Mould's Beer Blog

Hey everyone, thanks for stopping by.  This is a post in a series of posts I am doing entitled "Exploring the BJCP," which highlights the different sections of the Beer Judge Certification Program, in no particular order.  Today, we look at Category 12B: Robust Porters!   Here is the link to the BJCP page on Category 12B .  Enjoy! Category 12 in the BJCP are porters, and they are divided into 3 subcategories: 12A: Brown Porter 12B: Robust Porter 12C: Baltic Porter Robust porters tend to have more of a burnt malt flavor in the aroma and flavor, and will usually have a greater degree of roastiness than brown porters.  They will be darker in color than brown porters, some robust porters even being close to black.  American versions of the robust porter may have more hop character than English versions.  Typically you will see the % ABV of robust porters in the 4.8 - 6.5% range. In the commercial examples of the robust porter, all are from Ame...

Hey everyone, thanks for stopping in!  Great Lakes Brewing Company recently expanded their distribution into the central and northern parts of New Jersey.  I was excited to get my hands on some of these highly recognized beers from Cleveland, Ohio.  My local Wegmans in Bridgewater had three of the Great Lakes beers in their mix a 6-pack section, so I quickly picked them up.  Great Lakes didn't let me down.  Here's what I thought of those three beers! Great Lakes Brewing Company on Beer Portfolio Dortmunder Gold, Dortmunder Lager, 5.8% ABV, 30 IBUs, Best by 06-30-13 Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold Appearance :  crystal clear golden color, two finger widths of a fluffy white head that leaves lots of lacing on the glass, visible rising carbonation, small bubbles Aroma :  strong scent of sweet biscuits and bread in the nose, caramel.  Surprisingly, not much hop presence. Flavor :   the flavor is leaning on the sweet side initially....