Mudpuppy Porter - Central Waters Brewing Company

ahalloin

Virginia

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Bottled in December, drinking in June.

Pours a dark brown, clear fluid with mahogany highlights. Dark off white foam cap forms easily and recedes to lacing that sticks around to the bottom of the glass. Sticky lacing clings to the glass as well.

The smell is medium strength with a firm dark chocolatey backbone, some dark dried fruits (prune), and a touch of espresso quality. A nice roast shines through as well.

Chocolate and espresso roastiness dominate the taste with some background caramelly sweetness. The roasty quality is quite prominent almost to the point of astringency.

The mouthfeel is a little weak on this beer, but I'm wondering if it is because of its age. The mouthfeel is medium, but with a slightly astringent burning, roasty finish that detracts slightly.

This is a very nice representation of the style, but could use a stronger mouthfeel. It definitely stands out as a quality porter.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 02:36:22 | More by ahalloin

GDBEERMAN

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into tulip. bottled March 2011.

A: Pours a deep brown hue in the body, and a light tan head. Formation pours a two finger head and the retention sinks into a nice layer around the rim. Lacing is left in small amounts.

S: The aroma has a slight roasted note, with a nutty presence. The overall aroma is not too over powering. No English malty note or fruity esters.

T/M: As the nose suggests, roasted and nutty character, with a well balanced sweetness. The crisp mouthfeel gives off a smooth notes. The overall robustness of the beer is a bit low, but nice for the style.

O: All in all this is a nice take at the style, good characteristics of the roasted malt and low hop character. Good brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2011 14:46:43 | More by GDBEERMAN

robwestcott

Indiana

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

thanks (i guess) to jojomdma for this one...

bottled April 2010 and poured cold from the bottle a dark ruby cola brown to a surly darkness 10oz goblet with a full finger and a half foamy, short lasting off white head, leaving a thin rim of lace after sips.

aroma of creamy milk chocolate and and hint of caramel in the wayback.

very nice chocolate up front fading to a subtle bittersweet fairly quickly. dark malts with a hint of bitter hops presence.

light bodied, medium carbonation, mostly sweet.

drinkable - yep.

overall - good, not great.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 01:25:48 | More by robwestcott

Lemke10

Wisconsin

4.38/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I bought a Mix & Match 6-pack of Central Waters beer at Star Liquor in Ashland Wisconsin for $8.99 in Spring 2011.

Pours a very dark brown color with a decent off brown head on it that leaves a little lacing. Scent has some robust and sweet carmel malts. A bit of a coffee/cocoa scent as well. The robust malts hit the taste buds hard with a good cocoa flavor that is smooth and delicious. Very well made and quite tasty with so much flavor, this is definetly a sipping beer!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 02:50:55 | More by Lemke10

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

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a mini-weizen glass)

A-This beer pours a deep brown body with a glow of amber hue at the very base and a thin tan film of head that is soon gone. It is a bit to dense to see much carbonation but a few small bubbles trail up the side of the glass.

S- The dry roasted black malt aroma has a coffee quality to it and a nice fresh roasted quality but is otherwise pretty clean.

T- The roasted black malt is dry with no bitterness just flavor and some grain and coffee qualities to it. There is a soft hop note in the finish that adds a nice bittern note to the finish.

M- The medium-light mouthfeel has a soft fizz note in the finish, and no alcohol heat.

D- This beer is very drinkable and has a smooth full roasted malt flavor and it is on the lighter scale of porters. It goes down really fast and I would love to try it on cask.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 21:44:54 | More by rhoadsrage

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

chaz01

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Twelve ounce bottle courtesy of trade with thirdeye11 - pored into a tulip glass.

A. Dark brown, opaque with a tan head receding to a collar.

S: Mild roastiness with a smoky, woody character with some chocolate notes.

T: Burst of roasted, chocolate malt flavors greet the tongue -- stronger flavors than I was expecting. Bready burnt toast flavor with some chocolate mixed in. Long, dry, roasty, burnt toast finish.

M: Med bodied with just the right amount of carbonation.

D: Nice, rich porter with lots of roasted maltiness flavors. Complex enough to keep you interested, light enough to have more than one.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 01:46:12 | More by chaz01

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

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

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark brown body with red highlights, one level finger of light tan head.

Coffee aroma, light with amybe a little milk in it.

Coffee au lait begins the taste. Earthy hops at the swallow. Clean finish. Chewy.

Medium mouthfeel. Very good drinkability.

Definitely worth trying, a sturdy solid porter.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2011 23:47:24 | More by RonfromJersey

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pretty good cask porter here. The head is out of control huge on the pour - mousse looks-wise, but not so dense in feel. Underneath, very dark brown. The smell is bland at first - wasn't shocked. Mostly the soft roasted character of the grain is apparent. Had this been served at the proper temperature I may have immediately picked up the wonderful chocolate aromas, quite similar to Young's Double Chocolate Stout, that arose by the time I was, of course, almost done and temp was perfectly un-cold. Definitely leans toward brown porter and not choc stout though. Everything gels with this ale when the temp was right, damn shame. By the end, not only did it taste good, it drank/felt a good bit more substantial, almost grainy as well. A tad too watery when cold.

Well done. I'd offer that the flavors and aromas would come out better with this force-carbonated, so I'll have to keep an eye open for it.

Serving type: cask

01-30-2011 01:33:59 | More by Bouleboubier

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

CPeterson

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A -- Pours a nice semi-translucent brown, almost opaque copper in the glass. A fair amount of light shows through. Leaves a floaty, broken lacing.

S -- Nutty, dark chocolate, caramel, and roasty earthiness.

T -- A roasted caramel, sweet then lightly bitter, herbaceous hops, coffee, dark chocolate, a hint of vanilla.

M -- Full bodied and well carbonated, a little drying from the roast and the hops.

D -- Very good. A well balanced offering and well worth the purchase.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 00:06:10 | More by CPeterson

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

womencantsail

California

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Jason for sending this fine beer as an extra.

A: The pour is a dark brown color with a bit of red when looked at through the light. There's a finger of tan foam to cap it off.

S: Pretty typical aroma for a porter. Some dark chocolate to go with a lot of roasted malt notes. There's a little bit of vanilla, even, and certainly a touch of coffee.

T: Like the nose, the roasted malt character is strong in this beer. A mild bitterness results, but there's a smooth, sweet chocolate flavor to mellow that out. Seems to be even a hint of vanilla or cream.

M: The body is medium with a moderate level of carbonation. Not quite creamy on the tongue.

D: I really enjoyed this beer, as I have with almost all Central Waters beers. A really nice one to enjoy last night.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 17:57:52 | More by womencantsail

prdstmnky

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled on date: Nov '10

Decided to pour this one into a 16 oz mug. Pours a dark brown color, with some maroon edges when held up to the light. I got a finger of tan head that lasted a minute and left a few lace spots a the top of my glass. Some chocolate in the nose, as well as roasted malts and even some coffee hints. Lots of roastiness in the taste, especially upfront. I get some sweetness in the middle, chocolate and even some vanilla, and a fairly hoppy / bitter finish. This is on the upper end of medium bodied, and seems like alot of carbonation for the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 04:24:50 | More by prdstmnky

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

Fish113d

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark molasses color with a 1-finger thick of tightly packed, creamy tan head that sustains for a long period of time after the pour.

Butterscotch aroma at first giving way as I continue to sniff to some slightly burnt (smoky) or roasted dark malts. A bit of roasted coffee and maybe a slight bit of hops also come through.

Sipping reveals a very roasty dark malt flavor with hints of cocoa as well as a general coffee taste. A bit of toffee comes through toward the swallow, and a roasty aftertaste remains on the tip of my tongue. Very nice.

Very nice mouthfeel. It's how a porter SHOULD BE. It seemed a bit thin on the first sip, but it actually is quite the opposite as I continue to drink it. Very nice balance.

Overall, this is a very tasty brew. I don't drink many porters (as I am more of a big ale or barleywine fan) but this one holds it's own. Well done. I could easily drink a 6-pack of it.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2010 01:36:54 | More by Fish113d

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- deep brown, black hue, but shimmers of cardinal red. excellent lacing as i sip away.

S- toffee, roasted nuts, coffee, smells a little more like a brown ale than a porter.

T-sweet toffee, nutty, mild bread, solid coffee with hint of bitter in finish.

M-med/light body, slight prickle on tongue from solid carbonation.
goes down rather smoothly.

D-Highly enjoyable and could have a 6 pack with ease. Nice offering by Central Waters, I look forward to having more of their beers.

GOOD STUFF, WORTH TRYING!

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 17:45:39 | More by BeerLover99

SamuelJackson45

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A-Pours a Black coffee like body with a tan head even lace.

S-Robust aroma from the dark malts giving off a coffee tone to it and hops.

T-Robust flavor like coffee and a little sweet like caramel from the malts and sweet wort.

M-Grainy gritty texture to the pallet.

D-Good beer from Wisy. Mudpuppy

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2010 08:01:50 | More by SamuelJackson45

bound4er

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A. Muddy brown with crimson highlights. Light tan head of about three fingers that recedes nice and slow.

S. Caramel malt, cracker and bitter sweet chocolate aromas.

T. Clean, crisp roasted malt with some chocolate bitterness. Some prickly hops sneak up on the finish.

M. Light to medium body with a semi-creamy mouthfeel and good carbonation.

D. This is a classic styled Porter through and through that I could drink a 6-pack of in one session without a problem. CW's best year round beer IMHO.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2010 03:20:31 | More by bound4er

dhannes

Wisconsin

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a chilled bottle into a standard pint glass.

A=Rich, dark brown with a very prominent foam head, reminiscent of A&W root beer. Head lasted for several minutes.

S-Rich, malted aroma.

T=Slightly salty tasted, with hints of sweetened coffee with slight carbonation present.

M=Not thick enough for my taste, but adequate.

D=Light and sweet enough to drink with most meal, or by itself. May get tired of the sweetness/saltiness combination by the 3rd or 4th beer.

Overall, my favorite of the Wisconsin Porters, but still would like it to be thicker with more flavor.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 23:47:36 | More by dhannes

crossovert

Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle.

This one pours exceptionally. It is a dark, dark brown with hintings of ruby. The head is luxurious and multicolored tan. It has a nice cascade effect when poured. It fluffs up over the brim and hold for a good while before receding to a thick coating of beautiful lacing. The beer is a looker.

The smell is pretty awesome too. It smells a lot like chocolate taffy. There is also toffee and brown sugar. It is perhaps missing a hoppy note, but nonetheless it is a decadent smelling brew.

This one is big and tasty, the PERFECT mouthfeel. It is thick, rich, and almost velvety smooth. The flavor that dominates is bittersweet chocolaty, it is slightly roasty with a hint of fruitiness and caramel sweetness.

This is one of the best American porters out there.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2010 02:00:40 | More by crossovert

Bobby12many

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - Pours a nearly opaque deep brown with a small veil of head just floating on the surface. Spotty globs of lacing cling to the sides of my tulip.

S- The best aspect of this beer in my opinion. The nose is full of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, and plums. Very enticing smell that suggests something rich, deep, and sweet lies ahead.

T - Roasted coffee and sweet raisin/plum notes abound. Slight bitterness that blends well with the malts. Very nice balance of sweet candy notes and bitter coffee. Finishes beautifully with a slightly bitter coffee tinge.

M - A bit thin with a relatively limp mouthfeel. Feels a bit more flat than the smell and wispy carbonation suggested.

D - A very drinkable Porter with enough flavor and complexity to keep you interested. The biggest letdown to me was the thin mouthfeel. I can see myself purchasing this again as a single 12oz, but doubt I will ever grab a 6 pack.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 19:16:36 | More by Bobby12many