Lost Arrow Porter - Rush River Brewing Company

Lemke10

Wisconsin

3.49/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

This is my first Rush River review so I’m super excited. In all, Rush River only has about a dozen beer offerings so they are a pretty small and precise brewing operation located in River Falls, WI. Not really sure what to expect as you never really hear anyone says anything good or bad about their beer.

It pours a dark brown color with a beige head that lingers around for a while. It has a mild robust scent of roasted malts, coffee, toffee, and caramel malts. Nothing exciting here, just your classic porter scent.

The taste has elements of a heavy beer, but it still drinks rather light. There is a little bit of roasted malts and coffee in the taste but far from being bold. It finishes with a chalky, coffee after taste. This is a good beginner porter to see if you like the style, but it really could be more robust, flavorful, and thicker in texture.

Porters certainly aren't the most popular beer out there. Maybe it’s because it’s just really hard to make a good porter? This was a pretty good attempt by Rush River but as I said, it has room for improvement. It has great drink-ability, it’s just lacking that “wow” factor taste wise.
-Chris Lemke of WisconsinBrewReview.com

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 03:14:16 | More by Lemke10

NilocRellim

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Porter was poured out of the bottle and into a pint glass. Dark and warm in colour with a chocolate, roasted nose to it. Tasted of roasted malts, chocolate, and coffee, with minimal yet present hops. No distinctive or lingering aftertastes.

Would I buy this beer again? Probaby.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 22:05:47 | More by NilocRellim

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

First beer from a new brewery. Thanks to bunkrock (Reddit) for this one.

Pours a fizzy 1 finger darker off white colored head that fades at a med pace with some lacing, over dark molasses brown colored beer.

Nose brings a hint of oatmeal, some light roast, some caramel, a light nutty hazelnut like aroma, and a hint of earthy hop bitterness.

Taste starts a bit roasty with more of that nutty hazelnut like flavor, a bit of oatmeal and caramel, some light toasty brown malts, lighter in overall feel and flavor but a decent taste. Light chalky mocha chocolate and a bit creamy. Just a touch of earthy bittering hops.. Finish is fairly dry, some lingering earthy light bitterness, hint of creamy roast and mocha.

Mouth is med to lighter bodied but fluffy, decent carb.

Overall not bad, a bit light overall in flavor and body, but a nice fluffy feel, decent flavors that are there, and nothing really wrong, a light but drinkable overall porter.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 16:27:39 | More by jlindros

augustgarage

California

3.53/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Best before the last week in December.

The liquid is a very dark russet tinged with cordovan and topped by a fat finger of desert sand merengue and a few dark brown spots from the final drops of yeast. Thick soapy lacing, excellent retention.

Faint caramel and roast malt in the nose...very little aroma otherwise.

Round, roasted flavor profile with slightly stale coffee and cocoa nib notes throughout. Low bitterness with a dry yet slightly fruity finish.

Creamy, medium-light bodied mouthfeel - spritzy with good carbonation.

A decent but generic porter.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 21:01:07 | More by augustgarage

homebrew311

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into Great Lakes snifter. Pours dark brown with some light passage at the edges. A finger of tan head retains itself nicely. The nose has some toasted malt with a slight amount of roast. A bit of chocolate in the background, not much else... aroma is very tame. Taste is thin, a bit of toasted character, and a light bit of herbal hop character at the end. The mouthfeel is thin and a bit prickly. Overall, pretty run of the mill porter without much flavor, nothing memorable here.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 03:42:32 | More by homebrew311

ForWhatAlesYou

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle as part of a winter variety pack. Served in a tulip.

A: Deep, cloudy brown with amber tones. Nice dense tan head. Spotty lacing.

S: Raisin bread, alcohol, toasty grain.

T: Very roasty malt dominates. Not a ton of hop bitter, just in the finish. Toffee, coffee, smoky.

M: A little thin but nice carbonation.

O: Very decent. Worth a go.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 15:39:54 | More by ForWhatAlesYou

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

3.6/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Purchased at Gelly's Pub and Eatery in Stockholm, WI.

A: deep copper color with wisp of head
S: mild nose, sweeter, roasted, nutty with little hops
T: mild taste, sweeter with some hints of roasted malt and slight bitter finish
M: slightly watery, not a ton of character

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 03:43:38 | More by wisrarebeer

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A- Red-brown. Cola colored perhaps. Head is tan, lasts well, and leaves lacing.
S- Aroma is milk chocolate, with some coffee and a faint charcoal.
T- Up front it's pretty sweet. Milk chocolate dominates most of the tasting but there is pleasant smoky coffee finish. I wish more of the taste was like that.
M- Carbonation is medium-light, but dang,for a porter this has a thin body.
O- There are some high points (the appearance, the finish) but on the whole it's more of a miss.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 02:01:59 | More by jsprain1

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

3.7/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Rush River Lost Arrow pours an almost black color, with a light, small head. There is a good strong malty and coffee like smell. The taste is a bit light and weak; rather watery, but there is a typical malty dry porter taste that you can pick up. Nice carbonation, and easy to drink, but its a bit too light. Overall its a good beer, just on the weaker side.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 02:20:24 | More by vette2006c5r

lurpy1

Minnesota

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

Pour is amber/brown, decent head, but a little bit too translucent for a porter. The taste is reasonably pleasant, a little bit burnt, a little bit o'malt, little bit o'coffee, but generally lacks any sort of wow factor. A bit thin for a great porter.

Pretty good, which is about how most Rush River beers grade out. Worth trying, but not worth pimping yourself out to a bestiality porno in order to get your hands on it.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 14:15:08 | More by lurpy1

samie85

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-transparent cola color with a few fingers of very light brown foam.

S-Coffee and roasted notes with some slight vanilla and a dark chocolate finish.

T- Roasted coffee notes

M-A little thin bodied for a porter in my opinion with medium carbonation and a silk/dry feel.

D-Pretty easy drinking without being too rich. A pretty good dark beer for the summer.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 20:15:16 | More by samie85

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.55/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a Sprecher nonic.
Dec Wk3 notched on the label, no info.

A - Clear throughout the pour, slivers of burgundy amber shine through the black beer. A four-finger tan head drops slowly and leaves collar upon collar of lace on the glass!

S - Acrid bitter, burnt roasted malt escapes without hesitation from this brew. Notes of coffee and bittersweet chocolate join but a faint off aroma seems to be hiding within. A dry cocoa musty yeast funk (not wild yeast) is buried in the back.

T - Cold coffee overwhelms the tongue and knocks any off-flavors too far back to notice. The roasted bitter malt is flavorful but one-dimensional.

M - Medium-light-bodied, it seems a touch on the thinner side for the style. Very carbonated as well. Moderate acrid bitter, dry finish from the roasted malts.

O - I get the same sort of yeasty off thing from this brew that I pick up from the others but it's largely covered up by roast a bit more. Once again, it's a promising brew that could be very good with some tweaks.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2011 12:06:22 | More by BeerFMAndy

chicagoabbot

Illinois

2.8/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On-tap at Emma's Bar in River Falls, WI. Man, it hurts to give this brewery's beers generally unfavorable reviews. I grew up in RF for the most part though I live in Chicago now and it made my heart happy when RF got a brewery. Unfortunately, this porter needs a lot of work.

Appearance wise, it's way too light in color and the head isn't jazzy enough or dark enough.

The smell is off too and followed up by a malt profile that lacks complexity. This isn't terrible, but it's not a winner.

Mouthfeel is one of the better things, but still lacking that 'porter pucker'.

Guys, please make better beers and make River Falls proud. You ought to dominate tap-lines at local bars, but instead I barely see anyone drinking your brews! What gives!??! Man...

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2011 17:32:19 | More by chicagoabbot

drizzam

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a clear dark brown in color, actually looks ruby in color when held up to a bright light. The body is topped by a substantial creamy light tan head. Good head retention and lacing.

S - Roasted malt and dark chocolate dominate the aroma. Very nice inviting aroma.

T & M - Roasted malt and dark chocolate with hints of coffee present. The taste actually isn't as strong as I would have expected from the aroma. Thin to medium bodied mouthfeel. Finishes with a very slight bitter roasted finish.

D - This is a very solid beer. As expected, as it warms it gets better. High drinkability factor from both the low ABV and good flavor. I would stock this as a regular beer in my fridge.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 20:08:22 | More by drizzam

maximum12

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

How have I missed reviewing, nay, even sampling this beer in the past? I've had plenty of Unforgiven & Bubblejack, just never seemed to cross paths with this guy. Downed a bottle with surprisingly tasty pizza at Parkway Pizza in Minneapolis tonight.

Brown. Porter brown, to be exact. Smells like lightly roasted chocolate Kisses.

Lost Arrow's taste follows the nose to a T. Roast, almost crossing the yellow lines to coffee, is at the top of the beer chain. Soft chocolate, and a kick of sweet maltiness rounds out this simple porter.

Easy on the eyes, easy on the palate, low ABV, tasty, easy to drink. Simple, yup, but nothing I'd ever turn down. Good, solid porter.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2010 04:23:14 | More by maximum12

Arenbeer

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Supercolter for this brew!

12oz bottle into a Snifter

A- Pours a dark dark brown with a decent 2 finger tan head.

S- Darker roasted malts with some coffee and sweet chocolate. Raisins and other dark fruits are also apparent.

T- Interesting, Strong hops up front with a nice coffee bitter background that's nothing like i was expecting.

M- Medium body with moderate carbonation and a slight bitter mouthfeel.

SkÅL!

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2010 00:35:08 | More by Arenbeer

gford217

Georgia

3.18/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a dark mahogany brown with some copper showing through under a very small beige head that recedes very quickly to a tiny collar.

Aroma is very subtle with the roasted black malts dominating as well as hints of coffee and cocoa powder. Maybe some sweet brown sugar.

The taste is much of the same with sweet chocolate and dark roasted malts. Sweet finish with hints of vanilla and a bit of coffee bitterness.

The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with good carbonation. Maybe a bit on the thin side.

This is a fairly basic porter that's not that bad but doesn't have any stand-out traits.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2010 01:42:56 | More by gford217

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.68/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into my pint glass the beer is dark chocolate brown with about one finger of light beige head. A smattering of lace clings to the edges of the glass.

The aroma is mostly roast malt with hints of chocolate and coffee. A bit of earthy hoppiness is present as well. Smells like a porter.

The flavor is quite roasty. Lots of burnt malt with a strong coffee back bone. Just a touch of chocolate in the finish. The earth tone that I picked up in the nose comes through as it warms. Solid flavor.

Light to medium body with maybe a tad too much carbonation for a porter.

Overall a nice porter and an easy drinker for sure. I would grab a sixer of this.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2010 23:36:34 | More by beerwolf77

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.4/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured a nice foamy frothy light tan head and some lace. Color is brown with amber highlights. Aroma is malty, roasty, coffee, cocoa,& a bit of vanilla. Flavor's similar. Body is thinner when the beer's colder and gets better as it warms. Carbonation's ok. Finish is decent and like flavor. Could almost be a session if the beer isn't too cold.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2010 02:19:47 | More by drpimento

Wisconsin

Wisconsin

3.63/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle into a pint glass

A - A strong pour delivers a thick, jet black body that omits no light when held up to light. A tan, frothy, one finger head quickly rises and slowly fades away. Minutes later there is still a lace around the glass with a thicker ring around the edge.

S - Lots of coffee beans, roasted malts and bitter notes stand out first. A deeper smell brings about sweeter, expresso like toffee, cream, and vanilla. Very smooth and inviting smell.

T - Taste is much like the smell. Plenty of bitter coffee notes that combine with roasted malts along with chocolate stand out initially. Toffee, cream and other expresso like flavors come through as well. Neither is too overpowering.

M - Medium bodied beer with an ample amount of carbonation, maybe a bit too much. Entering the mouth the strong bitter aspects hit you first. Again nothing too strong, as the roasted malts and coffee notes first hit your palate. Following this is a strong amount of carbonation (for a porter), which I feel drowns out the cream, vanilla and toffee notes that would make for a great finish.

D - This beer has quite a bit of potential and simply needs a little tweaking. If the guys at RR can tone down the CO2 and let the back side of this beer open up more it would be outstanding. As it stands now, there seems to be some fighting between the two and the finish suffers as a result. Overall though I am impressed. In all my other experiences with different RR brews, hops have been a strong suit, so its nice to see some depth here.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2010 02:14:13 | More by Wisconsin

GeezLynn

Minnesota

2.75/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Bottled March 2009

Dark dirty brown with a lighter cream colored head that settled into a mix of foam and rather large bubbles

Full malt aroma with coffee and chocolate and hop freshness.

Taste is extremely shallow, with an initial dry chocolate malt followed by ....watery nothingness. I can't remember a beer with less of a finish.
Mouthfeel is thin and WAY over-carbonated.

I should be clear that this beer is no longer fresh, and have tried to take that into consideration in the ratings. However it's also a porter that hasn't exactly been abused sitting on the shelf a couple of months followed by chilling in my fridge a couple more and the smell is all there.

My experience was similar to a previous review describing this beer as a pilsner with some food coloring. Make that a lighter pilsner.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2009 02:41:26 | More by GeezLynn

roadhouse

Florida

3.4/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle into a pint glass

Pours a dark mahogany-red color with a massive two and a half inch head. Lots of visible chunkage floating around despite the dark color. Not the most pleasant but the head does retain well and a ton of lace is left on the glass.

Aroma is very mild. There's a light cocoa and coffee aroma but it doesn't jump out like many Porters. Also a vague fruitiness is present.

Taste is also quite weak as the aroma. It begins with some cocoa but it's kind of a watery chocolate flavor. Not much else going on besides a mild fruity character that doesn't really taste like anything in particular and a bit of a lightly roasted coffee taste in the finish.

Mouthfeel is medium-light, again a bit thin and watery, but it makes up with it's smooth and creamy texture.

Quite a boring porter, but there's nothing really offensive about it. I could drink a few of them, but I don't think I'd want to because it's just not that flavorful. An OK option if there isn't anything better available.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2009 04:13:32 | More by roadhouse

KarlHungus

Minnesota

3.33/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer pours a light brown color. The head is one inch in height, and recedes into decent lacing. The aroma is of roasted malt with hints of milk chocolate. The taste is a lot like the aroma. It isn't the most complex tasting porter I've had, but it is pleasant nonetheless. The mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium bodied with carbonation that is too high for the style. Overall, this is a decent porter that I could drink again, but there are so many better porters readily available that I don't think I'll make it back to this beer very soon.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2009 20:46:10 | More by KarlHungus

BDLbrewster

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer is described on the bottle as LOST ARROW PORTER ALE, huh... Aggressively poured a 12oz into my pint and a tiny little tan colored head popped up, fleeting quickly. Opaque, sediment ridden, coffee colored. Smells of sweet malty coffee. Feels thin in my mouth and tastes of roasted malt with a teeny tiny, dull hoppy edge. Not as tasty as I had hoped, but it went down very easily. I feel like I could have a couple and still have room for dinner. Not my favorite from Rush River, but still good.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2009 14:28:42 | More by BDLbrewster

MPLS

Minnesota

2.98/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Stopped by the bur for a couple of cheap taps and this was my first selection.

A: Decent translucent medium brown/amber color with an unimpressive head and nominal lacing to match. Perhaps I have had to many imperial stouts/porters as of late. Moderate carbonation.

S: Mellow roasted notes, earthy undertones, negligible bitter chocoalte.

T: A very mild porter, low ABV, low flavor profile, but easy to sip on. The biggest taste element is the dry porter malts with hints of chocolate, and mild bitterness to balance things out.

M:Thin Lizzy strikes again! Pretty well matched to its appearance, water, little too much fizz on the tongue.

D: Easily drinkable from it's underwhelming nature and cheap around town. Good smell, but just far too thin with a specific gravity resembling hard water.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2009 21:16:54 | More by MPLS