Flag Original Porter

[SewerRanger]

I’m of the opinion that every good beer should have a good story behind it. What can I say; I’m a sucker for a good marketing gimmick. So when I first heard of Flag Original Porter I was instantly sold on the beer and just had to go out and buy some. Man, am I glad that I did. This is a hell of a beer, and even if a little on the pricey side, well worth every penny. It seems way back in the late 80’s (god that was 20 years ago now!) renowned brewer and microbiologist Dr. Keith Thomas, made a most amazing discovery on a sunken ship – a case of beer still in the bottle and sealed. Not one to turn down an opportunity to taste what could be the world’s most rare beer, Dr. Thomas completely disregarded everything he knew about microbiology and popped one open for a taste. The result was less then perfect – “"tasted like old, wet boots”. Instead of drinking anymore, Dr. Thomas took his samples home and discovered that some of the yeast was still alive in the bottles. All he needed now was a recipe and as luck would have it, that very same crate of aged rare porter came with one. Dr. Thomas was in the brewing business! What he eventually created with his 150 year old yeast is one of the best tasting porters that I’ve had. The initial pour is a dark black color with a decent amount of head and lacing. After that pour, you’re going to want to stop and take a good 30 seconds to just enjoy the way this beer smells. There’s a heady aroma that comes off this beer that would make any brewer jealous. Your nose is assaulted with dark molasses and sugary smells that are over laced with bits of fruity sweetness. Just when you think this couldn’t smell any better you begin to pick up hints of cocoa, burnt oak, and a bit of nuttiness - everything you’d expect from an “old world” porter. The taste of the beer is very similar to the way it smells. The molasses stands out as the dominant taste with the fruitiness fading to the back of your palette and the cocoa/nuttiness giving the beer a nice dry finish. As the beer warmed some (like all porters it should be enjoyed only slightly colder then room temp), I also noticed a woody flavor came through in tasting and the bitter chocolate aftertaste began to really stick out. It was nice addition and gave the beer a flavor more complex then every other porter that I’ve tried. The beer itself is medium bodied and has a very creamy mouth feel making it very easy to throw these back. All in all it’s a great beer with a great story and if you see some, you’d be doing yourself a favor by picking up a four pack.