Head to Head: Haandbryggeriet Norse Porter vs. Fullers London Porter

Welcome to another Head to Head challenge. Today we have two Porters. The First is Haandbryggeriet Norse Porter from Norway. The second is the English Fullers London Porter.

As usual the tasting was done blind and to style.

Appearance: Winner – Fullers

Norse – Pouring more like a stout with a black color and brown head. The head does not leave much lace but daoe last a long time.

Fullers – This pours a very dark brown with a nice reddish color as you look through the light. The head is a bubbly tan and leaves good lace on the glass

Aroma: Winner – Fullers

Norse – This has a slightly strange smell. Not bad just odd. Kind of like soy sauce.

Fullers –The aroma is full of roasted barley along with some tar.

Taste: Winner – Fullers

Norse – A quite sweet initial taste is then joined by a good hop presence.

Fullers –The initial sweetness is balanced by a moderate degree of bitterness. The contrast between the two gives a wonderful balance.

Body/Finish: Winner – Fullers

Norse – While this may look like a stout the finish is definitely more like a porter. It has a medium body with a short finish. It also has a bit of a metallic ness in the finish.

Fullers – The body is medium to full and the finish has a smooth oily texture. Finishes with hints of bitterness.

Overall: Winner – Fullers
Well another decisive win for the London Porter. Quite simply it hits all the buttons. Appearance, aroma, taste and finish are all spot on. It is nice to see that a beer I have enjoyed for almost 20 years has lost none of its appeal. The Norse Porter is a good beer. In fact it is better than that. But today it does not have enough to beat the Fullers. Now lets see what the Nøgne Ø Porter can bring to the table.

~ by alelagerlambic on June 18, 2008.