Batemans Brewery
Lincolnshire, England
Imported by: SBS
Seattle, WA
Available: AK, WA, OR, CA, AZ, CO, ID, MN, WI, IL, MO, KS, MI, ME, MA, CT, NY, NJ, PA, MD, DC, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL
This porter is sold in the United Kingdom under the name Batemans Dark Lord, but re-named for the U.S. market due to a trademark conflict with the well-known Three Floyds beer.
ABV: 5.0
ABW: n/a
Color: n/a
Bitterness: 48
Original gravity: 1049
This ruby porter is named in honor of the late chairman of the company who turned it into one of the most highly-regarded English craft breweries. The beer has a fruity and almost vinous nose with black currants and peppery hops. Spicy hops build in the mouth, with roasted grain, tart fruit and licorice. Fruit and bitter hops dominate the finish but there are major contributions from licorice and roasted grain.
The beer pours dark reddish-brown, nearly black. The head barely gets started before giving up and dropping back to a collar. The aroma is wondrous—chocolate, raisins, dark caramel, blackstrap rum, banana bread, a hint of butterscotch. On the palate, it’s surprisingly brisk and light, first salty, then sweet, then fruity, and finally dry. I find this beer transporting—suddenly I’m at a good pub, and I’ve just decided to stay all evening. Roast beef, my friends, and it will never have tasted as good.
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.
