Beer Review: ReNEWale Porter

Beer Review: ReNEWale Porter
Price: $7.99 a six pack
Brewery: Ninkasi Brewing Company, Eugene, OR
Style: Porter
ABV: 5.9%
Color: Dark Brown
Aroma: Hoppy, slight nuttiness
Body: Light-Medium
Stomach Aspect: Light/Medium
Head: Poured to a nice 1" thick head, tightly grouped bubbles, very dense, tan colored.
Head Retention: Excellent. There is a ring on the glass after each pull.
Taste: Roasted/Chocolate grain flavor around mid tongue, sharp sweetness, hoppy profile on the back of the tongue.
Conclusion: This is your average Porter that I believe Ninkasi only releases during the Winter months here in Oregon. The brew has nice color, excellent head and head retention, lacks aroma, and to be honest, it lacks flavor. The brew has some interesting aspects; like the roasted profile around mid tongue, the great dark brown color, the hoppy bite as you swallow, but that's it. The brew lacks almost everything a Porter, or even a seasonal release should have. The body isn't as heavy as you would think a Winter beer would have. The flavor profile is kinda weak for such a seasonal brew, and the the aroma is lacking. I love Porters and Stouts and think they should be a yearly brew, not just a Winter brew release. But when a brewery releases their Winter seasonal and it's lacking everything I kinda lose hope for future brews from that brewer (Ninkasi included). I would have to say that this isn't the worst porter I've had, but it's not even middle of the road Porter either. With some simple tweaks (like adding more Chocolate grains, some Dextrin grains for body building) this has a chance to become a good seasonal Porter. I think the brewery decided to kick out this brew as the Winter season was coming around and didn't put much thought into it. The beer just has the feel of a lighter colored & body beer that they added some Chocolate grains too and slapped it with a Porter label. If they did put a lot of thought into it, you have to wonder why the waste of time?
Public Aspect: With it's wintery label and seasonal aspect it is best suited for Ugly sweater parties, Holiday gatherings, and Holiday parties at the office. After that, this brew has no real place anywhere. It's only going to appeal to the dark beer drinkers, and even then they might get bored with the brew. So save your hard earned cash and simply pass on this brew if there are other options.