Mudpuppy Porter - Central Waters Brewing Company

drpimento

Wisconsin

1.73/5  rDev -55.4%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

oooh not so happy with this so very unfortunately. Diaceytl (sic?) characeristics brusquley intrude. Me no likey. I'm certain that there are other good qualities to this brew, but for me the butterscotch stuff supecedes. Does pour with a nice fine head and a bit o lace. Opaque brownish black. and dat be all I say. good bye.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2008 23:59:22 | More by drpimento

anglagard1

Wisconsin

2.05/5  rDev -47.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Next to no head with an admittedly weak pour. Looks like porter. The smell has a slight porter smell to it. Initial taste has a hint of porter mixed with water and vegetation. Succesive sips prove less rewarding. Mouthfeel is similar to Budweiser, not what one would expect from a porter. I'm wondering if I got a bad bottle, as generally I'm not too far of the mark in my opinion. I don't dump beer down the drain, but I was glad when I was finished with this one and moving on to something else.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 04:39:28 | More by anglagard1

kmpitz2

Tennessee

2.78/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12 oz bottle. It pours a ruby-hued deep brown color with a finger of light tan head. There is a moderate carbonation in there and the clarity appears to be fairly good, but the darkness makes it hard to tell. I find a light chocolate and roast with a ton of lacto sweetness and some butterscotch notes as well. The flavor is again very butterscotch sweet with noticeable lacto sweetness, with a more subdued chocolate, a slight sharpness from roast that melds well with a solid hop bitterness on the finish. My initial thought on this one was the it was rife with diacetyl, but I really think it is an overpowering lacto character that I am getting. Either way, it is not me favorite. Mouthfeel is on the light end of moderate with a moderate carbonation. Overall, I just can't get past the overriding lactose sugar quality I am finding. It overpowers the brew and really gets in the way of the chocolate and roast notes I want to find. I would not get this one again.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2007 00:54:30 | More by kmpitz2

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours a deep dark chestnut brown that appears pitch black in the glass with faint mahogany edges when held to a light source. Completely opaque with a two finger frothy, yellowish beige head that has excellent retention, only slowly fading into a lasting cap that coats the glass with huge chunks of soapy lacing.

Roasted dark malt aroma with hints of toast, caramel, dark chocolate and toffee. Slightly smokey with faint earthy hops.

Medium bodied and very roasty up front with lots of toasty burnt malt notes along with hints of smoke, rosted coffee bean and chocolate. There is an earthy bitterness from the hops that compliments the slightly acrid roasted/burnt malt flavor. This is slowly countered mid-palate by a lactic cream profile as well as some silky chocolate, hazelnut and toast. Very dry throughout with a bitter acrid finish. A bit too one dimensional and overly acrid/roasted for my liking making it tough to drink down.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2011 09:17:48 | More by corby112

ebit

Wisconsin

2.83/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Appearance
Well this has to be the first beer I've ever poured and received absolutely no head. Even with a straight pour and swirling of the bottle. Weird. Hopefully I didn't get a bad bottle. Dark brown body that shines a deep maroon when held up to the light.

Aroma
Chocolate roasted malt is the big player. Slight hoppiness for undertones.

Flavor
Chocolate roasted malt with a bittering hoppiniss in the midtaste. Sweet malty finish. I do get a bit of a bitter soapy aftertaste.

Mouthfeel
Carbonation is non-existent. Medium body. Very smooth drinker.

Drinkability/Overall Impression
No carbonation. No head. Nice flavor but with a soapy aftertaste (glass was clean, used the same to review Gumballhead earlier tonight and rinsed thoroughly with water in between)? This has to be a bad bottle. I'll be running out to the store tomorrow to pick up another bottle, but until I've experienced otherwise I can't give this a good review.

I'll have an edited review up by Friday with the second bottle. Hopefully for the better.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2008 08:36:42 | More by ebit

ThirstyHerf

Oklahoma

2.9/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into my brewery snifter, brownish/ black color, light brown head, hint of light peaks through. smells of grain, coffee, burnt sugar.. this beer yearns for a barrel addition.. Taste is about the same as the smell only with a mild sarsaparilla characteristic. mouth feel is a little on the thin side but has a nice creaminess to it as it finishes. Overall, this beer is sessionable but not the best offering ive had from CW.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 03:25:19 | More by ThirstyHerf

zeledonia

Minnesota

2.98/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottled August (I assume 2010).

Pours a dark reddish brown with an ample light-tan head that slowly recedes, leaving good lacing. Looks a bit light for a porter, but otherwise good.

Smells good, but kinda funny for a porter. Lots of sweet dark caramel malts, a hint of chocolate, some dark fruits (prunes) and a hefty dose of yeast that comes through late. I get none of the roasted aromas I expect, and despite the bottle claiming they used lots of hops, I don't catch a whiff of them. Smells more like a doppelbock than a porter, with that sweet breadiness. I'm conflicted - I kinda like the smell, but they say this is a porter. And for a porter, it doesn't smell even close to right.

Taste comes through sweet and malty again. A bit more roasted flavors than there were in the smell, and it's slightly less sweet than the nose would suggest. There's a hint of bitterness, but it quickly fades away. This beer has no bite, no kick. It just tastes thin and rather simple.

Mouthfeel is okay, but (yeah, I gotta say it again) it just ain't right. Body is medium-light, light carbonation. Could use more body and more carbonation.

This is a weird beer. To me, it drinks like a hybrid between a doppelbock and a porter. The flavors are thin and subdued. Not a big fan.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 02:29:07 | More by zeledonia

mcallister

Ohio

3/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Quite a fine looking porter here. Almost pitch black, could I say pitch brown? A nice thick chewy head of tan has great retention therefore leaving a thickly coating lace down my GLBC CA snifter.

Roasty chocolate aromas with a slight vanilla lingering. Some blackberry as well but not much else. Nothing overly olfactor.

Really lacks complexity and substantial flavor. Roasted chocolate malt, vanilla, caramel, some hop bitterness and unspecified black fruits. Really disspointed. Maybe a bad bottle?

Medium mouth with some bitterness on the short finish. Would like to try again too see if I may have had a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2007 21:55:58 | More by mcallister

KarlHungus

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer pours a dark brown color. The head is half an inch in height, and recedes slowly leaving sticky lacing. The aroma is of roasted malt, cream, and a hint of hops. It is very faint though...too faint really. The taste is a little stronger, but still weak for a porter. If I concentrate really hard I can pick up the roasted malt and some cream, and although it is nice it is almost not worth the work. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation, and a less than smooth texture. Overall, this beer is a mild disappointment. I enjoy spending time breaking down a beer, and finding all kinds of nuances in it. But this beer seems like all I'm doing is breaking the beer down without finding anything. I guess this beer isn't bad, and I wouldn't complain to much if I had to drink it again, but I won't be buying it again.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2009 22:08:53 | More by KarlHungus

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.05/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

12oz, bottled 01/10, into a Duvel tulip.

A: A rather aggressive pour is rewarded with 2+ inches of thick tan head above a nearly-black, clear vermillion body; the head displays pretty good retention and leaves lovely cobwebs of rich lace as it recedes. Gorgeous porter.

S: Heavily roasted notes dominate, with bitter chocolate really stealing the show. A bit of vanilla helps give a little balance to the potential astringency, but also comes with some tannic woodiness. Earthy hops appear as it warms. Robust and complex, if not entirely cohesive.

T: Pretty one-dimensional with the bitter roasted malts; some coffee sneaks in to join the baker's chocolate, but brings as much bitterness as flavor. Even more bitterness comes through with a hoppy finish. Not an especially enjoyable brew, even though there isn't anything exactly wrong with it; just overly charred with the roasted malts.

M: A little watery, and most of the carbonation seems to have sacrificed itself to the spectacular head. Not great.

D: I enjoy the aroma throughout, but each sip is a bit of a struggle, and leaves an astringent coating in my mouth.

Notes: I had high hopes for this one, but it just didn't impress me at all where it counts. Way, way, way too hard to drink for a 5.5% beer. Too many good porters out there for me to want to try this again, even though I bet it would be better in colder weather.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2010 20:29:31 | More by woosterbill

meatyard

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear, deep mahogany with a tan, 2-finger head that has decent retention but only leaves wispy bits of lace.

The smell is very mild. What's there is coffee and dark malt. A little cocoa shows up as it warms.

The taste is also mild. I get little up front but in the finish there is mild bitterness, a little coffee and roasted malt. An aftertaste of coffee does linger.

Mouthfeel is close to thin with barely moderate carbonation.

Drinkability: Still not getting the CW love. There are many better porters than this one. It's just boring.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2011 21:49:20 | More by meatyard

ibashmuck

Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Purchased as part of "build-your-own-six-pack" at local grocer. Poured a big thick foamy head on a very dark amber body. Some good cascading here. Smells of buttered bread, caramel, coffee, and a general sweetness. The taste was primarily sweet and coffee. Not very complex. Bit of hop in there as well, and a somewhat odd "chalky" finish. Not a bad brew, but having had a Sand Creek Badger Porter just the day before, this one pales in comparison.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2008 20:42:25 | More by ibashmuck

Fartknocker

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into a globe glass
A- Fairly dark black appearance, with shaeds of lightness around the edges
S- Combo of coffee and chocolate
T- Simialr to the smell, with a lasting coffe aftertaste
D- A little heavy on the coffe for me, several are fine at a time

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2009 03:38:24 | More by Fartknocker

KajII

North Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

[Best served in a Nonic Pint glass]

The pour was a seriously dark murky brown with an average sized (1-2 finger) light brown rocky head that lasted a good long while, reducing to a few foamy puddles and a large collar which produced some excellent streaky lacing.

The aroma was mild of a roasted chocolate malt, a light resin hop and a mild leathery yeast with hints of chocolate and coffee.

The taste was lightly sweet with a creamy chocolate note at first then became nice and malty with a big dose of coffee and a mild hoppy finish. The flavor hung around for just a little while with a nice bold hoppy coffee ending.

Mouthfeel was medium in body and had a mildly dry texture and a soft carbonation.

Overall a bold and roasty brew with a nice blending of hops, which worked very well with the dark Porter flavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 17:49:51 | More by KajII

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.28/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Reviewed from tasting notes.

Pours out the expected dark brown color, with a single finger of tan head for about a minute, no real lacing. Smells of dark chocolate, a little splash of coffee, and that's about it. I can't really find the expected scent of toasted or roasted malt. Tastes of the roasted malt I was expecting to find in the nose. Further investigation reveals a bit of sweet malt and earthen hopping in the flavor once the beer has warmed up for a bit, and a medium body and carbonation level. Honestly, this is a fairly average porter, it doesn't do much to stand out from the crown IMHO.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 00:48:48 | More by WastingFreetime

pmcadamis

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark chocolate brown with absolutely no head save a wisp of fizz around the collar.

S - Chocolate brownies. Tootsie rolls. Very malty and sweet.

T - Double chocolate chip cookies and Tootsie rolls. A hint of hops keeps the sweetness from getting totally out of control.

M - Very sugary and thick up front, but drying up a little bit for a dusty finish that leaves you craving another sip of sweetness! Nicely done!

A good wintery desert porter. Quite drinkable. Hints at sugary "dessert beer" flavors while maintaining a nice level of sessionability.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 18:05:33 | More by pmcadamis

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle obtained via trade with CRJMellor. Thanks for the opportunity.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 3/4" brown head over the almost opaque brownish burgundy brew. Head fades slowly, with lots of lacing. Aroma is powdered chocolate, with darkly vinous notes. Taste finds the same parts as the nose, but the dark fruits overpower the malts, providing a tartness that I can't really appreciate in a porter. Mouthfeel and drinkability are both quashed somewhat by the tartness which just invades most all for me after I get it in my mouth.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2007 22:43:21 | More by ppoitras

richkrull

Wisconsin

3.35/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured a dark dark brown almost black color with a bit of beige head on it. Smell is faint coffee. Taste is alright , not great in my opinion. Pretty bitter, not a ton of flavor. Medium mouthfeel. Decent beer but not great. Worth a try though for sure.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 23:49:21 | More by richkrull

hopdog

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle shared courtesy of weeare138.

Poured a dark brown color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas lactose, chocolate, prunes, and caramel. Tastes of caramel, chocolate, very light coffee, and prunes. Watery body.

Notes from: 09/15/05.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2009 19:58:45 | More by hopdog

Oxymoron

Colorado

3.43/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Isnt that a band name with out the t? Pours a boarder line darker brown to lighter shade of black. Some clarity but still darker with brown hues around the edge of the glass. A soft Charlie brown head with good retention and ok lacing through the tasting.

The nose is mostly malty with some minor off notes. To start there is a more coco powder aroma but some hints in the malt. Some roast and hint of coffee aroma but mostly generic malt notes. Some earthy hop notes and some minor yeasty notes. Some noticeable metallic/blood aromas as well as some oxidation notes.

The taste is a bit muddled but some nice notes once you get them. A more generic malt flavor with more of a caramel and roast. Some minor smoke notes but the wife didn't pick that out. Some coffee and a light lactic quality that gives it more of an espresso taste. Metallic is there but not as bad as the nose indicated. More of a coiny mixed with pepper like thing going on. A bit yeast with some minor fusel notes on the back end.

The body is moderate and has a nice feel to it. Nice drinkability and carbonation is a bit low but does support. Overall some good, some bad and some alright notes throughout the beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2009 23:21:51 | More by Oxymoron

jedtheavenger

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tulip glass from a bottle. No freshness/bottling date was given, although there were months printed on the side of the label.

A--gorgeous deep reddish-brown hue. Small frothy head lingers all the way down.

S--Musty, spicy chocolate and tree bark. The smell isn't terribly present, which was somewhat disappointing.

T--Malty with subtle milk chocolate. The toasted bread flavor comes through at the end. A bit more of a hop presence than I was expecting, which was a pleasant surprise. The hops lend a nice fruitiness that ever so slightly cuts through the malt.

M--Excellent carbonation--not too fizzy and not too limp. The body is more pronounced when it is sipped, but this isn't terribly obvious because it's such an easy drinker.

Overall: It's an average porter. There is nothing particularly exotic about it, but that is in no way detrimental. If the upper Midwest didn't already offer such awesome American Porters (Great Lakes, Founders, Tyranena, etc.), I would probably buy this more regularly.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 03:49:33 | More by jedtheavenger

birchstick

Missouri

3.48/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - poured black with virtually no head

S - excellent nose. chocolate malt and some hops

T - this was kind of sweet in an interesting way. Sweet malts upfront, which are balanced with some grassy hops. This is followed by a nice roasted malt lingering on the finish. I was hoping for a bit more though.

M - thin and overly carbonated. Felt weird, almost like a soda.

D - Decent drinkability. This was an okay, middle of the road porter...that being said I am very excited to try the Peruvian Morning I picked up from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2009 04:35:26 | More by birchstick

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass. "Microbrew for the Microfew" I like it.

4.0 A: Deep brown color. Either clear or translucent, I can't tell. Just one finger of creamy beige head with average retention that leaves a nice ring of lacing.

3.5 S: Fairly simplistic here and not very intense either. Roasted malts, a burnt component, a touch of smoke, and grainy malts.

3.5 T: The taste is also a bit simple, but it is tasty enough. Roasted malts, burnt coffee, and a touch of something similar to tobacco. This isn't all that balanced as it has very little sweetness or fruitiness.

3.0 M: Medium body. This feels dead on the tongue. It's mildly undercarbonated and what is there is heavy as opposed to spritzy. Roasty bitterness on finish.

3.5 D: This is okay, but it could use some complexity or at least some sweetness. It's not mindblowingly roasty, but the roastiness is amplified due to the lack of everything else.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 17:06:44 | More by DavoleBomb

ccrida

Oregon

3.48/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into my Schell's shaker pint, Mudpuppy porter is a dark brownish red with a light tan head leaving scattered lace.

Smell is robust, lots of sweet caramel, chocolate, marzipan.

Taste is good, on the sweet side for a porter, lots of marshmallow, but not cloying.

Mouthfeel is slick, medium bodied.

Drinkability is okay, it's a solid porter, perhaps a bit sweet for my taste.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2011 00:25:30 | More by ccrida

Jredner

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I glanced at the commercial description as I was opening this and it says, "A robust, yet suprisingly refreshing porter.." While I have nothing wrong with refreshing beers I don’t really want a refreshing porter. It’s ill equiped to be refreshing the way a glass of warm coffee and beef stock is so why not stick with a style built for it? Rant over.

Aroma is sweet cream and milk chocolate with little in the way of roasty notes. A dark brown body holds a pinky thin creamy, tan head. Fore flavor is very brown ale like..nutty, malty, peanut skin, biscuity with just a tinge of tartness. Not bad, but not very porter-like.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2006 23:44:14 | More by Jredner