Imperial Porter (Brewmaster Series) - Long Trail Brewing Co.

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #33 (Oct 2009):

Just what we are looking for, dark and heady with a good cap of a head. Velvety with a rich, malty back; robust charred grain tones never become acrid. Dark chocolate creeps in, as does a mild roast of coffee to create sort of a mocha thing. Hops are not shy here at all, slamming down layers of mint, wild herbs and citric zest. The zest is muddled in a good way, sort of like a chocolate-covered orange slice. Sweet but very balanced. Hint of smoky charcoal in the middle with more of an espresso character in the finish.

The big body does not take away from the drinkability at all, albeit it is still a sipper. Further defining this reincarnated style that American brewers have taken for their own ... in an epic way, Long Trail has.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2010 21:49:58 | More by BeerAdvocate

jakeox

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

05-18-2013 23:48:05 | More by jakeox

AL89BR

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -2.4%

05-18-2013 17:16:20 | More by AL89BR

yankeepride

New Jersey

3.04/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Not sure of the release schedule of these, but the bottle had vintage 2011 on it. Got to enjoy a little of that classic porter "fall down" into the pint glass, and caught a solid whiff of some chocolate and only the very tiniest smoked smell. It was so faint I may have actually been dreaming it from wanting to smell more of it. The taste, however, was nothing like it smelled or looked. It was a pretty thin beer, and completely poundable for an imperial. What I really got as a dominant flavor was hops. Not powerful hops, mind you, just the most prevalent flavor. I didn't get very much at all of the classic porter flavors in this, and as a result, I'd rather just have this as a session brew. Good flavor at the price point, but for 8.3%, it didn't give a slow, satisfying glass of beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 02:23:55 | More by yankeepride

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

04-17-2013 09:26:30 | More by Jason1337

Kelp

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

04-15-2013 05:46:46 | More by Kelp

jdibbs

New York

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

04-08-2013 04:23:26 | More by jdibbs

ItsBeer4Me

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

03-28-2013 21:10:46 | More by ItsBeer4Me

marcdalke

Connecticut

4.75/5  rDev +15.9%

03-16-2013 20:38:41 | More by marcdalke

Woodysbeard

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +15.9%

03-13-2013 01:01:22 | More by Woodysbeard

JoninVT

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -2.4%

03-10-2013 23:17:32 | More by JoninVT

DCav

2.75/5  rDev -32.9%

02-22-2013 01:29:38 | More by DCav

taospowder

New Mexico

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

02-07-2013 16:53:49 | More by taospowder

Stunner97

New Jersey

3.23/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance- dark black and very cloudy and murky, very nice tan thick foam head about half inch plus thick, very beautiful off the pour,

Smell- very nice espresso really overall dominates the first whiffs, slight bitter hops, but alot of coffee notes overall

Taste- A decent amount of burnt malts and coffee and espresso really dominate the flavor, the overall flavor is a little light but still decently nice, the finish is pleasantly coffee like more then anything else, slightly bitter hop finish which does check out the coffee a bit

Mouthfeel- Overall the mouth feel is a bit lighter then I would of liked, its almost a feeling of a tad watered own considering the alcohol, very light

Drinkability- This beer is not bad by any means but it just really lacks a lot of the complexity I would expect in such a big bear, Its very one dimensional and almost over the top in certain aspects, its not a bad beer but certainly nothing overall y great either.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 20:26:07 | More by Stunner97

HoistinBrews

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

02-03-2013 02:40:00 | More by HoistinBrews

metter98

New York

4.09/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

A: The beer is jet black in color and poured with a finger high dense tan head that died down, leaving a thin film of lacing covering the surface and a ring of large bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of roasted malts in the nose along with some hints of coffee beans.
T: Flavors of dark roasted malts dominate the overall taste, which also has just about a moderate amount of bitterness from the underlying hops. Hints of chocolate malts are also detectable.
M: It feels nearly medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer packs in lots of roasted malt flavors but is very drinkable and hides any traces of alcohol exceptionally well.

Note: 2011 Vintage

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 03:15:06 | More by metter98

MadScientist

New York

3.78/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A 2011 Vintage

A: A very dark brown with a deep ruby hue. The is long last but thin, forming a thin creamy cap of tan bubbles.

S: A rich dark fruit aroma of prunes, figs and raisins. How did a some citrus hops stay in there after a year and a half? There are light cocoa and coffee aroma with a moderate, soft alcohol note.

T: Coffee and chocolate dominate at a moderate strength backed by the alcohol and a moderate hops bitterness. The fruit comes out about mid-taste through to the aftertaste having flavors of figs and prunes accented by a very-light lemon hops flavor. While there is a light malt sweetness the balance is moderately bitter with an off-dry finish. Besides the fruit the aftertaste also has some dark malt dryness and some coffee flavors. There is a little harshness on the finish like too much hops where used to bitter the beer.

M: A medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Creamy with a light alcohol warmth.

O: I like the hops bitterness and the fruit character but on the whole it lacks balance. Some more malt character might help round it out. From the aggressive hops loving side of my brain I think I'll look for some of this fresh, I'm thinking it'll be pretty good like a Black IPA gone a bit to heavy with the malt.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 00:44:16 | More by MadScientist

phishbone23

New York

3/5  rDev -26.8%

01-23-2013 14:57:02 | More by phishbone23

SadMachine

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -2.4%

01-17-2013 16:33:56 | More by SadMachine

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A-Pours quite near black. Thin, creamy tan head. Leaves plenty of lace.

S-A very well put-together aroma. There isn't really anything incredibly unique or memorable about the flavor except for the fact that it just smells 'right'. A big, roast, chocolatey and slightly chalky nose.

T-The flavor is even better. Fudgy chocolate and light chalk with more than enough roasted coffee to keep me entertained. A slight burnt quality and even a lingering hop-derived bitterness in the finish.

M-Drinkable for its size. A bit creamy in the feel. Full bodied and rich.

O/D-Better than I thought it would be. Very, very well crafted. Everything in this beer should be there. Nailed it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2013 19:11:06 | More by VelvetExtract

CaptDavyJones

New York

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

01-13-2013 05:34:11 | More by CaptDavyJones

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.11/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: Pours an opaque jet black in color with only the faintest hints of very dark amber highlights and a light amount of visible carbonation near the surface. The beer has a finger tall dense and creamy very dark tan head that slowly reduces to thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer with a thick ring at the edges of the glass including some large bubbles in it. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of dark roasted malts, chocolate, and coffee - there is also a lighter amount of dark fruit sweetness and just a hint of pine hops.

T: Strong flavors of dark roasted malts with some moderate to strong flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, and some dark fruits (plum and raisin). There is also a light amount of smokiness and ash. There is a light amount of bitterness from the pine hops but the beer finishes with just a hint of sweetness. Overall, this is a pretty well balanced beer with a nice amount of complexity.

M: Medium to heavy bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth with a light amount of alcohol warming in the finish.

O: The Long Trail Brewmaster Series beers are always a very nice beer for a great price (in fact, they are pretty cheap in the NYC area) and this one did not disappoint - this is a very solid American Porter that is a very nice sipping beer. This is a big beer with a decent amount of alcohol in it, mostly hidden, so it is best enjoyed slowly - and it went really well on a cold winter afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 22:08:35 | More by dbrauneis

claytong

Vermont

4/5  rDev -2.4%

01-07-2013 04:12:34 | More by claytong

stunna

Maine

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

01-05-2013 02:06:00 | More by stunna

nafredet1

Vermont

4/5  rDev -2.4%

01-02-2013 18:05:55 | More by nafredet1