Beer sellers: De Bierkoning
ABV: 5.8%
Origin: Bodegraven, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Website: www.brouwerijdemolen.nl
De Molen 1914 Porter
Another of the impressive range of porters and stouts to have emerged from under the “ark dove” windmill in Bodegraven, this limited edition beer was produced in 2008 by brewer Menno Olivier and beer historian Ron Pattinson, based on a Whitbread recipe from 1914 – the last year of the glory days of stout and porter brewing in London before World War I drove down gravities and left the style terminally pigeonholed as an old man’s drink.
Brewed with pale, brown and black malts and sugar and hopped with East Kent Goldings, the beer is very dark brown with an amber tinge and a lowish fawn head. A smooth, quite light chocolate, fruit and roast aroma heralds a full malty chocolate milk palate, a little thin and gently tangy with smoke, biscuits and fleeting herbs. A gently roasty finish has sappy fruit and more chocolate. Overall a well-made beer with a straightforwardness that strengthens its claim to authenticity.
Ron’s joy at the opportunity to recreate this beer and its stronger sister SSS Triple Stout should inform your joy in drinking them, if you can still track them down. See his blog post at http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2008/01/joy-unbound.html.
Read more about this beer at ratebeer.com: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/de-molen-1914-porter/84684/
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