Mendocino Winter Ale (04/05 - Porter)

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Appearance - Pours opaque black with tan head. Aroma - Malty, chocolatey, and caramel. Mouthfeel - average. Flavor - Chocolatey and creamy caramel. Really nice, loved it.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

04.23.05 Tap at TAP NY. Nearly black with huge head. Big cascades on aroma was a shock. Dry and roasty. Hints at vegetal (like a bunch of these Mendocino beers seem to do) but big roasty coffee comes in to make me forget all about any unpleasantness and a woody driness finishes. Really nice porter.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

This is now a 9% alcohol brew and balances the higher alcohol content with a generous helping of hops. When poured, it produces a medium yellow/amber body with a huge tan head. Noticeable hoppiness in the aroma and quite a nice dry bite in the initial sampling all the way through to the aftertaste. Quite enjoyable!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Looks like they changed the style from last year - no longer a porter but a straight winter ale. Pours golden murky tan, with a slight head. Noticable burnt taste, heavy on the hops. Terrific lacing. All around it is an OK representation of the style, more ale and less winter than I'd hoped.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours deep mahogany/black with tan head. Laces nicely. Aroma of toasted malt, chocolate and caramel. Decent mouthfeel. Tastes like it smells, but does have something of a burnt characteristic. Hides the alcohol well. A good winter warmer, IMO.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

The aroma is strong with a hint of caramel. Mendocino's Winter Ale pours nice, thick and dark in the glass. There wasn't much of a head, but an attractive thin layer of lacing around the edge of the glass. The flavor is very strong and a bit on the burnt side....but no unpleasant aftertaste. Porters aren't my favorite kind of brew, but this one is pretty good.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Bottle. Deep dark brown in color with a nice tan head. Roasty aroma. Roasty flavor. Rich aroma. Chocolate, coffee, and caramel flavors. Smooth flavor. Full bodied. Really nice beer. Fresh hop aroma. Excellent beer.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

This porter pours with a dark brown body with red highlights topped by a thin to medium thick, quickly disappearing head with come lacing. The aroma is slighlty sweet and roasty with a pronounced coffee note and a touch of bitterness. The flavor is slightly sweet with a bitter undertone, lots of roastiness and some coffee. Full bodied, smooth and slightly dry.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

The aroma is of chocolate and caramel malts. The appearance is a very rich dark brown with a dark tan head that coats the glass. The mouthfeel is very full-bodied and balanced with some hops and very complex. The flavor is very robust and rich and of chocolate and caramel and a bit bitter from the hops. Overall, it has a very nice warming finish and perfect for a dark, cold winter.