Old Growler - Nethergate Brewery (5.5% ABV)

Old Growler from the Nethergate Brewery is an English Porter brewed in my home county of Essex. Not tried any of their beers before, so here goes...

Appears a very deep, dark brown with a chestnut hue. Very little carbonation results in a lacklustre head, which only offers mild retention and lacing.

Nose offers up plenty of roasted malt, with complex fruits and a ton of sweet, syrup flavours. Quite similar to port wine.

Initial prickly carbonation on the tongue, but flavours give you lots of roasted malt, brown bread, loads of complex dark fruits, and a syrup sweetness to sticks to the palate. Can't detect a great deal of hop flavour in there, and any bitterness that might be there only makes a fleeting visit.

Carbonation at the front end is off-putting, but the full body and smooth texture give this a pleasant mouthfeel. Good clean flavours, but there is something missing from this... It just doesn't seem to pack enough flavour and as a result, it feels off balance.

Not a bad porter. I think I would come back to it, but not in the near future