Midnight Expression - Port Brewing Company / Pizza Port

tai4ji2x

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber, i believe it was still labeled "moon lit sessions". no date. tasted in mid-may 2009. poured into shaped pint glass.

midnight black (no pun intended). only the slightest hint of reddish brown under direct light. 1-finger brown head, fades to creamy, wispy thin layer and ring. very good lacing.

aroma: malty and roasty, almost stout-like. malt approaches savory, w touch of vanilla. coffee tones throughout and into the finish. hint of earthy hops.

taste: malty and roast again, but it seems the lagering keeps this clean and refreshing, despite the richness of flavor. coffee, touch of acidity, leafy hops, with moderate to almost bold bitterness that is still crisp, complementing the refreshment.

medium body, smooth, with some coffee-like acidity and astringency in the finish. very crisp carbonation accentuates this, but is also creamy.

not a traditional schwarzbier, that's for sure. but i don't think they claim it to be one. hard to categorize anyway.

NOTE: this is before i started hearing that the recent batches of older viscosity, BA santa's little helper, etc are still coming out flat. i was willing to give port/LA another chance (thus why i still went and bought this bomber), and knowing that this is from the second runnings of serpent stout, i was considering trying that too. but now i'm unsure if i want to keep supporting them. they need to get their act together.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2009 05:57:07 | More by tai4ji2x

JohnQVegas

Tennessee

4.43/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle into Sam Adams Lager glass.

Pours straight up black, thin light brown head that settles into a cap fairly quickly. Beautiful lacing left after every sip.

Nose is robust - espresso, roasty, and chocolate take the fore, with a smattering of dark fruits (cherries) coming through clearly underneath. Very rich - I'm sold.

Taste has nice light coffee and dark chocolate notes up front, roasty, drying out a bit towards the finish with a lightly acidic hop bitterness. Finish is long, dry, hops are a bit leafy, roasty, lingering dark chocolate. Just short of burnt on the tail end. Full flavored, and delicious.

Mouthfeel is dry, light carbonation and a medium-full body. Surprisingly full actually. Verging on creamy, but just a bit more crispness to the carbonation than that.

Drinkability is stellar, as expected. Light but full, somewhere between a slow sipper and a session beer. This beer is whatever you want it to be. Love it.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2009 21:19:22 | More by JohnQVegas

Offa

California

4.43/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is an excellent schwartzbier, characterful and well-rounded.

Black, it has a medium dark tan head soon shrinking to a foamy top and leaving a little weak lace.

Aroma is very pleasant, toasted brown bread, caramelised sweet coffee, hints of fig and bark.

Taste is very nice, dry toast, dark caramel hint, some coffee, light sweetness with light singed-leaf- roasty-coffee bitterness. Initially it tends slightly to the sweet side before quickly becoming dry with a flavourful dry,roasty finish and dryish aftertaste leaning slightly to peppery bitter side with dark chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2010 20:11:36 | More by Offa

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.4/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured a brownish color but appeared jet black in the glass. Dirty white cap, good head and lacing on this as well

S: Nice roastiness, some light cocoa and packed with nice floral hops and a hint of citrus

T: An immediate roasted malt, with some cocoa, perhaps some coffee blended with floral hops and some orange peel. Finish is pretty crisp, clean, light bittering

M: Well carbonated, pleasant, good light body but the presence seemed bigger

O: Wow. An amazingly easy to drink beer. I could reach for this all day.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 18:08:18 | More by barleywinefiend

ncvbc

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours pretty much pitch black. Nice tan head rises up and falls to a ring. Not much lacing, not much expected. Smell is big and roasted, big grainy scent as well. Some hugely roasted coffee scents...and like the guy below me said, burnt popcorn! It's not offensive but it's there. A little sweetness underneath. Taste is excellent and better than expected. Not so roasty as I thought it would be. In fact, a pleasant hop presence is underneath the malt. At first it's roasted coffee flavors...descending to a great chocolate flavor, almost milk chocolate. Then a slight bitter/roasty finish. Considering the Stout-like flavors this one has a light mouthfeel, again as it should. Light, moderate carbonation, easy down. I would probably enjoy a couple bombers...hot summer day, cool winter's eve...whatever the occasion. This is a beer that fits in several scenarios and I wouldn't mind it in any of them. Yummy...I'd like more.

Thanks to seaoflament for another great trade...time to get to a couple from the first! :-)

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2008 22:27:23 | More by ncvbc

largadeer

California

4.38/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Opaque black with a tan-colored head.

Smell: Smoke and chocolate primarily with an odd undertone of semi-burnt popcorn, and I don't mean that in a negative way.

Taste: Light-bodied and clean. Malty but not especially sweet; flavors of bittersweet chocolate and dark roasted coffee are at the forefront. The finish is roasty and bitter but cleans up nicely without much fuss. Unsurprisingly this tastes a lot like Serpent's Stout, just a whole lot lighter (it's just as delicious though).

Drinkability: Highly quaffable stuff!

Notes: Great stuff, highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2008 23:44:56 | More by largadeer

lackenhauser

Maryland

4.38/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Very dark and opaque in color. Some decent head going on. Mellow aroma-some roasted and chocolate highlights. Soft malty flavor. Just great chocolate tinge to it. Mellow roasted flavors. Nice graininess. Very full and malty body. A great, great beer at 5%, so the label states. The whole package makes for a great schwarzbier. The great flavors and full body almost make me think of it as a porter. Would do this again and again and again.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2008 22:06:35 | More by lackenhauser

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-Tap at The Hulmeville Inn for Philly Beer Week, I love this city. Served up in a pint glass.

A really dark lager,/swartzbier, midnight is jet black with a slight ring of foam around the glass. The surface foam did not 100% cover it's parts. The color was off ivory with small tannish colors. Loose lace. Nice dark looking beer. Smells consist of cocco and roasted malts with a touch of peat/smoke and some caramel A small bit of grain, but i could be reaching there. Taste is slight toffee/ caramel, roast, slight coffee. Cocco powder and a little peat in taste. There's a little of everything here, even some earthy, floral hops hanging out back. Body is a bit thin although it looks bigger, Id say way less than medium. Carb comes through the lightish body quite easy. More smooth than crisp though. This is easy, I drank it quick and did not feel it in the least, 5% beer is alright with me. Will drink again. With the carb issues port/LA gets in a bottle, Im fortunate to find this stuff on draft, cant risk it. This is good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2010 03:36:19 | More by onix1agr

UCLABrewN84

California

4.38/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 12/20/11.

Pours an opaque black with a 2 inch foamy dark khaki head that settles to a small cap. A latticework of lace forms on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt and roasty coffee and cocoa bean aromas. Taste is of dark roasted malt, roasted coffee beans, and some cocoa powder. A nice roasty bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a higher level of carbonation with a very crisp and bubbly mouthfeel. Slightly too much carbonation in my opinion. Overall, this is a great schwarzbier and quite a surprise really. I wasn't expecting this beer to be so good. Very tasty and very drinkable and it only packs a 5% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 07:48:04 | More by UCLABrewN84

rallison

California

4.35/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Weibull for giving me this beer as a wonderful extra - you are a good man!

Pours a beautiful dark black (definitely one of the darker schwarbiers I have had) with a nice 1/2 finger tan head that leaves some tasty looking lacing.

So how's the smell? Wow. I've never had this style smell so roasty and chocolate-y. Hints of dark fruit seem to reside in the background.

And moving on...the taste. Delicious. Dark fruits, roasted malts, espresso and some hints of dark chocolate on top of a relatively light malt body (although pretty thick for the style). The flavors here are incredible for this style. I'm not convinced a lager yeast was used here (and if not, this is most definitely not a schwarzbier), but I do enjoy the beer regardless.

Mouthfeel is thick for the style, but quite drinkable. Carbonation is low to medium. Drinkability, as mentioned, is quite good.

Recommended. I need to find out if this is a true schwarzbier (instincts say no), but at 5% this makes for a really flavorful session beer. This is most definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2008 07:10:57 | More by rallison

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Purchased this one from Joey, as I am always excited for new port offerings, and the fact that this one is designed to be sessionable, well that would just be the icing on the cake. The bottle looked great, and I grabbed this one out of the fridge yesterday as I finished up mowing the lawn.

Appearance - Solid look from the very beginning, with a thick, black, and nearly opaque liquid presented in front of me. This was looking big for a session lager already. A nice two-inch high head of tan lace formed on the top and hung around for a good few minutes before finally settling down and leaving a nice chocolate colored crown across the top throughout the session. Very nice side glass presentation as well, really showing off nicely here.

Smell - The aroma was a beauty as well. Rich roasted malts and a smoky sort of peat like smell coming through off of this one right way. Very rich with a touch of bitterness-hidden way in the back, I had a feeling this was going to be good now. Very nice earthy and grassy touches throughout as well, with a touch of molasses maybe as it warms up.

Taste - The flavor was huge for a lager, I was shocked by how thick this one tasted. If you have had the Serpents, you can tell right away that the two are related, as the malt flavor is very similar, especially in the front. Rich chocolate like flavor almost coming through in the beginning and then turning over to a more roasted and smoke like flavor. Lots of different earthy tones here were coming together rather nicely. A touch of caramel or molasses like sweetness in the middle and some of the bittering effects in it towards the end. The finish was quick and clean with a nice smoke flavor in the finish, albeit lighter then what you would typically think of a smoked flavor being.

Mouthfeel - A nice rich medium to light bodied lager, the flavor is definitely much bigger then the feel is. Very nice carbonation never really letting it feel dull in anyway, instead it has a nice full feeling, but at the same time very sessionable.

Drinkability - Speaking of sessionable, wow, for something with such a big palate it was very drinkable and light even at times. No ABV concerns here. Very nicely done and the perfect thing to sit around at night and drink.

Overall, I thought this one was outstanding. One of the lighter of the brews for LA and it still works very well. I could easily see myself drinking this on more then one occasion and I ma glad I bought a few more to enjoy. A quality ale here for sure that I would have to recommend you to pick up.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2008 10:14:11 | More by mikesgroove

sholland119

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-Pours an amazingly deep black with a very fluffy tan head. Darker and richer in color than many stouts I've had.

S-Rich and roasty. Burnt coffee and roasted malts with a little bit of smokiness.

T-Excellent. Following the nose with a moderate roasted malt and coffee flavor. Also nicely smoky.

M-Very light on the tongue for such a full flavor. Very nice.

D-Excellent. Light on the ABV but rich in taste. Goes nicely with food or goes down easy on its own.

Another excellent beer from Port/LA. Maybe even better than the Serpent's Stout and that is saying something.

HV

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2008 12:53:38 | More by sholland119

tonistruth

Nevada

4.35/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- deep brown to near black color with a half inch of tan foam, good retent, head settles to a crown, produces sheets of lace on glass

S- roasted malts, molasses, smoky and licorice

T- roasted malts with astringencies from burnt malts, creamy dark chocolate,wood & earthy flavors, also featuring hints of toffee, molasses, and licorice

M- smooth medium body thats a tad coarse and the finish and dry in the after

D- absolutely amazing! complex and sessionable!! shame this brew isn't year around. just one hell of a drinking experience this brew is a must try

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2008 16:13:46 | More by tonistruth

Gavage

New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: black in color with a thick 2" head that lingers around a while. Some spotty lace develops.

Smell: roasted malt, coffee, and some chocolate are easily detectable by the nose.

Taste: huge roasted malt flavor with coffee, dark chocolate, some prune sweetness, and a nice bitterness.

Mouthfeel: medioum bodied beer. Crisp at the start, a bit smoother towards the finish. Aftertaste is long as the roasted tones linger around a while.

Drinkability: for the style this beer has a bold flavor profile that keeps you wanting more. Great on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2010 11:43:27 | More by Gavage

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A vigorous pour produces an almost three-finger thick, well browned, tan colored crown of froth. The beer is an opaque, solid black color that allows no light to come through even when held up directly to the light. Hugely roasted aromatics dominate the nose of this brew; a mix of toasted malt, light espresso (deeply roasted coffee and some light burnt acidity), roasted saltine crackers, toasted whole grain bread. While the roast character is huge in the aroma, it never gets out of control or harsh, and the cracker / bread malt notes are just so inviting and appetizing. A big part of this whole grain cracker character probably comes from the fact that this is from the second runnings of Serpent Stout; it doesn't get astringent in the aroma though.

Smooth tasting and almost devoid of sweetness, large roast character, but a very light beer until you get to the long finish where the malt character sticks to the palate. This beer is most definitely defined by the massive roast character; this tastes burnt, with notes of French Roast coffee, blackened malt, deeply toasted whole-grain crackers & rustic bread, and overly caramelized / blackened maltose all without taking on the strong harshness that so much roast grain could cause (obviously Tomme cares about his mash PH). The burnt acidity here is quite restrained and adds just enough for a nice balancing effect and the sharp, astringent, burnt grain husk character is almost non-existent.

As the beer warms up a bit the malt character picks up a bit of richness, roundness and adds more texture to the body of this brew. It is of course still quite quaffable, but the residual grain sugars start to have a little more influence without adding much sweetness to this brew. The roast character is just too big for any sweetness to come into play. The second pour injects some more carbonation which accents a burnt acidity, so I definitely prefer this with a slight carbonation (luckily a few quick swirls of my glass get this to the right level).

A really nice beer, I am definitely enjoying that this beer does not have any overly harsh flavors, especially since it has such a huge roast character & is the second runnings of a mash. Somehow instead of creating astringent grain husk notes, the fact that this is from the second runnings of Serpents Stout, has given this brew a really interesting, whole grain, cracker character (both in the nose and in the flavor). A superb beer that I can't wait to get more of next year. I could wish that this became a regular part of their line up, but I think that the character would change quite a bit if it did not come from the second runnings, but maybe it would get better. Speaking of which, Serpents Stout is going to have a hard time being more enjoyable than this.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2008 01:35:30 | More by Gueuzedude

BeerTruth

Connecticut

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Got this bottle from Joey.

22 oz. bomber poured into a nonic.

Pours a full black with a creamy one finger tan head that quickly dies down to a thin layer of bubbles. Stickiness is very minimal, but some is there. Smell is of roasted grains, smoked barley, and some burnt popcorn. There are weak chocolate and caramel malt aromas in the nose as well. Taste is bitter coffee grinds and charred grains. Bitter earthy hops and scorched marshmallows on the tongue as well. Such a flavorful lager, perfect for this time of year. Somewhat dry and smokey in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is light and soft with a steady carbonation. What a perfect session beer. Lots of flavor which leaves the taste buds begging for more. I wish I had more lower abv. beers like this in my fridge.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2008 01:05:44 | More by BeerTruth

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to mikesgroove for this one.

A - Black with ruby highlights and a thin tan head.

S - Strong roasted malt with a lingering bitterness and a touch of coffee and chocolate.

T - Big roasted malt with maybe just a touch of espresso followed by a touch of chocolate and a dry, grassy hop bitterness that lingers.

M - Light but not watery with a nice dry finish.

D - A tasty sessionable schwarzbier. I wish more breweries would make this style.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2008 00:44:25 | More by brewcrew76

Nipitato

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Purchased a bottle at Julio's Liquors in Westborough, MA.

A: Light cocoa head. Very dark brown with ruby highlights. No light is getting through this one.

S: Lots of French roast coffee malt aroma here. A noticeable dose of sweet caramel and chocolate as well. Smells almost porter like.

T: The taste runs with the nose. Very roasty (French roast again). Roundness and richness really comes through. Some vanilla and caramel. Strong roastiness creates a bitter finish. Some toasted notes as well.

MF: Smooth and not astringent. Medium light carbaonation.

D, notes: This is the best domestic Schwarz I have had. Will win awards. Kick ass - highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2008 17:21:37 | More by Nipitato

thethrone

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours nearly black with thin tan head with good lacing.

S - Lots of bitter chocolate and coffee in the nose, with hints of smokiness and dark fruit.

T - Lots of flavor, with a profile that matches the aroma; lead by chocolate and coffee, and also adds some toasted grains and molasses added in. Just a hint of citrus comes in the back end.

M - Light mouthfeel, good carbonation.

D - Lots of bang for your cuk with the flavor in this brew. Would make a great session beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2008 02:42:44 | More by thethrone

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Throwitallaway for this bottle.

A: The lagerbier is dark as a moonless night, black and forboding with a creamy head that pools around the edge of the glass.

S: The nose is roasted with a bitter prominence that suggests both baker's chocolate and coffee. Caramel sweetness also floats around, interacting with a light sambuca note.

T: The lager has a robust molasses flavor, blackstrap if you will, that starts things off right. The malts are dark and murky, with bitter chocolate powder and coffee flavors leading the secondary flavor drive. Pepper and hops mix with the dark flavors to leave a pleasant but unfocused bitterness on the palate.

M: The dark malts are syrupy and bitter, a semi-sweet chocolate delight. The beer has the hoppiness that I'd expect from Port Brewing (even for a lager).

D: The beer tastes bigger than it is. A 5%, this is a nice change of pace that I could sip all day.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2008 00:24:59 | More by akorsak

rowew

Colorado

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 22 oz bomber, called Midnight Sessions now. ABV, but there is no date on the bottle.

Appearance: Completely black with just a bit of dark red around the edges when held to the light. Thin head, fades quickly but leaves a bit of lacing.

Smell: Very roasty. That is definitely the dominate flavor, with some nice malt in the background.

Taste: Light to medium mouthfeel, tons of roasted flavor. Highly drinkable but with lots of flavor to keep things interesting.

Overall impression: One of my favorite styles, and a nice example of it. Heavy on the roasted flavors and highly drinkable - I certainly wouldn't mind several of these any time of year.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2009 01:20:24 | More by rowew

jminsc76

California

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured this into a long Paulaner tulip glass, and the head erupted like a volcano right out of the glass upon an aggressive pour. The head is a purplish/grayish haze atop a darker body. Great visuals.

Aromas of roasted, malts, a little smoke, some melon, and other fruitiness in the nose. Mellows as it warms.

The flavors are roasty, smoke-y, with some walnuts on the palate. Very tasty.

Mouthfeel is light and fluffy, probably due to the higher carbonation.

Overall, an excellent Schwarzbier, that exceeds expectations and demands returned helpings. Especially for a 5% beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2010 01:52:21 | More by jminsc76

alleykatking

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 22oz bottle.

A- Pours a black as night color. one finger tan head showed decent retention. Stick lacing on the sides of the glass.

S- Some light toasted grains from the get go along with a roasted malt base. Chocoalte aroma and some coffee come into play in the back. Light smoked aroma as well in the tail end.

T- Toasted grain bill along with a caramel malt lager flavor makes for a good flavored beer. There is a nice chocolate undertone to the entire backend of the beer. A light smokey flavor toward the end of the beer makes this beer greater.

M- Medium mouthfeel. Carbonation is good for the style. Roasted malts and toasted grains left on the palate with a smokey aftertaste. Light drying on the palate from the alcohol. Flavors were well blended overall in the beer making for a fantastic flavorful beer.

D- I know people all the time talk about Port Brewing in a negative light. I have yet to have something terrible from them and to be honest this beer was fantastic. Port please keep doing what you are doing and I will keep trading for you until you decided to come into Indiana (cough cough).

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2010 05:15:44 | More by alleykatking

jneiswender

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured out of a large bottle into a tasting glass. Served cool.

A-dark body, tan head

S-toast

T-bar-be-que, toast, nice hop bite end

M-full

D-I like this beer. Nice and complex. Very different for the style. I would drink this beer again. Probably a great food beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 02:34:11 | More by jneiswender

MrKennedy

Australia

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber from Beermasons and poured into a 7oz glass.

Not quite jet black appearance, but plenty dark. Just a hint of ruby when examined against the light. Pours with a two finger head of mocha-tan foam that takes a while to settle as film.

Fantastic! Starts off with coffee and a bit of smoke and then plenty of dark chocolate emerges and is joined by more milk chocolate later on. The smell doesn't die with the foam and is very enticing!

First flavour is milk chocolate at the front and then some coffee and dark chocolate follow. Beautiful mix of all three flavours.

Maybe a touch overcarbonated, it is a little prickly early and then smooths right out. Nice coating of the mouth and a wholesome feel at the back end. Very smooth finish.

Very impressed by this, cannot think of a better dark lager that i've come across. Easy to drink, complex, full of flavour and aroma.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 05:26:47 | More by MrKennedy