Hinterland Winterland Porter (7/10)

Hinterland Brewery of Green Bay, Wisconsin, produces Winterland, a Porter style beer.  They describe it as “clean and smooth.  The dark roasted malts give this beer coffee-like tones on top of a rich chocolate malt character. Moderately hopped.”  It’s available from November through January.

Winterland pours almost black with a finger thick tan head that dissipates slowly.  The head leaves behind sheet-like lacing that dissipates to something spotty.

The aroma is that of coffee and dark malt.

The flavor starts malty and then gets mildly bitter with a hint of coffee peeking through. The finish is kind of an ash like bitterness with hops behind it.  There’s not much else to the flavor.
Rate Beer gives this an 88 overall.  Beer Advocate rates Winterland an 83 or “good” overall.  I’m giving it a 7 out of 10, primarily because I don’t care for the bitter finish (probably brought on by the juniper berries used in brewing).  Otherwise, it’s a nice enough porter.

I had this beer on tap at the 101 Beer Kitchen in January, but have seen it in bottles at several local retailers including Ale Wine and Spirits of Powell, The Andersons General Store, and others.  The draft pictured here was priced at $6.00.

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour: Malty, Bitter
Spice Level:  None
Hops Level: Medium
Dominant Flavors: Hops, pine, coffee, malt
ABV:  7.5%
IBU:  Unknown, but I’d estimate mid 20’s to mid 30’s
My Rating: 7/10