Tröegs Dead Reckoning Porter - Tröegs Brewing Company

CHickman

New York

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a growler from the Tröegs Brewery last week and had this over the weekend. Pours opaque black with brown hints around the edges and a 2 finger creamy tan that faded slowly leaving a creamy layer around the edge and great creamy lacing coating the glass, leaving rings as it goes down; a great looking porter that looks like a stout.

Smells of sweet malt, citrus hops, cocoa, chocolate, syrup, caramel, coffee beans, burnt wood, toasted grains, earthy tones like peat moss and light vanilla; the nose is very pleasant and has an overall roasted malty aroma, with nice burnt coffee, light hops and toffee making for a nice rich smell.

Tastes of burnt malt, citrus hops, cocoa, chocolate, syrup, caramel, coffee grinds, burnt wood or charcoal, toasted grains, lemon peel, licorice or sambuca, brown sugar, a hint of cinnamon and a light alcohol flavor like a splash of rum. Very tasty, this beer has a lot of complex malty flavors that all mix well together with the hops come out towards the end and then lead to a dry bitter finish. There are just enough hops to give it good flavor and a nice mild bitterness that compliment the rich malts and don’t take away from them.

Mouthfeel is zesty with a slick smoothness and feel on the tongue, with a medium roasted body, mild fizzy carbonation, and dry smoky finish with a slight hop bitterness. This beer goes down easy, with very sweet overall taste that highlights the roasted malts and chocolate and let's the hops show through for a nice balanced porter. I would definitely have this again and recommend trying it as it was highly drinkable to me.

Serving type: growler

08-23-2011 03:57:29 | More by CHickman

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

4.22/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler filled at Beverage Barn in East Meadow,NY on 10/5/10. Served in a standard pint glass.

L - black brew with a big tan head that settled down leaving lots of lacing behind.

S - roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate and citrusy hops.

T - starts out roasty and malty before a bitter citrus hoppy bite kicks in. I really enjoy this beer a lot.

F - medium bodied with a smooth feel.

D - goes down very easy.

Serving type: growler

10-05-2010 21:45:57 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

thequeen711

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours rich chocolate, thin layer of froth, malty nose. Taste of hops, mild chocolate, light mouthfeel. I'm undecided on this one as far as all the flavours in there. Tasty, and easy drinking, and almost a bitter aftertaste. This is definitely a different kind of porter. I'm not diggin the taste, might be the bitterness.

Serving type: growler

03-30-2010 23:46:39 | More by thequeen711

nasty15108

New York

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

Poured from a growler (Skibbo) into a pint glass.

A - Poured black with a thick head of tan foam.

S - Malty with and smokey. A good amount of strong dark coffee and a little chocolate.

T - Much of the same. Finishes off with a nice hop bitterness.

MF&D - Another good brew from Troegs.

Serving type: growler

10-10-2008 02:43:27 | More by nasty15108

boralyl

Oregon

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Got this in a growler at the brewery. Pours 2 fingers of creamy tan head that has excellent retention and leaves globs of lacing. The brew is a very dark brown, almost black, with ruby highlights.

S - Roasted malts, nuts, chocolate, coffee and hops. Has a sweet smelling aroma.

M - A medium-bodied beer that has a smooth creamy feeling to it. A lower amount of carbonation which serves this beer right.

T - Roasted malts hit first followed by some sweeter caramel malts with some chocolate thrown in for good measure. Finishes with some slightly bitter hops, but overall very well balanced. Has a decent smoky taste to it throughout.

One of my favorite porters hands down. It's a hoppy porter with lots of great flavors. Definitely recommend trying this one.

Serving type: growler

08-24-2008 00:30:16 | More by boralyl

ViveLaChouffe

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nearly opaque dark brown with mahogany highlights. Smells of roasty and sweet malt but clearly a lot of spicy hops aromas as well.

The hops bite right up front. Certainly the hoppiest regular porter I've ever tasted. The only other porter that would rival its hop profile would be Flying Dog's Imperial Porter and that's saying something. Anyway, after the hops it's creamy smooth and some sweeter flavors shine through. The finish glows with hops and the hops linger long after the beer has entered the gullet. There's an odd yeasty profile too, somewhat English in character but I can't really put my finger on it.

Definitely a unique porter but plenty tasty. I had no trouble finishing off the growler!

Serving type: growler

10-25-2007 17:20:14 | More by ViveLaChouffe

beermanbrian

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bought a growler straight from the brewery. Pours a nice dark brown to black with a big tan head. The head sticks around and forms nice clumps. Boy this is going to taste good. Smell of coffee and chocolate.

Now for the tasting. The coffee and choclolate comes through but is not overpowering and there is definate sweetness. Very bitter bite on the tongue. Everything considered a very good porter. Will finish the full growler tonight for sure.

Serving type: growler

04-17-2005 00:51:46 | More by beermanbrian

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

A - dark chestnut in color, but clearly brown and not black, wells up a half finger of light brown head, too dark to note carbonation

S - big roasty toasty malts up front, would you expect any less from a quality porter?!? Notes of both chocolate and coffee rest above a finish of alcohol

T - bitter coffee and chocolate hit first, but it doesn't stay that way. The bitterness fades into great chocolate flavor and finishes with the straight peaty malts and some alcohol

M&D&O - not smooth, but layered and complex for a standard porter, more flavors than I expected. First Troegs beer, and a good way to start.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 00:22:13 | More by sinstaineddemon

rawfish

California

2.85/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

Pours a stark black with cola highlights. Head is two fingers in height with very good retention and surprising lacing that coats the glass really well.

Touches of roast and smoke with a very bready and vinous fruit sweetness to it. Not much in the way of coffee or chocolate not hop presence wither if I had my eyes closed I would guess it was an esb and not a porter.

Bready with some roasted malt, cereal grain and caramel sweetness. Some bittersweet chocolate and a good dose of vinous fruit. Lactic acidity, herbaceous and ashy on the finish. Lasting bitterness with and low detection of alcohol.

Thin and flat, consistency of water. Bitterness dries the beer a bit but the malt remains very sticky. Not the easiest to drink, weighed down somewhat by the yeast from the bottle.

A very sub par porter, poor display of the roasted malt resulting in a fruity sweetness devoid of any hints of chocolate or coffee but full of lactic acidity and charred astringency.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 07:02:09 | More by rawfish

greybeardloon

Rhode Island

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottled July 31, 2012

A: Decent, tight head that dissipates quickly. Splotchy lacing.

S: Mostly grapefruit hops covers some faint roasted and chocolate elements, but this smells like an IPA.

T: Grapefruit hops up front, some mild roasty notes follow. Some faint fruity, yeasty flavors midway through. Somewhat bitter piney hops and some char on the long finish.

M: Thin for a porter.

O: An interesting hoppy porter. The citrus hops and roasted malts work well together, and usually I don't appreciate that combination.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 00:26:24 | More by greybeardloon

cottonkoozie

North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Little to no head, a little sign of carbonation but not much. Dark brown in a pint glass with some amber and caramel colors around the sides of the glass.

Smell - Combination of citrus hops and sweet malts give it some what of a unique smell. Smells like something but I can't place it, almost like a fruity chocolate candy smell.

Taste - Good but needs something still. Starts with a hit of citrus hops, then the malts kind of balance but do not overwhelm, then finishes with bitter hops. Good but would like a more dynamic malt flavor instead of just enough to balance.

Mouthfeel- Could use more carbonation, kind of flat and watery to me, only a slight bite of carbonation. Not too thick or oily.

Overall - Decent porter, but not my favorite I have tried and probably wouldn't seek this one out again. However it is a solid slightly above average example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 21:12:55 | More by cottonkoozie

jondeelee

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dead Reckoning opens to a surprisingly hoppy nose for a porter, with high levels of pink grapefruit, grapefruit rind, and pine resin emerging first and foremost. In fact, the beer smells far more like an IPA than a porter, to the extent that it takes a bit of effort to locate porter-like aromas beneath the hops. They are there, however, bringing in light layers of chocolate and chocolate malt, coffee, tobacco, cream, and even some toasted nut. Smatterings of toast crust and heavy brown breads add to the earthiness. But the majority--say, 60%--of the aromas are hops, which makes for a strange experience, and doesn’t seem to match up with the style. This would not ordinarily be a bad thing, as the hop aromas are very nice, but it does add a sense of confusion to the beer.

On the tongue, the beer opens with a hop blast that comes straight from the nose, with opening notes of grapefruit, grapefruit rind, and pine resin. These last for a second or two, and are then joined by a good layer of porter flavors, including coffee, chocolate malt, ash, tobacco, cream, toasted nut, and thick, almost burnt toast crust and brown bread, these latter flavors growing in strength as the beer is held on the tongue. The aftertaste is heavily ash, tobacco, burnt toast, and coffee grounds, and lingers for a long time. Mouthfeel is medium-light to medium, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, the beer seems to come in two stages: the hops first, then the porter flavors later, making the brew seem almost bipolar. This impression continues in subsequent sips, and while the transition from hops to ash within a single sip is nice, the sudden jar back to hops at the beginning of the next sip is strange, the grapefruit and coffee not quite mixing. Still, this is a decent porter, and quite refreshing in its lightness and citrusy goodness, with just enough black backbone to add body and an interesting counter.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 17:39:05 | More by jondeelee

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Dark, nearly opaque, red-brown with two-finger, off-white, creamy, foamy head that lasted more than several minutes. Great lacing.

S: Earthy pine hops and mild roasted notes.

T: Light to moderate sweetness and solid hop bitterness. Bitter roasted malt with pine hops. Chocolate makes an appearance in the finish.

M: Medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. Chewy mouthfeel.

O: Good porter. Looks great and has a great mouthfeel. A bit bitter for my taste, but not bad.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 02:16:47 | More by SolipsismalCat

rlee1390

Indiana

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Black in the glass, one finger tan head, some lacing.

S-Roasted malt, coffee and chocolate round it out.

T-Roasted and burnt malt. More burnt than roasted. Not much bitterness. Slight dark chocolate. Improves as it warms.

M-Medium bodied, some carbonation a tad watery.

O-Too much burnt malt. Had the malt been more roasted than burnt the beer would have improved.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 23:57:40 | More by rlee1390

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a delicious and unconventional porter. this one pours a nice smooth chocolate brown color, with some suspended sediment and an inch or two of foamy tan head. the nose is surprisingly hoppy for a porter, bitter and resinous, almost like a black ipa more than a porter. there is also a big old roasty malt profile that compliments the hops nicely. the flavor is balanced between the two, a little smokey and a little chocolatey sweet. the remaining yeast also adds a pudding like element to this, with perhaps just a touch of spice lingering with the hops in the finish. i like the idea of a yeasty and hoppy porter. unfiltered is nice here, and it adds some body. carbonation is very lively, and its a fun beer to session, especially in winter time. overall one of my favorite troegs brews.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 17:17:30 | More by StonedTrippin

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.08/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours a very dark brown color with excellent opacity. It's not perfectly pitch black, but it doesn't need to be. The head fades quick, but still leaves behind some nice lacing.

S: Fairly hoppy, with a strong flowery character. Dark roasted malts, chocolate, and coffee are present, though I kind of wish they were a bit stronger aromatically.

T: Initially, there's a pleasant wave of roasted coffee beans, before it finishes with piny hops and chocolate. I have a bit of a problem with how the hops finish the beer. It's not that they provide excessive, clashing bitterness - I like the slight citrusy character they provide, even if there's a slight balance issue between them and the dark malts - it's that they come across as overly acidic. It's one of the 'brighter' porters I've ever had, coming across as almost refreshing instead of stoutlike.

M: Creamy smooth, but also a clean finisher. Not dry, mind you, because the flavors do linger fairly well. I'd say the aftertaste is more pleasant than the initial finish. Carbonation is high like a lot of porters.

O: It's just okay. Granted, it's five months old, so I'm not sure it's fair to judge this as being a good example of a traditional 'robust porter'. I think I'd definitely prefer this one with the hops providing more than just an alpha acid assault. One of Troegs' lesser beers, IMO.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 21:57:44 | More by ThisWangsChung

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.35/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a Sierra Nevada imperial pint.
5.4% ABV, Bottled on 073112, Batch # 120711

A - Clear though the pour, this rich cocoa brown fills the pint with a cold darkness and caps it off with a tall head of mocha foam. After the suds subside, ring after ring of thick lace is left on the glass.

S - Roasted, astringently bitter malts breach the surface with pine-y hoppiness following closely behind; a overwhelming combination. Pretty well hopped, as it warms, Dead Reckoning develops into a bigger pine and citrus American hop nose, turning more into a roasted Black Ale than a porter.

T - Aggressive, burnt roasted malt screams out with bitter, dry cocoa and dark bakers chocolate succumbing to the strong pine and resiny hops. It's stark taste is polarizing, mashing up two bitter ingredients with one another with little balance to calm it.

M - Balance be damned. Bitter as sin, this dark, medium bodied beer has an initially smooth feel, which leads to a gritty, almost chalky dryness on the finish and lingering roasted aftertaste.

O - I think there's a place for this beer somewhere between a porter and a Black Ale but it certainly doesn't leave my taste buds craving more. This is one of those beers I find to be brewed well but not particularly to my liking and I think it's from the harsh contrast of bitter, gritty roasted malt and equally bitter hops. There's no balance, no sweetness to keep it in check at all; it's just, honestly, a bit offensive.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 23:35:00 | More by BeerFMAndy

ghengisflan

3/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: A slightly opaque amber brown.

Smell: Very hop-dominated.

Taste: Hop dominated; I was expecting a porter by the name Dead Reckoning Porter.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, good carbonation.

Overall: A good beer, if mislabeled. It isn't quite a "black IPA" or Cascadian dark ale, though.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 00:38:21 | More by ghengisflan

kangarooAdam59

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

On tap at Troeg's itself in Hershey:

In a Troeg's pint glass:

A: perfect dark brown with barely any lacing and head. The body was too dark for any carbonation to be seen rising.

S: fair amount of hops in front with a nice citrus profile, weird for an American Porter, but hey still desirable as nothing smelled off.

T: followed the smell and actually added a very slight smokiness that tasted pretty nice.

M: light and the carbonation was felt, sessionable

O: is this really an American Porter? No worries, I still liked it even though it is perhaps on the edge of an American Black Ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 19:20:23 | More by kangarooAdam59

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Top Hops and poured into an O'Hara's pint glass.

Dead Reckoning Porter pours a deep brown, lightening noticeably to amber along the outer edge of the glass. A finger of wispy light tan foam sits atop the beer, sticking around for a quick minute before leaving a nice amount of lacing caked to the inner wall of the glass. The nose is based around some nice mild chocolaty and nutty aromas, but there's a definite citrus background note. The balance in the flavor profile is shifted a little bit more towards the hops. The malt comes across as more straight ahead chocolate/roast and less nutty, and it's all followed by a bitterness that catches me off guard for the first sip or two. The finish is decidedly grapefruit, displaying a hand for hops that was just a hair too heavy for my taste. The body has just a little bit of a chewy aspect to it, perfect for a low ABV malty beer, and carbonation is just lively enough to let you know it's there. I enjoyed Dead Reckoning, but it was trending a little bit too much towards a black IPA for me to consider it a truly great porter.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2012 22:25:34 | More by axeman9182

SeamusDoyle

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark brown, nearly black, with a thick ring of tan lace. Aroma of roasted malts, espresso, vanilla, a nutty and doughy character. Hops are apparent, but don’t overpower the porter qualities in the nose. Creamy texture, with a medium body starts with a bit of coffee and a cream sweetness. A bit of bittersweet chocolate through the middle finishes with an intense roast and bitter coffee, intensified by a moderate hop profile.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 13:05:09 | More by SeamusDoyle

Damian

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Drank from a 12 fl.oz. bottle purchased at Downtown Wine & Spirits, Somerville, MA
Bottled 081712
Served in a pint glass

Fantastic appearance. A super tight, creamy and bubbly crown of beige foam topped the dark mahogany liquid. The head had fantastic lasting power. As it receded, thick chunks of sticky lacing coated the glass.

There was unexpected hoppiness to the nose. Had I not known, I would have guessed this to be a American black ale. A distinctly dry and powdery yeastiness was following closely by some intense, piney and grapefruit zest-like hops. Touch of roasty, smoky malts. As the beer warmed, the hops died down and the dry yeasty quality took over.

The flavor profile was more of the same. Some roasted malt and chicory notes clung for dear life as they were enveloped by a cornucopia of intensely dry and bitter hops. Like the nose, West Coast-style hops dominated. Lots of grapefruit peel and piney, resiny notes. The dry, citrusy bitterness lingered on my palate for what seemed like an eternity.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied. Creamy, slick and smooth on the palate. The liquid contained a fine, moderate effervescence.

Dead Reckoning Porter is far from being a bad beer, but it definitely was not what I expected. Call me a traditionalist, but I still like my porters to taste like porters and my IPAs to taste like IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 22:12:49 | More by Damian

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

2.48/5  rDev -35.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a tulip pint glass.

Appearance
Deep brown with 2 fingers of off white head. Good retention.

Nose
Pine, lemon zest and light notes of roasted barley.

Taste
Pine needles, lemon zest and notes of Fruity Pebbles. There’s some roasted barley in there if you look for it. :/

Mouthfeel
Light-medium bodied, water and bitter.

Overall
This is too hoppy for a porter. The maltiness is also very thin. WTF Troegs?!

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 16:46:40 | More by justintcoons

MikeCactusGordon

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

If I was wearing a blindfold, I'd tell you this was a pretty decent Black IPA. If you're looking for a traditional porter this is not for you. I was able to enjoy this beer because of my addiction to hops. I like the attempted risk. I would drink again but wouldn't go out of my way.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 13:57:50 | More by MikeCactusGordon

circus_cat

Virginia

3.4/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Decent but kind of surprised this is considered a porter and not a black IPA. It basically tastes like a piney, floral IPA except a little more malty, full-bodied, and black rather than amber. The bitterness lingers in a decent way, kind of leaving hints of smoke and coffee.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2012 01:01:49 | More by circus_cat