Try?
Bah humbug,
Santa. You left a lump of coal in my stocking. Wait a minute. That's not a
lump. It's a bottle. A bottle of Atlantic Brewing Company’s Coal Porter
to be exact. I guess Santa's pretty beer savvy, after all. Because Coal
Porter is one of the better examples of a robust porter you can buy.
Brewed in Maine, Coal Porter may be hard to find in some areas, though the company is working to expand distribution. I was rather surprised to see it sold here in Atlanta, Georgia. They also make exceptional blueberry ale . Here's what the brewery has to say about their porter:
A superb porter, hearty & dark. This one is a staff favorite, made with pale, crystal, Munich, chocolate, and black malts. The darker malts give Coal its color and rich flavor. We use Target and Willamette hops to yield a very subtle hop flavor in this porter..
The name Coal Porter, of course, is a pun on composer Cole Porter (and the coal which the color of the beer resembles). I am not sure how fond he was of beer, but if he was, he had the right last name for it. Atlantic Brewing is not the only company to produce a beer with this name, California's San Luis Obispo brewery produces a Cole Porter too (and, coincidentally, a blueberry ale).
When I think of robust porters, beers like Coal Porter come to mind, along with Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter among others. There are actually two main classifications of porter, although purists will argue for further substyles. Robust porters tend to be quite roasty and, well, robust; brown porters, the other main style, are softer and sweeter.
Coal Porter pours to a very dark brownish black color with a light creamy tan head formation and a chocolate and coffee nose. The palate is medium bodied with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel and a very intense roasted character. Strong notes of coffee and bittersweet chocolate are obvious here.
But there's more. A subtle, minty hop aroma permeates the brew and blends nicely with the chocolaty notes. In the finish, everything intensifies: there's hop bitterness, minty hop flavor, and lots of roasted dark malt bitterness. This is not a beer for those who eschew bitter flavor.
But it is a great beer for those who enjoy such. Like myself. If you're in New England, or even Georgia, don't leave until you hunt down some of this beer.
Brewed in Maine, Coal Porter may be hard to find in some areas, though the company is working to expand distribution. I was rather surprised to see it sold here in Atlanta, Georgia. They also make exceptional blueberry ale . Here's what the brewery has to say about their porter:
A superb porter, hearty & dark. This one is a staff favorite, made with pale, crystal, Munich, chocolate, and black malts. The darker malts give Coal its color and rich flavor. We use Target and Willamette hops to yield a very subtle hop flavor in this porter..
The name Coal Porter, of course, is a pun on composer Cole Porter (and the coal which the color of the beer resembles). I am not sure how fond he was of beer, but if he was, he had the right last name for it. Atlantic Brewing is not the only company to produce a beer with this name, California's San Luis Obispo brewery produces a Cole Porter too (and, coincidentally, a blueberry ale).
When I think of robust porters, beers like Coal Porter come to mind, along with Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter among others. There are actually two main classifications of porter, although purists will argue for further substyles. Robust porters tend to be quite roasty and, well, robust; brown porters, the other main style, are softer and sweeter.
Coal Porter pours to a very dark brownish black color with a light creamy tan head formation and a chocolate and coffee nose. The palate is medium bodied with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel and a very intense roasted character. Strong notes of coffee and bittersweet chocolate are obvious here.
But there's more. A subtle, minty hop aroma permeates the brew and blends nicely with the chocolaty notes. In the finish, everything intensifies: there's hop bitterness, minty hop flavor, and lots of roasted dark malt bitterness. This is not a beer for those who eschew bitter flavor.
But it is a great beer for those who enjoy such. Like myself. If you're in New England, or even Georgia, don't leave until you hunt down some of this beer.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
