Foreign Extra Stout and Robust Porter

So the Foreign Extra Stout and Robust Porter I brewed awhile back are both finally reaching their peak. Here are some brief tasting notes for anyone considering brewing them.


Foreign Extra Stout:

Clarity is excellent for a beer this dark, but it isn't quite dark enough. It's black, but not the jet black I was shooting for. Aroma is roasty, sweet, and there's definitely a caramelized sugar, burnt raisin character from the dark crystals. Flavor is roasty, raisiny, with some esters from the yeast. Probably a little too much, but that's a yeast-management issue, not a recipe issue.

Overall a very nice beer. Only recipe tweak would be an additional 4oz of roasted barley for color and more roast.

Robust Porter:

This beer is definitely on the dark end of a robust porter. Aroma is pleasant with some chocolate and floral notes from the hops. Flavor is more chocolate, and some sweetness from the crystal malt. Very well balanced beer and overall, very nice. I'm extremely excited to submit this beer to the upcoming Great Arizona Homebrew Competition, as I think it will do really well.

It's been a slow last two weeks for me, but there are lots of updates coming soon. I dry hopped my Amber Ale yesterday, tomorrow I'm brewing the Furry Penguin, and I've got a few other fun things going on that I'll post.