Renaissance Elemental Porter

Very, very occasionally you have a beer that's a bit of a revelation and a game changer. It was completely unnexpected, but this Porter did that for me. Porter isn't a style I'm particularly keen on; I love a good chocolatey rich dark beer, but I prefer a smooth lager (like a Bavarian dunkel or a dark Doppelbock) or a heavy stout with an almost burnt roastiness and a decent but well balanced bittering from the hops (like a Murphy's or my latest favourite Cashels Milk Stout). I've always thought of Porter as a fence sitter between the two, missing the best aspects of each. I don't mind an occasional porter, but I can't say I've ever had one before worth raving about.

This guy was phenomenal. Kind of like eating a chocolate mud cake. Thick, creamy full of flavour, with that roasty character of a stout (or even a good short black), and a very subtle bitterness; but smooth and rich with a chocolate flavour almost reminiscent of homemade caramel. To completely contradict what I said earlier, this beer got the best parts of a good stout and combined them with the best parts of a rich dark lager, and produced something that could easily replace desert, or be sipped by the fire to a good Scorsese movie.

I will definitely drink more Porter as a result of this guy, and I'll definitely have a few more.

ABV: 6.0%
Brewery: Renaissance Brewing Company
Region: Marlborough
Style: Porter

Wife check: (drank in absense of wife)