Flag Porter 1825 Original
Available in bottle
Contract brewed by Elgood for BrewLab/Darwin.
Full bodied porter, hopped with Kent’s hops.
Flag Porter is brewed from a traditional 19th century British recipe using yeast salvaged from a vessel which sank in the English Channel in 1825.
In 1988, several bottles of the brew were raised from their resting place 60 feet deep in the Channel. They were in their original containers, with their wood stoppers and wax seals intact. When opened, however, they "tasted like old, wet boots" according to Dr. Keith Thomas, renowned brewer and microbiologist.
When he examined the beer under a microscope, he found a small percentage of the yeast to be still living! After months of growing this yeast, he brewed a porter using an 1850 recipe. Adhering to the practises of porter brewers of the era, Dr. Thomas uses barley and hops grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
Contract brewed by Elgood for BrewLab/Darwin.
Full bodied porter, hopped with Kent’s hops.
Flag Porter is brewed from a traditional 19th century British recipe using yeast salvaged from a vessel which sank in the English Channel in 1825.
In 1988, several bottles of the brew were raised from their resting place 60 feet deep in the Channel. They were in their original containers, with their wood stoppers and wax seals intact. When opened, however, they "tasted like old, wet boots" according to Dr. Keith Thomas, renowned brewer and microbiologist.
When he examined the beer under a microscope, he found a small percentage of the yeast to be still living! After months of growing this yeast, he brewed a porter using an 1850 recipe. Adhering to the practises of porter brewers of the era, Dr. Thomas uses barley and hops grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
3.5
623 reviews
North Shields, England
Community reviews
Bottle->pokal. Dark brown with thin wispy offwhite head. A: subtle chocolate malt, soy sauce, grains. T: roasted and chocolate malt, slight smoke. Thin, watery. Eh.
Bottle - 330ml. Black body with a thin, fading, off-white foamy head. Decent malty/hoppy aroma with roasted cereals hints. Taste carries woody and coffeeish notes. Ends with a decent bitter/roasty finish. Not bad at all.
bottle. deep brown with small head. really nice porter. malty with quite a bit of coffee. roasty with some chocolate. dry, moderately bitter finish. very tasty. awesome story behind this as well.
4/4/2011. From bottle. dark brown with a tan head. Roasted malt, chocolate, dark fruit, caramel. Hints of coffee. Nice flavor profile. Good balance, very clean with a malty finish.
Late night bottle at home. Pours deep brown with no head to speak of. Nose is chocolate and cola. Tastes of flat cola, molasses, chocolate, some smoke, and soy sauce. Thin palate very little carbonation.
Bottle. Pours a very dark brown with no head to speak of. Aroma of sweet malts, some coffee / chocolate. Taste is lighter than expected - sweetish with smokey aroma finishing through.
Brun avec un anneau de mousse. Malts rôtis, torréfaction, fumée et chocolat sec sont les pafums qui me viennent à l’esprit. Céréales noires diluées ou imprécises en ce qui touchent les saveurs. Corps plutôt léger et texture mince sans être aqueuse. Bulles endormies. Finale sèche sur des notes de grains brûlés. Simple mais pas simplet.
Bottle from Vintage Estates. Pours a cloudy dark brown. Aroma of big coffee and cocoa powder. Taste is bitter sweet. Really freakin good Porter. Medium body light carb. I liked this more than the averages.
33cl bottle from a colleague. 5.0%. Dark dark brown colour lasting beige head. Malty fruity aroma. It’s kinda ok, some chocolate but mostly malty. Some fried butter. It’s not great, but not terrible. Starts ok but not sure about this melted buttery finish. odd.
From Notes:
Poured from 12oz bottle at Logan hardware arcade. Black with almost no head. Smell is plum and oily. Not pleasant. Taste is better - has the English style porter twang to it. Malts, fruits, musty, prune and somewhat light. Not bad
Appearance: Dark brown, clear. Tiny amount of head.
Aroma: Dark malt, roasted. Coffee.
Taste: Dark malt, slightly roasted. Coffee. Smooth. Pretty good.
Bought: Total Wine & More (Sterling), 350 ml, $3.99
Info: 27/10-2014, 231/300
12 oz bottle pour. Pours a dark brown color with no head really. Kind of a sweet chocolate aroma. A watery milk chocolate flavor with a nice, bolder finish. Lighter body than other porters. Definitely a unique porter in my opinion. Decent flavors all throughout with a touch of smoke. I’d drink this again for sure.
I should disclaim this review by pointing out that I’m not exactly sure how old this bottle is since the freshness code is not written in easy-to-read plain text. Though if this bottle is as old as I think it is, it’s still pretty impressive that this beer was able to hold up this well for over two years. Original Flag Porter is pretty much the epitome of a British porter, despite the fact the yeast used to ferment it was found in a sunken ship from 1825 and the recipe dates back to 1850.
I poured an 11.2oz bottle into a mug. I appears to have been bottled on 8/23/12 and cost $4 ($0.36 per ounce).
Appearance: Seemingly black color, but actually a deep shade of ruby chestnut with highlights to match. Pours to a small, white, foamy head which mostly dissipates but leaves some lacing.
Smell: Sweet dark malts, classic English pub style aroma, mild overall.
Taste: What separates porter from stout is the difference in roastiness and sweetness. Original Flag Porter opts for sweetness, as the dark malts create for a slightly fruity taste with notes of chocolate and dairy. In fact, it has the same character often found in milk stouts from their use of lactose sugar (it’s possible that was used in this brew, but I’m not sure). In fact, the taste reminds me a bit of cola soda, with a hint of coconut, too (but without the sickly sweetness). Just a touch of bitterness on the back end, which I can’t tell is hops or roasted malts (probably both, but mild enough to work as a background ingredient). I’m inclined to believe this beer would be much more complex and flavorful when fresh, but as it stands it’s still pretty good.
Drinkability: Pub-style brews such as this are meant to be easy to quaff and in mass quantities. Original Flag Porter has a thin, lightly carbonated mouthfeel so as to make it gentle on the palate and maybe even refreshing for a moment or two. At 5% ABV it drinks like something even more overtly sessionable, and with the clean finish I could certainly see it working in that capacity.
Poured from a bottle it is a dark beer color with a slight head. The aroma is coffee with mocha overtones the taste is a coffee milkshake with a hint of milk chocolate.
From a 33 cl bottel shared at home. Pours a clear cola brown with an ecru head. Chocolate aroma.Flavors of chocolate milkshake. Medium bodied. Clean finish.
A clear dark amber body with just the smallest hint of a tan head. Nose has roasty notes of chokolate, coffee and caramel. Taste is mildly sweet and roasty, with a smooth dry finish. Carbonation is low and smooth, the palatei s a bit thin. Quite nice malty aroma and well balanced on the tongue. A nice easy drinking porter with a nice complexity to it.
Almost black with some ruby hints off to the side if you turn the glass. Tiny head with tiny bubbles and dots of lacing. Very nice char-roast aroma. Hints of fruit also come out after it sits in the glass for a bit. Chocolate follows if you wait even more. Very good and varied whiffs! Flavor is also char-roast. Bread malts hit in the finish. Smooth; not bitter. Easy-drinking, but flavorful, porter.
Bottle. Copper color, tan head. Milk chocolate aroma. Fairly light flavor with creamy chocolate. Light body, medium carbonation. Surprisingly easy-going for the style.
.33l bottle from CM Seppälä
Pours clear dark amber with low beige head. Aroma is roasted malts, brown sugar notes, raisin notes,coffee notes. Chocolate. Flavor is mostly same. Well balanced.
12 ounce bottle
This widely accessible English porter is fairly prototypical of the style when fresh. Unlike some others the price point is also not that bad either. If not for a tremendous backlog and a desire to support the local breweries this is one I might grab from time to time.
Aroma / Appearance - A carbonated black base and tan mocha head provide a decent presence. Flat cola, coffee, and malt are dry and smooth with a backbone of rich truffles.
Flavor / Palate - Cola, flat Dr Pepper, raspberry, and ash hang around in the tongue. Eventually a dry smoky finish with a spicy kick wraps up a solid robust profile. Whether you just want the county tick or you like good porters this one is a reasonable value for $2.50 a single (or about $10 for a four pack).
Pours dark brown with small head. Slight papery note on the nose (probably a pretty old bottle) along with a very slight hint of chocolate and a crisp, roastiness -- chicken skin, not coffee roast. Taste has a bit of chocolate and more of the roast but fairly one-dimensional. Great, full body and good medium carbonation.
Bottle. Pours dark brown very thin lacing. Rich caramel chocolate, earthy aroma.Medium sweet taste. Thin body, average carbonation, a little watery finish with mild hops. Overall good aroma and flavor but finish was underwhelming.
Dark ruby brown color, minimal head. Smells like burnt malt. Light body, watery. Hops are perceptible in the taste. Medium bitterness.
330ml bottle (K Kamppi, Helsinki) label says brewed by Geltsdale, at 4.5%
Really caramelly aroma. Pours orangy red with a brief head. Slightly watery palate, heightened by the carbonation. Simple sweet caramelly body, hops very low. Slightly disappointing. Left with very little finish. Feels watered down. Was this brewed to 5% and then diuted? (For the Finnish market?)
0.33 l bottle, thanks hanniku! Dark amber color. Very bready aroma with toffee and nuts. Taste of dark bread, molasses and some woody notes. Low bitterness. Light bodied. Hint plastic or rubber in the aroma and flavor. Tastes somewhat dull, watery and stale. Not what I remember tasting this first time 20 years ago.
50 cl bottle @ Konttori.
Pours dark red color, small head. Malty and biscuit aroma, some fruits too. Fruity and malty flavor, some cocoa and faint wooden notes. Smooth and easy to drink.
3414
2013 bottle to a tulip glass. Pours a dark ruby brown with a small off-white head. Aroma is roasty malt. Taste is mostly roasted malt with only a little bitterness and a hint of chocolate. Bitterness seems to come from the roast and not the hops. Ends with a taste bordering on burnt, but still pleasant. Thin mouthfeel and semi-dry. No fuss beer with a basic roasted taste that's easy to drink. The story enhances the enjoyment as well.
Earlier Rating: 1/21/2014 Total Score: 3.7
2013 bottle to a tulip glass. Pours a dark ruby brown with a small off-white head. Aroma is roasty malt. Taste is mostly roasted malt with only a little bitterness and a hint of chocolate. Bitterness seems to come from the roast and not the hops. Ends with a taste bordering on burnt, but still pleasant. Thin mouthfeel and semi-dry. No fuss beer with a basic roasted taste that's easy to drink. The story enhances the enjoyment as well.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
330 ml bottle. 150025. BBE Aug/2014. (K-Citymarket) Vantaa, Finland.
Dark copper colour with a tiny light tan head.
Sweet sugar, malt and some hops on the aroma. Not what I’m looking for in a porter. The flavour is malt, sugary sweetness, some burned sugar and some tiny notes of hops. Thin. Not very portery.
Dark with virtually no head. Great coffee aroma with an excellent coffee taste. Not too strong and not too bitter. I would drink this beer over and over again.
Pours a deep brown with very little head. Aroma is slightly smoky and heavy on coffee and roasted malt. Taste is so smooth...coffee is heavy on the palate with just a hint of bitterness. Finishes smooth on the backend with a ton of coffee on the tongue. Really good porter.