Portamarillo
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

PortamarilloPortamarillo
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From:
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
 
Delaware, United States
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
7%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.83 | pDev: 17.23%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
34
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 26, 2014
Added:
Jul 10, 2010
Wants:
  32
Gots:
  9
For the collaboration, Luke Nichols of Epic came to Dogfish in June of 2010 for the intial test batch (we brewed it in our Rehoboth Beach, DE brewpub).

An Imperial sorta-porter fermented with Brazilian Rapadura sugar and a couple of really unique New Zealand ingredients.

To make the Portamarillo we first grilled tamarillos (sweet, fruity NZ tomatoes) over Pohutakawa wood at our pub then pureed and added them to the boil. Luke sourced this unique wood for us from his motherland - Pohutakawa has found an important place in New Zealand's culture, both of the European settlers and Maori - being venerated for spirituality, strength and beauty.

The wood and tamarillos do truly add a smoky, fruity, roasty beauty to this beer.

50 IBU

This listing is for the draft-only version available at Dogfish Head Brewing and Eats. Reviews for the bottled version should be entered here - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/15925/70424
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by SolomonGrundy:
Photo of SolomonGrundy
Reviewed by SolomonGrundy from California

3.73/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
OK, that's damn irritating..Why the HELL did stupid fB just make me replicate a Captcha to post on my own freaking page???!!! That happens again they're getting the what for!!!

I'm curious if this has been imported to the U.S. I'm sure it has, because that label I used as the picture says it was imported by Shelton Brothers...It musta been a small allocation though 'cause I haven't seen it round these parts...

This is a collab with Dogfish Head, as many of you will remember from the episode of Brewmasters. Thanks to great trader Mr. Kennedy of Oz for this brew!! Cheers!!

Pours a dense mahogany, very dark. Close to opaque. Beautiful, creamy head which persists and leaves pleasant, sticky lacing. Medium carbonation. Nice looking brew...

Very robust and super-unique aromas. You get the sense of both the weird wood smoke and also the tanginess of the tamarillo used. Nice malt bacbone to it also...Also a nice herbal note in there, kind of like oregano. Very excellent thus far.

Flavor is interesting, and now I see where the folks in NZ didn't offer a medal to it. Not nearly as robust as either the aroma or appearance would suggest. Rather than evolving through flavors, it all seems to be mish-mashed together into one, very long flavor. The smoke aspect is almost completely absent, which is a bummer. I woulda liked to have seen that more forward. Carbonation is excellent and sets up the middle well. The flavor is definitely a porter, but slightly thin for one.

Almost forgot - The Basics: 7.0% ABV and no idea on price. Heck, it would be in Aussie dollars anyway!!

Where was I - oh, yeah: This is DEFINITELY the Nicole Kidman (yeah, I realize she's not from NZ, get over it) of beers: Looks fantastic, smells great, but is too thin.

Finish is long and bitter, and I like the bitterness.

What I like Most: The wonderful appearance and unique aroma profile.

What I like least: The confused cavalcade of flavors all mish-mashed together.

Verdict: Good enough to definitely try if you see it, but not as excellent as I had hoped.
May 07, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Jul 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by chickencoop from California

Mar 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by megamass from New Jersey

May 18, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by twenty5 from Pennsylvania

May 10, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by spycow from Illinois

Mar 10, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by Lare453 from Florida

Jan 08, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Furtanken from Australia

Aug 31, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by Nickfellow007 from Rhode Island

Aug 14, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by rab53 from Washington

Jul 14, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by demgoth from New York

Mar 12, 2012
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Appearance: dark brown almost black in color with a short 1/4" head.

Smell: malt sweetness, some earthy tones, and a bit of a vegetable aroma rose from the glass.

Taste: toffee, mild roasted malt flavor, brown sugar, and that interesting vegetable tone lingers in the background. There is a bit of a woody / earthy flavor here. Bitterness is nicely balancing.

Mouthfeel: smooth from start to finish. A medium bodied beer.

Overall: not knowing what tamarillos are, nor the wood they were smoked on, this beer had a unique flavor. Easy to drink this beer. On tap at the brewpub.
Mar 11, 2012
Photo of whatthehull
Reviewed by whatthehull from California

4.45/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Tulip

A - a deep dark ruby red brown, 1/6 finger tan head and some minimal lacing

S - dark fruits, sugar, spices, huge sweet malts, caramel, vanilla, hops, wood, earth and maybe that fruit/veg

T - very nIce fruit, dried dark berries, flowers, sugar, nice biting hop, cherry, wood, terrior, I may be tasting the fruit used for this ale, I have never had it though so I can't tell. All the flavors are very nice

M - medium body, low acidity, well balanced, awesome complexity and medium very nice finish

D/O - one of the most drinkable beers I have ever had. Lots of taste. Not overwhelming. Refreshing and just an all around lovely beer. Huge flavors all are awesome

Final thoughts - $11 is really high, but worth the try. 7% abv could be higher. But this is a huge delight. Dogfish has done a great colab, need to try more epic stuff
Feb 19, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by MalReever from Delaware

Jan 23, 2012
 
Rated: 1 by jaysephx69 from New Jersey

Jan 21, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by duceswild from Heard & McDonald Islands

Jan 14, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by gbbass16 from Missouri

Dec 24, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by southhousebrew from Indiana

Dec 09, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by Bmoyer0301 from Pennsylvania

Dec 01, 2011
 
Rated: 3.5 by Gatordaddy from Maryland

Nov 18, 2011
Portamarillo from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 34 ratings