Rascal London Porter

I had never heard of Inveralmond Brewery, so the fact that Rascal London Porter was #3 in Inveralmond's Inspiration Series meant little to me. However, the sight of a new porter on the shelf at my local beer market certainly caught my interest. I headed home with a smile on my face and a 330mL bottle of Rascal under my arm.

Turns out that Inveralmond Brewery is a U.K. outfit based in Perth. Their Rascal London Porter contained 5.6% and, according to the label, "there's mischief lurking in the embers of its dark mahogany depths." This a beer label or a Tolkien novel?

The beer itself looked black, but had deep brown highlights. It poured with a thin cream head, but this dissolved to a slight ring after a moment. To my sniffer, Rascal demonstrated hearty sweetness, roasted malt character, and a more than modest zeal for chocolate. One sip confirmed those suspicions, but also introduced a new element--a pretty decent bitter finish.

While the nose had me bracing for a syrupy sweet ale, the actual execution, while perhaps a bit sweeter than I'd have liked, really played its hand nicely. Flavour was rich and hearty. It tasted even stronger than its 5.6%, and left me wanting more. The finish was good, but a heavier had on the hops scoop might have enriched things a bit, too.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.