Brooklyn Brewery Mary's Maple Porter

Photo Credit: J. C. Edwards

The Brewers:
Brewmaster: Garret Oliver 
Company: Brooklyn Brewery
Location: #1 Brewers Row 79 N. 11th Street Brooklyn, NY
Website: http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/verify

The Beer:
Style: (Robust) Porter
ABV: 6.9%
Brewed with: East Kent Goldings and Willamette Hops and Upstate New York Grade A maple syrup (http://www.cedarvalemaple.com/)
Served: On tap at Greenwood's Grille (Again, a visit is mandatory:  http://www.greenwoodsgrill.com/)

The Drink:
Drank out of a 12 oz. Pokel glass

Pours pitch black; a color it retains even when held to light.  Forms a thin, tan head that dissipates quickly, leaving no lace.  

Aromas of molasses, coffee, caramel malts, and some subtle yeast esters, lending a somewhat fruity finish on the nose.  I didn't pick up on the maple right off the bat, but about halfway through this beer, when you have room for some swirling action, you can pick it up.  

Beer starts with a high carbonation, especially for a porter, and some toffee-like flavor.  Body is moderate, and really is more of a robust porter, rather than a traditional porter.  Middle is malty and roasty, with notes of coffee, sweet malt and a typical maple "woodiness."  Maple syrup flavor and dryness expand into a lingering finish.   

Overall:
Maple syrup can get tricky in a beer, but it really does work well here.  The dry, woody flavors complement the roasted malt well, creating an interesting roasty sweet brew.  Perhaps the most redeeming quality of this beer is its simplicity.  Often times I find beers with very interesting ingredients, but there are so many I can't parse them out of the beer.  This is a straight porter with maple syrup, and I know what a porter tastes like, so I can get a pretty good sense of what maple syrup does in a beer.  Benchmarks like these are pretty important in developing you're palate, and it's a pretty good beer, so try it if you can.