Darker and darker are the days, finally raining a little bit. If we had a good old downpour, that would clean up the streets too. But as always, I’m in the mood for dark beers no matter the weather, so it’s just a flimsy excuse to pull out a porter. And what a porter it seems to be! The Kernel’s Victorian, historic London porter, presented by Stigbergets no less. It looks to be on the heavy side for a porter at almost 6%, but there’s a strange cheeriness to the can. Even though those badgers remind me of Edward Gorey illustrations somehow.
A membrane of bubbles forms on the sides of the glass, but also a respectable head. It does descend, but only slowly, gradually getting more and more Swiss cheese holes in it. This is a brown porter rather than a black stout, but it’s a tarry and precious stone kind of brown. There’s a mild smokey roast aroma, but no smoke alarms. It has a heavy and earthy taste, but the beer still manages to be very drinkable. There’s a little plumminess raising the flavor off the ground, but it doesn’t quite get to sweet, exactly. It has the feel of a spectator’s drink, one you have while watching a game show. Especially trivia, when you always know the answers without the pressure of being on the stage.
Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €5.50
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