Black Marlin Porter

Here in Oshkosh, we began receiving beer from San Diego’s Ballast Point Brewing this past January. The brewery is best known for its IPAs. That’s mostly what we’ve been seeing from BP around here. But this unassuming Porter is something special.

Black Marlin Porter is a deep, brown ale with a sticky beige head that laces the glass as you drink it down. The aroma made me think of chocolate milk backed by a light and lingering note of coffee. This is an almost-full bodied beer with a lower than average carbonation that lends it a creamy texture. Flavors of caramel malt and chocolate lead with a mild vanilla accent at mid-palate. I love the hopping of this beer. There’s a driving, earthy hop flavor that accompanies those sweeter malt notes wonderfully. The staunch bitterness those hops leave makes for a finish that’s cleaner than you’d expect from a beer so flavorful. This is an exceptional Porter.

Black Marlin Porter is 6% ABV and measures in with 42 IBUs. I picked up mine last Saturday at the retail side of Gardina’s where it’s being sold in 22 oz. bombers for $4.99. What’s not to like about that?