Joseph James BA Smoked Porter with Vanilla

Aroma: “Chocolate malt and rich melanoidin malt. Dark cherry and raspberry fruit. No real roast or smoke to be found. Aroma is fairly low.” Flavor: “Caramel, dried cherries, with a wood-like character on the finish. Semisweet; bitterness comes primarily from the roast. The finish has a lingering quality of semisweet chocolate with an earthy, almost mushroom note.” Overall: “A very subtle smokiness makes it underwhelming in the nose, but it has nice dark malt complexity that is supported by an earthy wood character. Full-bodied, but not cloying.”

Aroma: “Intense smoked malt up front but not overpowering. There’s some chocolate and toast behind that and roasted malt in the background.” Flavor: “Smoke up front with more chocolate and roast coming through in the flavor. Moderate sweetness and bitterness. Smoke character is clean and dances on top of the dark roast malt character.” Overall: “If you like dark beers that are on the more aggressive side, this is a really nice beer. There’s not really any malt sweetness to speak of, but it has a rich complexity of roast, dark chocolate, hops bitterness, and smoke without being over-the-top and harsh.”

Aroma: “Very strong coffee, moderate malt sweetness, caramel, touch of alcohol, toffee, touch of plum, and even a little funky. As it warms, there are stronger licorice notes and a hint of marshmallow.” Flavor: “Piney/citrusy hops, roast malt, dark Caramalt, and full body. Medium bitterness leads to a drying finish. Going deeper, it tastes like a raw hops tea with light malt sweetness, but strong bitterness holds it.” Overall: “Relatively straightforward American stout. Fair bit of hops that go throughout. May be a tad grassy for some.”