Review: Boag's Honey Porter Limited Release

[rec]

I was really, really excited when I first saw this in a shop tonight. It's limited release and I hope is from the most recent batch (otherwise I'd be worried about its age).

The pour is lack-lustre, with near no noticeable head. Retention is equally as poor. It sports a deep but transparent ruby body, which is perhaps the only visual distinction worth appreciating.

The smell is a hard one to put my finger on. It's sweet, and I'd almost say some sort of light fruits accompany the distinct hops.

I'm not sure what the deal is with the taste - I'm not recognising any honey what-so-ever. I get a watery roasted caffeine flavour and spicy bitterness.

It's easy enough to drink; the carbonation is fine, but for a porter it's just not what I expected. It's far from thick or creamy, which while not always the case with a porter, you'd expect from a honey porter.

In closing, how they called it a honey porter is beyond me, because it doesn't exert any characteristics that would justify that label on either count. I'm extremely disappointed unfortunately.

[Bad Crispy]

if only i liked beer.....

[rec]

If you liked beer, you probably wouldn't like this one anyway.

[HeReTiC]

rec I was really, really excited when I first saw this in a shop tonight. It's limited release and I hope is from the most recent batch (otherwise I'd be worried about its age). The pour is lack-lustre, with near no noticeable head. Retention is equally as poor. It sports a deep but transparent ruby body, which is perhaps the only visual distinction worth appreciating. The smell is a hard one to put my finger on. It's sweet, and I'd almost say some sort of light fruits accompany the distinct hops.

ok...what are you REALLY talking about here? :P

[rec]

Your mother?

[HeReTiC]

that or a 12 year old vietnamese prostitute :P

[rec]

One and the same?

SNAP

[Kagetsu]

Honey is used in the maturing process of the yeast (helps yeast to mature more readily). You shouldn't be able to taste it at all, but does give the yeast a slightly peppery/tangy flavour.
I use honey to make pizza dough.

[rec]

Honey (or any peripheral ingredient) is used however the creator wants to use it, at whatever stage of the brewing process they decide might be best, to achieve a desired outcome.

In this specific brew, the honey is added after fermentation. Beez Neez on the other hand adds it to the kettle after boil but before fermentation. Funnily enough, if it's added before fermentation (not after like this Boags brew) much of the taste is lost, as the process removes the sweetness from the honey.

With this Honey Porter, there's not even the slightest honey taste, although the sweetness is most certainly there. There are other brews that manage to deliver honey undertones to the palette even when adding it after fermentation - many wines and liquers also add honey after the fermentation, and the honey taste is most certainly evident (unlike this Honey Porter).