Village Brewery Village Monk Chai Winter Porter American Porter at 6.2% ABV (C$8.29 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, best before 20-Mar-2016, reviewed 17-Jan-2016)
Appearance: clear brown with one finger of fine light beige head, excellent retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: muted, chai, cloves, dark fruit, roasted malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-full body, soft carbonation, spicy finish. (4/5)
Not bad: it starts off with a mild chai spice aroma, but it ends up being a bit like a pumpkin spice porter. I’m not getting much (if any) of the fennel or peppercorn the label claims, but thinking about it for a bit, there might be a little mint. It’s not a terrible implementation, but it’s hard to shake the association with pumpkin spice – and I need a few months to get myself prepared for that again. (12/20)
6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
