Salopian Entire Butt English Porter
It looks like I’m on a lucky run of really tasty porters and stouts this week. And not only is Entire Butt and excellent example of a porter, but it’s also my first experience with Salopian Brewing our of the United Kingdom. The brewery has been around since 1995 and if this 4.6% ABV brew is any indication of what they have been concocting since, then I really need to find more of their products.
Entire Butt English Porter utilizes 14 different malts and three hop varieties to create a beer that is richly layered, full bodied and bold with just the right amount of bitterness to wrap it all up nicely. It’s beers like this that I really love – complex without confusing and full flavored. This is a beer I could drink every day.
Appearance
Pouring a dark cola brown, Entire Butt sits with a relatively short-lived cap of light tan foam that left behind decent lacing as it dropped.
Aroma
This beer smells wonderful as dark roast malt, oats, coffee, subtle cocoa and something familiar smelling that escapes me all combine for an inviting aroma. I’m not sure what the mystery ingredient is and I know it from past drinking, but can put my finger on it.
Taste
The array of malts used in this beer certainly bring a wide spectrum of flavors to the palate. Oats, light coffee, subtle chocolate, light roast and an interesting herbal presence (hops maybe) all come together in this wonderfully earthy brew. It’s a bit beer in terms of flavor, but it doesn’t drink big. With the lower alcohol content the medium bodied brew drinks smoothly, ending with a slightly drying finish.
Overall
I love a big, bold beer like this that is completely drinkable and down right sessionable. There’s plenty to offer without the taste buds without an overly potent alcohol content. Many brews that throw this many ingredients into the kettle can often become muddied or confused, but Salopian’s Entire Butt seems to have gotten everything balanced out just right, making for an easy drinking and richly rewarding drinking experience.
Rating: 4.25/5
