YellowBelly Brewery Mummer’s Brew Cranberry Chocolate Porter (2015) American Porter at 7% ABV | 38 IBU (C$10.00 at YellowBelly Brewery, 1 l, bottle date 10-Dec-2015, acquired 19-Dec-2015, reviewed 8-Jan-2017)
Appearance: nearly opaque black with the merest hint of brown around the margins, two fingers of dense fine beige head, good retention and moderate chunky lacing. (5/5) Aroma: chocolate malt, red berries, toasted bread, light earthy. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate to low carbonation, off-dry bitter and lightly tart finish. (4/5)
I wasn’t all that impressed when I tried this new, but predicted it might benefit from some ageing. It would appear that I was gratifyingly correct in that regard: at just over a year in the cellar, this has become a smooth, well-integrated porter that could just as easily be called a stout, if not an imperial stout. The chocolate flavours dominate over the very mild red berry tartness (OK, fine, we’ll call it cranberry if you say so) but both are present with relatively restrained sweetness. Well-balanced and easy-drinking, we’ll see what happens to my last one of these after another couple of years’ ageing. (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
