.

T & M - Very watery. Some flavors of dark malt, maybe a tiny bit of watered down chocolate. This is by far the least robust Porter I have ever sampled. Very thin and watery body with a tad too high carbonation. Mouthfeel is thin and on the prickly side.

D - Drinking this makes me wonder if we shouldn't have a "Canadian Porter" category...this is a disgrace to the American Porters that are well brewed. If I had a choice between this and an Adjunct Lager, I would certainly choose this. I could see where it would go down easily on a hot Summer day. However, if you want a tasty Porter, look elsewhere.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 22:17:06 | More by drizzam

ZorPrime

Quebec (Canada)

1.6/5  rDev -41%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Black color beer which tends more like a dark brown beer. Head is timid and disappear quickly. Smell is very light but I get some chocolate on the first sniff. The remaining of the drinking session, I get nothing. On the taste is awful. It taste like sugary water. Awful beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2011 17:00:10 | More by ZorPrime

Lauthaha

Michigan

3.48/5  rDev +28.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a beer mug.

Note: Beer was labeled "John Labatt's Signature Porter" but internet sources confirm they are one and the same.

Appearance: Deep, rich auburn bordering on black. Almost no head remains after a few moments. What is left is ivory to tan in color, and circling the edge of the glass.

Smell: Mocha character infused with hops. Some rich, dark chocolate with coffee penetrating the flavor. Aside from the bitter hops, not much else. I guess it's what you'd expect.

Taste: All I detected from the smell is present in the taste.

Mouthfeel: I know it's not a stout, but I am used to "porters" being full-bodied, and this one is very mild in comparison. Not bad, goes down smoothly, but can't give this a better-than-average rating.

Drinkability: I suppose it could be good in mid-winter by a fireplace, but it's just not doing it in early-fall in front of a computer.

Not a bad attempt by a macrobrewery to get some flavor into the mainstream. An alright porter.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2010 03:34:09 | More by Lauthaha

divineaudio

Michigan

2.35/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 3

11.2 oz into a pint glass. no date.

appearance - well... it's dark at least. sort of a transparent dark brown with a thin off white head and no lace.

smells weakly of herbal hops and a little roast.

really disappointed in the flavor of this - tastes more like carbonated hot cocoa than beer. way too sweet, roasted character is weak and hops are barely noticeable.

mouthfeel is thin and watery with way too much co2.

very drinkable, but i wouldn't buy this again. tried this on vacation in montreal and i'm kinda wishing that i didn't.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2010 22:27:46 | More by divineaudio