Rye Porter Review

Someday I ought to brew a 5-gallon batch exactly as it appears on the recipe.  This porter is a scaled version of the one from Brewing Classic Styles but also with some grain substitutions. I guess one never knows how the altered recipes compare to JZ's award-winning recipes, although of course every brewer has a slightly different system and technique, so even with unaltered recipes your mileage may vary. In any case, let's see how this one turned out.

Appearance: Dark brown with tan head. Not completely opaque but pretty close. The head lasts.

Aroma: Pretty subdued by I get some roasty and chocolate notes. Coffee-like aroma, with no hop character. The aroma becomes more bready and grainy as the beer warms to proper serving temperature.

Taste: Stronger than the smell, again, roasty and chocolatey, and a little bit acrid. Sweetness is there but minimal. Bitterness is low. I think it should be a little bit sweeter.

Mouthfeel: The first thing I notice is that this beer seems to have a creamy texture without feeling heavy. It's kind of like Guiness in texture. Carbonation is on the low end of medium.

Overall: Pretty good, although I could do without the slight acrid note and I think it should be a little bit sweeter. My wife really like it. I may enter this into an upcoming competition.