Meantime Brewery, London Porter (exclusively brewed for Marks&Spencer), 5.5%abv. (Porter)

Purchased at the M&S supermarket, this non-bottle conditioned beer seems to be a limited-edition thing, as after seeing it on the shelf for only a few months it was put on clearance sale when I got this bottle, and has never been seen in my local branch ever since… The recipe is said to date back to 1750, using “7 malts”; BB 09/2013, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

4/5 Appearance: pours a very dark mahogany brown colour, topped with a tight, frothy dark beige head which lasts very well indeed, coming with fairly fine carbonation.

4/5 Smell: upon pouring the beer, initially the smell is full of calcium-pill like gristy maltiness and powered cocoa; as it retreats, there goes mildly smoky on the nose, underlined by a rich and dense flow of caramely and chocolatey maltiness, while dark fruits lag behind in the form of dried longan fruits, plum preserve, fig paste, and prunes with its lovely touch of acidity. Hops are the other major element on the balance, showing a vivid impact from English Goldings-like hops with a fresh orangey-citrus aroma. Fairly aromatic, balanced, and refreshing on the nose.

4/5 Taste: the foretaste gives out savoury sweet dark malts with a lovely kick of earthy bitterness, lingering burned sugar, mildly chewy peppery hoppiness, and lesser elements from dark fruits, resting on a satisfyingly bittersweet aftertaste full of notes of bitter chocolates, filter coffee, charred sprigs, crushed smoked longan-fruit shells, while a subtle touch of plummy acidity always stays fairly close-by.

4.5/5 Mouthfeel: very smooth on the palate, the carbonation level is next to perfect, making this full-flavoured and medium-plus bodied Porter ale an ideal session beer.

4/5 Overall: I regret having not obtained some more bottles, esp. when I got this bottle it was put on a ridiculous “3 for 5 quid” deal! Don’t know if this is a rebranded product by Meantime as I don’t recall having tried the same from the brewery, but if anyone’s local Marks&Spencer still has this one and you love a dark beer, go for it – grab whatever is left there to avoid disappointment…!

--Yau (27/01/2013)