AleWerks Washington's Porter
Rich and smooth, AleWerks Porter is a traditional example from colonial times. A seven malt backbone is balanced with Fuggles hops. Sit back and relax after dinner with a pint.
English Porter was first brewed, around 1720. It quickly became the beer of choice in England, Ireland and Scotland where it was brewed in ever increasing quantity. It remained popular well into the 1800’s.
Brewer Robert Hare of Philadelphia produced the first commercial porter in America (1776). After the war, his porter was in great demand, buoyed no doubt by President Washington’s 1789 “Buy American” policy and his pronouncement that he would drink only porter made in America. Much of this porter came from Hare’s brewery, and some from that of Ruben Haines.
English Porter was first brewed, around 1720. It quickly became the beer of choice in England, Ireland and Scotland where it was brewed in ever increasing quantity. It remained popular well into the 1800’s.
Brewer Robert Hare of Philadelphia produced the first commercial porter in America (1776). After the war, his porter was in great demand, buoyed no doubt by President Washington’s 1789 “Buy American” policy and his pronouncement that he would drink only porter made in America. Much of this porter came from Hare’s brewery, and some from that of Ruben Haines.
3.4
205 reviews
Williamsburg, United States
Community reviews
Very dark brown. Roasty chocolate aroma. Malty sweet chocolate flavor. Very light carbonation. Like a slightly sweet chocolate shake. This beer is it’s own desert.
12oz bottle. Pours black with a small creamy brown head. Aroma is roasty chocolate malt. Somewhat sweet with roasty notes. Smooth and not too intense. Pretty good.
Bottle at Leesburg Brewing Company. Brownish black color. Aromas of licorice, chocolate, caramel, roast, smoke. Tasting notes of chocolate, licorice, roast. Medium body with a dry finish.
From a bottle at The Cheese Shop in Williamsburg. Great aroma, very flavorful coffee and malt chocolate. Smoothe down the hatch, slight carbonation, good beer.
The aroma is choclate, molasses. The appearance is deep brown/black/ reddish hue, off-white head. The flavor is molasses, brown sugar, pine hops, cocoa. The finish is bitter cocoa, pine. Medium in body, smooth mouthfeel. Nice porter over.
Roasted malt and chocolate aroma. Dark in color with very little off white head. Similar taste to aroma with a bit of smoke, dark fruits and lite bitterness. Good beer.
Bottle. Poured deep brown with a largish, persistent tan head. Aroma and flavor were roasted malt, milk chocolate, light stone fruit. Moderately sweet, low bitterness. ABV quite hidden. Silky mouthfeel. Nice but kind of one note.
Bottle from the mix 6 at beer run. Rich malt an chocolat aromas. Pretty good there. Flavor is much the same. The finish is a little more bitter and tart than I would expect. A solid drink for a sub freezing kind o day.
Flaska. Svart med litet, snart försvinnande, moccafärgat skum. Kaffe, choklad, svag vanilj och röda bär i både smak och doft. Torr munkänsla.
Nästan svart öl med ett lätt ljusbrunt skum. Doft av choklad, lätta rostade toner och mörka bär. En mjuk porter med bara lätta rostade toner, kaffe och ganska söt choklad.
Bottle. Aroma of chocolate, dark fruit, and alcohol. Medium body, with chocolate, caramel, and dark roast at the end. Smooth mouthfeel with little carbonation.
aroma of roasted malts, cashews, earthiness, coffee, floral hops. pours black with tanned soapy head, little lacing. tastes of sweet coffee, caramel, vanilla, floral hops. palate is thin but silky.
July 2010. Sampled at the brewery. Pours black with a beige head. Nice aromas of roasted malt, yeast, chocolate and coffee. Good balance.
Very dark with a thin tan head. Aroma of malt and chocolate. Smooth, roasty malt, hints of coffee and cocoa. Rather light and drinkable given the alcohol content. A very nice porter.
Roasty, robust aroma. Very deep and dark. Nice roasty flavor followed by some chocolaty undertones. Medium bodied. Like alot.
Pitch black color, with thin creamy tan head. No lacing.
Very faint aroma of toasted malts, caramel and cocoa-like flavors. Not too much on the nose.
Good medium mouth feel/body, low carbonation, if any. Nice flavors of roasted malt, barley, mild coffee. Very persistent tastes and very pleasing.
A very nice porter, as good as any out there.
Drank this during the Game of Thrones Red Wedding episode. Would have taken a truly great beer to match what unfolded on my screen. This brew was pretty solid. Poured just a touch on the brown side of black with light tan head. Smelled roasty with a touch of chocolate. Taste was coffee with minimal sweetness and a bitter finish. Medium body with middle of the road carbonation. Bottle - Trade from RABinVA
12 oz bottle into a pint glass.
A: Pours a dark brown color; it isn’t entirely opaque. The head is a one finger light cream shade. Not very impressive looking to start, it fades rather quickly and doesn’t leave much lacing behind.
S: This has a good chocolate presence, and it’s also backed by some roasted nuts, coffee, and cream. Nice aroma, yet nothing groundbreaking.
T: At first I notice some dry chocolate, ultimately giving way to notes of caramel, brown sugar, and even tangy fruit esters. There’s also a slight finishing mineral component.
M: Very creamy, yet at the same time, quite dry and clean. Not over-carbonated like some porters, too. Drinkability is fantastic.
O: This is a fine example of an everyday beer. It inspires simple, easy going drinkability, yet doesn’t blow away the palate (nor does it attempt to). But I could easily put down 2 or 3 of these in a sitting with no complaints - I’m even a bit sad I only bought a single, so yes, this one is indeed very good.
Pours a lovely dark brown with a beautiful tan head. The aroma is big chocolate, light roast, toffee and coffee. The flavor runs the same as the aroma though a tad bit understated, with light roast coffee and sumptuous chocolate as the backbone followed by some light toffee and caramel notes. Palate is perfect for the style and only gets better as it warms up. Overall, I changed my rating of this over from a 3.6 to a 4 over the course of 30 minutes of drinking this beer as it got so much better when it warmed. Great brew!
The appearance is in line with other solid porters, with a dark chestnut-brown color beneath a nice, foamy beige head. The aroma is largely a light milk chocolate with only a little bit of roast, although it is all a bit muted until the beer warmed up a bit. The flavor is again dominated by sweet, milky, chocolate malts, which is even a little too sweet for my liking, but there is also a slight astringency that detracts from the taste. The smooth, light carbonation doesn’t get in the way. Overall, this beer has good color and aroma, and it has a decent depth of flavor despite being a bit over-sweet, making it a solid, slightly above-average porter.
Bottle. Pours black with a thin tan head. Nose is chocolate, caramel, roasted malt and a slight hint of vanilla. Taste is strong roasted malt up front, a touch of chocolate and caramel and a strong coffee aftertaste. A touch of hop bitterness is evident. Palate is a little thin but with a nice carb. Pretty nice.
THOUGHTS: Very nice porter. Nothing fancy, just great execution on a classic style. Right up there with some of my favorite porters like Anchor and Founders porters.
TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark, brown that was basically black in the glass with red highlights and a very small, off-white head that mostly diminished and left barely fair lacing. The aroma contained, moderate coffee, chocolate and roasted malts; light caramel malt; light herbal, almost minty hops; slight citrus hops; slight cherry; tobacco; and sour coffee. The initial flavor was lightly sweet, and slightly sour and bitter; while the finish was lightly sweet sour and bitter with an average duration. There was roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, sour coffee, a little cherry, tobacco, dark chocolate, and light hops. The medium body was sort of creamy with fairly soft carbonation and a lightly astringent finish.
Bottle at home courtesy of RABinVA. Thanks buddy! Pour is deep brown, almost black with a big tan head and good lacing. Dark chocolate, molasses, light tobacco, coffee, graham crackers, and light grass in the aroma. Taste is big cocoa nibs, roast, espresso, light oak, a touch of vanilla, earthy, and grassy with a light roasted bitter finish. Medium-to-thick mouthfeel with medium carbonation. Would have liked to see a little thicker mouthfeel and a little less carbonation, but other than that, a damn solid porter.
12 oz bottle served in a Unibroue snifter.
Appearance: Pours a very dark brown, near black and opaque in the glass but with a fine looking reddish mahogany at the edges. The tan head is small with limited retention, although a partial top coat and ring last on and on, and irregular sticky lacing is left on the sides of my glass.
Aroma: Not strong, but has some depth and complexity,. Caramel and dark roasted malt with hints of dark fruit, coffee and a light touch of spicy hops.
Taste: The flavor amplifies the aromas, especially the coffee and bittersweet chocolate. Meanwhile, the dark fruit is not present, but that’s ok, there’s plenty to enjoy here and some nice dynamics from start to aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Soft, with a near medium body and enough carbonation to add life and make it seem a bit lighter. Only a touch of dryness in the finish.
O; I love some porters and fine others unappealing. This is soooo much better than the 961 Porter that preceded it. Flavorful but very well balanced and not at all challenging. Worth seeking out.
12 oz bottle. Pours a deep brown with a nice light tan head that leaves night lacing. Aroma is roasted malts with a hint of chocolate and espresso. Taste is lightly sweet and bitter. A nice balance. Bittersweet chocolate and vanilla with a lingering fresh coffee taste. Very nice.
From notes: Poured deep brown-to-black with a 1-finger mocha-colored head. Nutty aroma, with a touch of roastiness. Medium body, a touch oily. Flavor is roasty with a nutty note beneath. Solid, not outstanding.
12oz bottle bought in Virginia. Poured into goblet, dark brown with tan head. Aroma of chocolate and roasted malt. Taste is sweet chocolate, light coffee, balanced light hop bitterness and some ashiness. Dry finish. Somewhat light yet creamy palate. Pretty solid porter.
Bottle at the DoG pub, Williamsburg. Near black with a tight, off-white head. Roasted malts, some dark chocolate and a touch of dark fruit before a dryish finish. Good.
Draft at the source. Dark naroon color, tan head. Aroma of coffee grounds. Taste is burnt coffee and sweet caramel.
Poured black with little head that dissipated quickly and left no lacing. The aroma was chocolate and dark roasted malts. The flavor was pretty typical English porter with roasted malt flavors and a bitter finish.