Brewdog: Beavertown: Catherine’s Pony (Scotland: Imperial Porter: 8.8% ABV)
Visual: Black. Good sized beige froth.
Nose: Smoked. Dried beef slices. Fresh dough. Bitter chocolate dust. Sulphur. Slightly medicinal.
Body: Bitter chocolate. Smoke. Milky coffee. Treacle. Black cherry. Charring. Grapes. Custard. Light iodine and salt. Port. A port touch.
Finish: Treacle tart. Coffee. Lots of dry smoke. Light wood. Custard slice. Blue berry.
Conclusion: So a contender for the smoked porter range, head to head with Bristol United’s take, and by some strange coincidence, this one is a collaboration as well. For differences however this is bigger on abv, racking in as an imperial porter. Let’s see if it brings in enough extra joy to go with the abv.
This one is big on the coffee and chocolate with light medicinal touches and a good dose of smoke. There is a smoothness of texture that the smoke, salt and medicinal prickle through, resulting in a contrast of the velvet and sudden sharp pin pricks that excite the taste buds.
This is definitely the smoother, and yet distinctly more weighty of the two contenders. The smoke is a very present character. Despite a good range of flavor it doesn’t seem to have the contrast and well defined plays and trills that the Bristol united beer does.
The extra alcohol result sin it feeling slightly spirity, almost Islay whisky character at times. I’ve had it on tap and the extra smoothness there, even on top of what it already has here, really helped the prickles define it. It’s still pretty good here with a beef broth like element that gives a bit of weight as it settles.
Slightly dry, spirit touches, smoked and smooth. It doesn’t out do the United beer but is a darker, more edged alternative. The dash of razorblade flavor on silk.
So not the best, but bloody good and a great mix of flavor to texture. Impressive.
Background: A collaboration between my old favourite’s from Brewdog and introducing to me Beavertown who I haven’t run into before. All I know is that they are based in London and have only been brewing since 2012. I’d had a few bottles of this before finally reviewing it, and have tried it on tap as well. I have many a time mentioned my confusion at the term Imperial Porter, but I have come to acceptance of its existence and the reasoning.
