The name alone is a mouthful, even before the beer is. That's ok. I'd say it 10 times fast to get a bottle of this delicious brew. One of the things that makes this beer special is that it is a bottle conditioned ale. Bottle conditioning is the practice of adding yeast and fermentables to the bottle. The yeast consumes oxygen in the bottle during fermentation, and this helps to prevent oxidation, which can give beers a wet cardboard type off flavor. Imported beers are particularly susceptible to this, as they have the added disadvantage of spending time crossing the ocean in a cargo ship to get to us. Lagers are not really appropriate for bottle conditioning, but ales certainly are.

King and Barnes has a long history of brewing fine ales. The brewery dates back to the early nineteenth century, and was refurbished in the nineteen eighties. For their bottle conditioned porter, the brewery uses chocolate and crystal malt as well as two row pale and a bit of wheat. Challenger and Golding hops are employed.

Interestingly, this brew is a murky brown in color rather than the more traditional black. A good head forms in my glass and I'm getting a very rich, raisiny nose and some chocolate, reminds me of a Chunky Bar. Wonderfully complex palate is full of raisin, prune, plum, and chocolate, the latter being most noticeable in the finish. This would make a remarkable dessert beer, perfect with chocolate cake or plum pudding.



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