Nickel Brook Maple Porter

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

Pours a very thick amount of creamy brownish head and has a dark brown appearance. Leaves a thin layer. Nick dirty lacing. Aromas are mainly toasty and nutty malts with a bit of spiced hops, not much else. Flavours of sweets, like caramel, toffee and the ever present maple, but not too overpowering, making it well blended and balanced. Fairly mild overall, not much bitterness. Some nuttiness in the mix. Mouthfeel is pretty slick and has a slightly warming sensation. Smoothness on the palate and real easy going down. Overall, not as much punch as expected with the maple taking somewhat of a backseat. Still pretty damn good.

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

750ml bottle with a wax-sealed cap. Pours a dark brown colour with a frothy mocha cap that has great retention and foamy thin lace. Coffee aroma start, with eventually caramel and roasted malts, dark fruit notes and mild yeast. The maple really appears in the taste, not to add too much sweetness, but well-balanced with the hop bitterness in the finish. Mild sugars, roasted malt and a tad of dark fruits. A very nice, easy-drinking porter, with hints of maple syrup.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 7

550ml draught
6.0% ABV (as written on menu)
I tried this beer on tap on March 15, 2012 at "C'est What" in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The beer poured a very dark brown, with black hints and a creamy tan cap. The aroma is dark malt, floral hops, and caramel. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with mild carbonation. The flavour is maply sweet, with hints of roasted malt and coffee. Dangerously drinkable.

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

Pours a dark brown with thin tan head. Not much retention or lace. Light roasted malt and smoke aroma. Taste is the same with some vanilla and a hint of maple. Expected a fuller body for the style. Medium carbonation with a dry finish.Thanks gig

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

Bottle: Poured a clear dark color porter with a medium foamy head with good retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of maple and roasted malt are easily detectable. Taste is a strange mix between some lightly sweet maple notes with dry roasted malt. Body is a bit light for style with good carbonation and no signs of alcohol. Not bad overall but I am probably not the biggest fan of including maple in beer.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Sampled from the bright tank at the brewey prior to kegging...and from unfilter bottles 3 weeks later Tapped a hazed deep burished copper-cola color with ruby highlights and a wonderful frothy mocha cap...lasted well and laced well. Aromas are subdued but complex...light toast, maple, hay, smoke, and some woody-earthyness. Medium bodied, creamy mouthfeel. Starts with a flash of maltiness then the other flavors take you right away into a collage of nutty-smoked maple tastes while the hops rigidly maintain a tight cedar bittering....finished clean with the smokey maple and hops creating a unique marriage on the palate tending to a biting drying....slight metallic and bready after taste. Remarkable...and it’s definately NOT sweet as you’d expect...this is a unique hybrid with a porter-like character and profile but with the "charred" astringency swapped out for cedar bittering and a lovely smokey-nutty- maple decernment that just works well in this malty ale with the dry finish. Oh and did I mention its very drinkable? Bravo to the brewer on this one...an experimental brew that works well.