Black Friars - Paddock Wood Brewing Co.

markaberrant

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - pours a clear dark brown, in the glass it is about as dark a red as you can get, but you can still see through it, a very white head forms, then quickly dissipates, no lacing

S - vanilla, coconut/almond, cola, sweet, but not carmel-like, not very porter/stout like despite the colour, but interesting

T - taste is again mostly dominated by vanilla and coconut, sweetness is restrained, though hopping is not overly strong, finally get a nice hint of roast in the finish, not a lot of english character

M - body is relatively light, which I like, roasted malt provides some astringency, alcohol is well hidden, finish is dry, medium light carbonation

D - this is a pretty good beer, I like it

Ok, I'm completely lost. The Paddock Wood website says, "Named after the theatre located in London which featured the Bard's plays, Blackfriars is our take on what a brewer might have done in London in the 17th Century. It has several layers of variously toasted malts, British hops to balance, and 7.5% ABV." And the bottle says, "Blackfriars theatre was the most innovative and structurally advanced theatre in 1608 London. We have brewed a beer fit for nobility, recreating some of the brewing methods used in London at the time."

This is all well and good, and conjures up an idea in your mind of what you are about to taste... but dammit, it tastes like a north american craft brewed vanilla porter. And it is indeed a very good vanilla porter.

I'm thinking this will age well, so get some if you can.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2010 03:09:39 | More by markaberrant

IllNate

British Columbia (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poors a nice rich brown with ruby highlights. Good amount of tan head with good retention.

S - Smells of rich roasted malt, coffee and chocolate. Alcohol is barely noticeable.

T - Kind of a let down actually. I was expecting big and bold and I got not a lot. What you do get is a light base with roasty, coffee/toffee notes. I'm skeptical of my taste buds, but I haven't eaten anything in the last hour..

M - Good mouthfeel. It's got the body and the creaminess.

D - Good as well.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2011 02:06:36 | More by IllNate