Rate what you are drinking right now (tastes, flavor)

[andywire]

I often check out Beeradvocate before investing my hard earned dollars in a beverage that may or may not satisfy my taste. The reviews tend to be very helpful, and they give me an idea of what to expect, or if the product is worth passing up.

Since I'm just itching to review something tonight...




Grand reserve imperial porter. Picked up a single shell at a Polish grocery store. It's nice that they sell these guys individually, along with the mammoth sized box of 30. I will say, at $18.99 for a 30 pack, this is a heck of a steal.

Anyways, cracked this guy open and poured slowly into my favorite glass. Modest head, very light carbonation. Pitch black with a slight reddish hue. Smells sweet. Kind of like raisins... Vanilla?

First taste, I'm blown away by the sweetness. This is too much! Any hops presence is hiding behind this sugary concrete wall. Now, the sweetness is one reason I shy away from polish beer, but this is just too much. I will admit... I do not drink soda or eat highly sweetened foods, so my palate is easily overwhelmed.

After a couple more tastes, my taste buds have adjusted slightly, and I can start to enjoy some of the hidden flavors. I can detect the familiar porter taste in there, but I'm still not liking this sweetness. One nice thing I will say right off the bat though... At 8% ABV, you don't detect a hint of alcohol flavor through all that unfermented sugar.

Anyways, the raisin flavor is starting to come through. Black licorice, I don't know. This sucks, I'm going to slam this as fast as I can and grab a Guinness.

I've given up on Polish beer at this point.

I'm giving this a 7 out of 10. I didn't like it, but that doesn't mean it was a bad beer. It has a distinct Polish beer taste that I encounter with many others like Okocim. Many people like them. There are some I like but many I do not. Doesn't mean they are bad, it just means that I don't care for them.

The end.