I think this beer suffers from high expectations on my part.  Real Ale makes such great beers, and Porters are one of my favorite styles, so I really expected greatness from this brew.  Although it's certainly not bad, it wasn't as great as I thought it would be.  This is classified as an American Porter although personally I thought it tasted more like a Stout, not that there is anything wrong with that.  It was on the thin side, and I think what disappointed me the most was that the flavor didn't seem rich.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't nearly as full and rich as I was expecting in both mouth-feel and flavor.  Oddly, despite the name 'Coffee Porter', I thought the 'Coffee' flavor was very marginalized, at least compared to something like Lovejoy's Espresso Stout.  The malt was roasted, but overshadowed by a bitterness.  There did seem to even be an essence of smokiness about it, but once again overshadowed by a bitterness.  Carbonation was low, which normally I kind of like, but somehow with this beer it seemed too low.

Bottle Cap

Brewery Website

BeerTripper Rating

http://www.realalebrewing.com/

Alcohol Concentration

6.30

American Porter

Ale