Howl at the Moon - Smoked Porter 22B
Aroma: Restrained, but noticeable smoke aroma. Not overpowering and well-placed. Lots of toasted notes behind the smoke, very pleasant. Good roast character as well. Could use some malty/sweet tones to really invite you in - perhaps some chocolate aroma would work in providing a perfect balalnce. (10/12)
Appearance: Black, opaque. Minimal head that forms tight/dense lacing. Weird islands of bubbles in the center of the glass. Never seen that before - nothing wrong with it, just odd. Brownish tints when held to the light. (3/3)
Flavor: Parallels the aroma quite well. Smoke is in the foreground, but not overpowering by any stretch of the imagination. A little more roast in the flavor, which needs some backup malt presence to help balance it out. The toastiness of the aroma is not as prominent here, but overall needs a bigger malt character. No acrid notes usually associated with a robust porter. Mild hop bitterness presence. (15/20)
Mouthfeel: Could perhaps use more body to project the base beer. Well carbonated, not too fizzy. Mild tongue-washing dryness from the roasted grains. (3/5)
Overall: Very well done. Could just use a few more gravity points or perhaps more prominent malts in the grist to help the balance the roast/smoke with the base in the aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel. Really the only thing that was off - cleanly brewed overall with no off flavors. Well done. (8/10)
(39/50)
